I love my kitchen garden, but it's not the kind of garden for big, sprawling veggies. So, those are going to go (eventually) into separate beds, probably on the other side of the house. For now, I still have to fill up my very large kitchen garden...so I'm thinking that dividing the garden into different 'areas' might work well.

So, separate little gardens, within the bigger garden, with some common elements to tie it all together. Has anyone else done this? Any tips?

My plan is to have all four corners of the garden be the same...inside and outside the fence. (Obviously, I need to install the fence LOL) Probably a hardy red rose in the corner, with yellow pontentillia on each side and a catmint or lavender in front. Behind them (outside of fence) I'm thinking butterfly bushes would be great, if they're hardy enough.

I'll have three arches (two as entrances, one over the birdbath) but I want to use the same plants on all of the arbors. Sweet peas followed by morning glories...with pink or white pontentillia on each side. I know, a lot of potentillia, but it's deer proof, stays small, blooms all summer and loves my soil :)

The arbor is all roses and herbs, with purple and white clematis growing over it. There's one bed that's purple raspberries mixed together with bee balm (trying to keep the deer out) and catmint on each end. The bird bath is going to be in the butterfly garden...so lots of butterfly friendly flowers there. I've got so many weeds in the fields, I don't think I have to worry about providing for the eggs/caterpillars.

Also, for the kids, I have mini blueberry bushes, strawberris and borage, as well as climbing peas, around their wooden bench. There is also going to be a baby watermelon/mini-pumpkin/pea patch...I'll have to take a picture of that one (LOL). And, along the front (where all the grass is growing in the beds) is going to be lots of peas, bush beans, climbing beans, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, etc. with lots of sunflowers, nasturiums, calendula, alyssum, marigolds and snapdragons.

The large pots around the arbor are for some herbs and petunias, as are two new ones (not shown) which will go on either side of the main entrance. If I can find some star jasmine, I might put them at the entrance, with white petunias...I love this combination.

The outside will be the butterfly bushes in the corners, with blueberries on two sides (with coneflowers, daisies, strawberries, sweet woodruff, etc.) and on the other two side (sunnier) probably asparagus, dill, a few plum tomatoes and cosmos on one side (behind the butterfly garden) and more veggies and flowers on the front (by the arch).

So, it helps a lot just to write all this down...and I'd appreciate any ideas, opinions, advice, etc. Thanks in advance for looking at this...and for seeing my same old pictures...but I do plan to take new ones as soon as it warms up enough to move things around :)

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