# Suggestions for my garden **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937 "2008-05-03T22:52:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Arithosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Arithosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arithosa)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/1 "2008-05-03T22:52:41Z")
Help me out. I have a planter available to me – it’s about 4.5’ by 8’. I’m going to till it and mix in some good fertilizer this weekend. Then I’m going to plant something, but I don’t know what. I live in Oregon, if that helps, so the climate is temperate and mild, but since the summer is rapidly approaching, I expect plenty of sun. I’d like to plant from seed. I don’t want to rule out fruits or vegetables, but I have no strong desire to produce anything this year – I’m more concerned with appearance. I want something striking. Last year I grew sunflowers, and they were fantastic, but I’d like to try something different this year. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/2 "2008-05-03T23:06:13Z")
This is more of a below-ground thing, but [watermelon radishes](http://www.yumsugar.com/1549859) look absolutely amazing when sliced open. They’re pretty unassuming above-ground – just dark green leaves. You might want to look into planting a packet of assorted lettuces. They’re usually labeled as “mesclun”, which is the French term for mixed lettuce. The colors range from traditional green to purple. Both radishes and lettuce are easy to grow. So are beets, which have purplish stems above ground and thick green leaves. Or you could plant sweet corn. That ought to attract some attention. Or pole beans! Put up some trellises and let the beans crawl up them. Sorry for all the vegetable suggestions! It won’t stop raining here long enough for the ground to dry out to plant the garden, and I’m raring to go. Stupid rain! Let us get everything tilled and then you can fall! ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/3 "2008-05-03T23:14:33Z")
I did [this](http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/foraboard/Terraced20Garden2031.jpg) once. Not that it looked like the one in the pic or anything, but I grew most of the plants from seed myself: Coxscomb (celosia) Petunias Sage There’s also some geranium, delphinium and other stuff in the pic if you look closely. ---
**Author:** ![Arithosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Arithosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arithosa)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/4 "2008-05-04T00:36:05Z")
**Ms. Purl** , I like your pole bean idea. I will put some thought into it. It’s been raining here too – last year I had everything planted by now. **bathsheba** , wow, that looks great. I really like those fiery looking red and yellow ones. Those are coxcomb, right? He’s a photo of the [raw material](http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/arithosa/SDMB/DSCF0004.jpg), if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/5 "2008-05-04T00:49:09Z")
If you want annuals for cutting, try cosmos and cornflowers – a pretty combo of pinks, reds, and blues. If you like yellows and oranges, zinnias and marigolds are both easy. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/6 "2008-05-04T00:55:56Z")
I had gorgeous marigolds last year! Never had enough sun 'til now, and I was just nuts about 'em! You might want to consider a butterfly garden. Some flowers attract more than others. I had some purple flowers last year. Lots of pointy stems with teeny purple flowers on them. The butterflies loved them. Plus, I love the purple/yellow/orange combination with those marigolds. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/7 "2008-05-04T01:40:14Z")
[QUOTE=Arithosa] **Ms. Purl** , I like your pole bean idea. I will put some thought into it. It’s been raining here too – last year I had everything planted by now. [/QUOTE] [Scarlet runner beans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean) are really pretty when they’re in bloom. I guess they’re edible, too, but I don’t know anyone who eats them. I was just informed that we’re breaking the Rototiller out tomorrow no matter what. We need to get things in the ground if we want to eat anything before August. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/8 "2008-05-04T01:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] [Scarlet runner beans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean) are really pretty when they’re in bloom. I guess they’re edible, too, but I don’t know anyone who eats them. [/QUOTE] **Purl** beat me, darn it! I was going to suggest those, because they’re really striking when they’re in full bloom, and they ARE edible (as runner beans, which is more green bean/string bean than fava bean). ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/9 "2008-05-04T02:12:26Z")
Mwah ha ha! Foiled again, **jayjay**! Isn’t the problem with runner beans that they get tough really early? Eating them is a bit like chewing on stringy cardboard if you don’t get them soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/10 "2008-05-04T02:14:20Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] Mwah ha ha! Foiled again, **jayjay**! Isn’t the problem with runner beans that they get tough really early? Eating them is a bit like chewing on stringy cardboard if you don’t get them soon enough. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but harvesting them young helps the flowering to keep going. If you let them sit and set seed, they won’t bloom anymore. If you pull them when they’re still tender and young, they keep flowering in a desperate attempt to reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/11 "2008-05-04T05:21:14Z")
[QUOTE=Arithosa] **bathsheba** , wow, that looks great. I really like those fiery looking red and yellow ones. Those are coxcomb, right? He’s a photo of the [raw material](http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/arithosa/SDMB/DSCF0004.jpg), if that helps. [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s coxcomb. ---
**Author:** ![Arithosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Arithosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arithosa)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-my-garden/447937/12 "2008-05-04T16:41:02Z")
**Kalhoun** , I like the idea of a butterfly garden. I haven’t seen too many butterflies since I moved here, but maybe I haven’t been looking hard enough, and maybe I need the right kind of foliage to attract them.