Labor Day Flowers: Cutting Garden Edition

The cutting garden that we've been picking away at all summer is finally (almost) finished. There's still one little 4-foot x 2-foot bed to fill with dirt, but otherwise, it's ready to plant. It's way too late to sow any seeds for this season, but it's the perfect time to pick up half-price perennials at end-of-season sales at local nurseries! A few that I snagged are even still blooming:

In the background is veronica "Royal Candles;" in the foreground is a small gaillardia called "Peach Gallo."

This is a variety of echinacea called "Marmalade." Its blooms range from dark orange to the salmon-peach you see here. It also has this puff-ball shape instead of the more typical daisy form.

Finally, this is a close-up of the chrysanthemums I put in containers for fall. I probably won't end up cutting these, but I could fill some mini-vases if I wanted to. If I take care of these over the winter, next season they can grow with much longer stems — especially since I am too lazy in the spring to keep them trimmed back into the neat mounds you see in nurseries. That neglect works in our favor for cutting flowers and lets the plant take a more natural form. For now, though, the compact version is perfect for the planters at the end of the patio!