Saturday, June 6, 2009

father of our kitchen garden

Last Friday morning I had the privilege of strolling through the gardens of Mount Vernon before they opened to the public. Courtesy of the Garden Writers Association I was inside the gates at 6 am, when the light is superb and the crowds are nonexistent.

I know most people go to Mount Vernon to see the house, the paintings, the furniture... but I didn't set foot in a single building! The gardens are magnificent, especially the lower (kitchen) garden where vegetables are stunningly arranged amongst fruits, herbs, and edible flowers.

I'm not a fan of the Brassicaceae...to EAT, that is. But they make a lovely ground cover.
Onions
can be ornamental:

An amphitheatre of strawberries:
Even a peach (when espaliered) becomes decorative as well as delicious.
Gardeners today talk about the blended garden, one that incorporates edible and ornamental plants into a single garden, both productive and attractive. Hats off to George Washington, the father of our kitchen garden.

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6 Comments:

At June 7, 2009 at 12:57 AM , Blogger ~Red Tin Heart~ said...

What a wonderful blog you have! I loved this post.
Gardening is one of my passions.

xoxo Nita

 
At June 7, 2009 at 8:15 AM , Blogger SaraGardens said...

Wow, an amphitheatre of strawberries! I need to think bigger. Thanks for the beautiful pictures - most gardeners I know sneak in a few edibles here and there. It's grand to see them as the glory of the garden.

 
At June 7, 2009 at 10:25 AM , Anonymous Leda Meredith said...

Inspiring! I am all in favor of gorgeous edible landscapes.

 
At June 8, 2009 at 7:57 AM , Blogger Ellen Zachos said...

Thank you RTH, It's fascinating how many different kinds of people (you, me, George Washington) can all feel passionate about gardening.

Sara, it's not that you need to think bigger, you need a full time staff and unlimited acreage!

 
At June 9, 2009 at 6:36 PM , Blogger gardenlore said...

gorgeous photos. there are so many reasons for blended gardening. a few days ago i realized i only had one flower in my garden that wasn't attached to a fruiting plant. i need to fix that.

 
At June 9, 2009 at 7:17 PM , Blogger Ellen Zachos said...

Thanks Layer, and good for you with your blended garden! I wish I could say the same but the deer in my garden are relentless and I frequently have to plant things that are downright poisonous to keep bambi from eating everything down to the ground.

 

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