Three ladies are standing taller at the corner of the front display garden. Three lettuce plants no larger than a finger nail were picked up at the spring Plant Swap Brunch and left in the spray paint can cap they came in for weeks. They were eventually planted in the front display garden, and after some time they began to grow. 
They were eaten for a week, then became excessively strong and bitter tasting.The leaves were very attractive in appearance, and fit right in with their other leafy neighbors. Not liking to rip out growing plants, these lettuce ladies were left to grow bitter and grow old gracefully. Today, they are about 3-feet (1 m) high, and are beginning to wear flowers in their hair in the golden years.
They have healthy green leaves down to the ground (no exposed legs), no pests, and strong stems that can teach some younger plants how to stand up straight. They also add some vertical emphasis to the garden. Maybe we should leave other vegetable plants to grow on past their initial harvest, allowing them a new career in their later lives.
For The Record: • Medium soil with mulch • Full sun, average water • No fertilizer Garden Calendar: • Blooming: Cosmos, zinnia, nicotiana, sunflower, nasturtium, spiderwort, coreopsis • Harvested 6 tomatoes |
Awesome! I like how the yellow flowers contrast with the purple/pink of the Cleomes behind and the purple flowers to the right.
ReplyDeleteI am, of course, a big fan of veggies. I'm glad you appreciate them for their beauty, too! The trombetta squash I am growing has gigantic, beautifully variegated leaves (grey venal areas and random spotting) that are wonderful to cover up the soil underneath taller plants (although you run the risk of having said squash grow UP the taller plants).
we have a difficult time growing veggies. I would like to grow green beans. They grow fast and are much nicer fresh than buying them. But no luck in our hot dry summers in the western cape South Africa. What caught my attention was your lettuce. So familiar. Here they grow immediatly into that long stage and flower.... sigh.
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