Strawberry fields forever...

Okay, more like a strawberry bed surrounded by sunflowers.

I'm really excited. My garden plans have officially taken off. I emptied out one garden bed of all chives and funky plants I don't understand or want, and planted nothing but strawberries and sunflowers. I had to go sparse on the sunflowers, we don't want them to shadow the strawberries! I then planted two artichokes in a different area. So excited.

The next area is going to be a bit more mixed. It'll have tomatoes, marigolds, onions, peppers and basil, but they may be spread alongside the fence wall because my second raised garden bed is going to house my 'butterfly garden' and my cutting garden. The cutting garden is going to house a lot of bulb plants that I'll add in the fall as well as summer plants. I refuse to go look at bulbs now though, because I want to get the garden in shape for summer before I start worrying about next spring.

The third and final garden bed is, and I'm so excited about this idea, is going to house my sunflower house for the children. I'm going to plant sunflowers and then add runner beans and morning glory to make the walls. The inside of the 'house' will have some shade-loving ground cover or maybe just dirt who knows, it's kids right :) and in front of the sunflower house will be some other flowers if there's room :) Just google 'sunflower houses' and you'll get a whole bunch of plans :).

I mean, okay there is STILL a lot to do in the garden, but I'm making progress and my strawberry bed is so nice looking ha ha ha. I will do the shade gardens as soon as they arrive in the mail. One shade garden is going in a dark, moist corner spot that is bare of nothing but dirt and weeds between a rhododendrum *I think* and an umbrella-sorta-tree that provides shade.

Unfortunately, I can't recall what I said I was going to do on the border between my yard and the neighbor's yard, where I currently have tulips. If anyone remembers, please let me know! My foundation bed in the back is shade, so that's great. The one's on the side of the house are going to house my perennial border gardens *I think, I really wish I didn't lose that important piece of paper ha ha ha...

Then, I'm going to mulch mulch mulch muahhaaa... I'm using straw/grass for the garden beds and stuff in the back, but the pathways will need bark mulch.

I looove my garden ideas.

I want to add more vegetables, and try things like pumpkins and cucumbers and such, but I really think at this point, I should stick to what I have, get the garden in order, and THEN next year add new crops.