#Thrifty Food Plan

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Casey Wexler and Reed McMaster at MMFA:

Right-wing media have spent over a decade attacking and calling for cuts to vital food assistance programs, with particular focus on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as “food stamps”) as well as free school lunch programs. Now, Project 2025 — an extreme right-wing initiative organized by The Heritage Foundation to provide policy and personnel to the next Republican presidential administration — proposes  fulfilling their wish of cutting off hundreds of thousands of Americans from vital food assistance.

Project 2025 calls for sweeping cuts to the food stamp program, which would eliminate food assistance for some Americans and slash the purchasing power of families

Project 2025’s play book, Mandate for Leadership, calls for reimplementing work requirements for food stamps, which it estimates could put 688,000 adults at risk of losing food assistance. Project 2025 claims that these work requirements would be “fairly limited” but admits that the policy will deny some Americans food assistance. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ analysis of Project 2025, “These requirements are premised on the false assumption that people who receive SNAP do not work and must be compelled to do so — an assumption rooted in a host of unfounded prejudices based on race, gender, disability status, and class. Rigorous studies have shown that the current work requirement policy is ineffective at increasing employment. Instead, it takes food assistance away from people with very low incomes and increases food insecurity and hardship.” [Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, 2023; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/3/24]

Project 2025 seeks to remove automatic qualification for SNAP if an individual receives benefits from another government program or broad-based categorical eligibility. The authors of Mandate for Leadership are trying to end automatic eligibility for SNAP for those who receive other benefits because, they claim, “‘benefit’ is defined so broadly that it includes simply receiving distributed pamphlets and 1–800 numbers. This definition, with its low threshold to trigger a ‘benefit,’ allows individuals to bypass eligibility limits—particularly the asset requirement.” But a major benefit of broad-based categorical eligibility, according to CBPP, is helping families through the “benefit cliff,” when a family’s income rises just above the SNAP limit. Broad-based categorical eligibility allows states to ignore the threshold and phase out SNAP benefits gradually as income increases. It also lets families keep higher levels of allowed assets, which allows them to “avoid debt, weather unexpected financial disruptions, and better prepare to support themselves in retirement.” [Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, 2023; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/30/19]

Project 2025 attacks recent increases to the Thrifty Food Plan, which estimates the cost of a healthy diet, saying the Biden administration “may have skirted regulations and congressional authority to increase the overall cost of the program.” The Biden administration raised the budget of SNAP when it found higher costs in maintaining a healthy diet, which Project 2025 called “a dramatic overreach.” Mandate says the Thrifty Food Plan has previously been based on just inflation, which was proposed in the latest federal farm bill. According to the Urban Institute, “In effect, the proposed changes would reduce SNAP benefits’ purchasing power over time, exacerbating the current SNAP benefits gap.” [Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, 2023; Newsweek, 4/23/24; Urban Institute, 3/18/24;]

Project 2025 seeks to close the “heat-and-eat loophole” that allows states to issue larger amounts of food stamp benefits. Food stamps are issued based on income minus certain deductions, and beneficiaries of the Low-Income Heat and Energy Assistance Program receive a large deduction even if, according to Project 2025, their LIHEAP benefits are as low as $1 (in reality, as of 2014, LIHEAP benefits have to be $20 or more). LIHEAP helps households pay utility costs, and beneficiaries of the program can maximize their SNAP benefits on top of receiving utility assistance. The program was created because low-income households have a tendency to go without food due to high energy costs. Therefore eliminating this “loophole” entirely will create the food insecurity it was implemented to prevent. [Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, 2023; Food Research and Action Center, 3/16/21; LIHEAP Clearinghouse, 2/21/24]

Project 2025's plans for food assistance are diabolical, as its agenda includes reinstation of broad-based categorical eligibility and the Low-Income Heat and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

[inkskinned]

i think a lot about exactly 1 thing from the roman empire: the concept of bread and circus. the idea was that if your population was fed and entertained, they wouldn't revolt. you are asking us to give up our one small life, is the thing - for under 15 dollars an hour.

what would that buy, even. i am trading weekends and late nights and my back health. i am trading slow mornings and long walks and cortisol levels. i am trading sleep and silence and peace. for ... this. for what barely-covers-rent.

life really is more expensive right now. you aren't making that up. i make almost 3 times what i did 5 years ago, and despite an incredibly equal series of bills - i am still struggling. the most expensive line item i added was to own a dog. the money is just evaporating.

we were okay with it because it's a cost-benefit analysis. i could handle the customer harassment and standing all day and the manager's constantly changing temperament - i was coming home to hope, and my life planned in a blue envelope. three hours would buy me my dog's food for a month. i can give up three hours for him, for his shiny coat and wide, happy mouth. three days could be a new mattress, if i was thrifty. if i really scrimped and saved, we could maybe afford a trip into the city.

recently i cried in the car about the price of groceries.

business majors will be mad at me, but my most inflammatory opinion is that people should never be valued at the same place as products. your staff should not be a series of numbers in an excel sheet that you can just "replace" whenever you need something at that moment. your staff should be people, end of sentence.

it feels like someone somewhere is playing a very bad video game. like my life is a toy. like someone opened an app on their phone and hired me in diner dash ultra. they don't need to pay me well or treat me alright - they can always just show me the door. there is always someone more desperate, always someone more willing.

but i go to work and know i could save for years and not afford housing. i am never going to own my own home, most likely. i have no idea how to afford her ring, much less the wedding. my dog doesn't have his own yard. everything i love is on subscription. if i lose my job, i have no "nest egg" to catch my falling.

this thin life - they want me to give up summer for it. to open my mouth and throat and swallow the horrible hours and counted keystrokes. they want me to give up mountains and any non-federal holiday. to give up snow days. to give up talking to my mom whenever i want. to give up visiting the ocean and hearing the waves.

bread and circus worked for a while, actually. it was the kind of plan that would probably now be denounced by republicans as socialist commie liberal pronoun bullshit.

but sometimes i wonder if we should point them to the part of the history book that says: it worked until it didn't.

[geargoyle]

Here's my trick for that: Divide off whatever portion that you aren't going to use for shaped meat dishes (i.e. meat loaf, meatballs, burgers, stuffed peppers, etc.) and fry it all up at once. If you don't have a big enough skillet, a dutch oven works well for this. Sometimes I add black pepper and garlic powder since I put those in almost everything, but you can leave it unseasoned for versatility. Drain the fat, then cool and portion it.

You can stick it in the fridge to use within about 3 days or freeze for at least 2 months. Use anywhere you would use it fresh fried, like chili or pasta sauce. If frozen, it'll thaw well overnight in the fridge, or put it out on the counter about 20 minutes before you cook and you can break it up enough to warm it the rest of the way in a skillet or pot or whatever.

Some people may notice a taste or texture change, but I find it better than working with frozen/thawed raw meat. Seems to thaw faster for me, too.

When you live alone you should NOT buy 1.8kg of mince. Don't do it.

[thestartarot]

Astro Observations Chapter 1:1:2 the grit

**** my own observations based on my experiences. Do not take as fact 🙃

Taureans really are the most loyal lovers and partners IF you are at their standard, which is really high. And if they love you, of course. Cheating isn’t typical

Taurean’s can also be prone to drug addiction or alcoholism at an early age, may lead into adulthood.

Taureans who have an oppressive parent growing up (usually opposite gender) never trust that parent fully again and may have issues with that gender in a committed relationship until fully realized that person is not their parent.

Scorpio & Virgo - one of the worst matches. Virgo doesn’t like Scorpio’s intensity. Scorpio doesn’t like Virgo leading them on. Toxic.

Everything has to make sense to Virgos in the way they think, and they often don’t consider others. This often comes across as being cold or very self centered.

Eye observation - Pisces women usually have very glassy and watery eyes, whereas Scorpio women have very intense eyes and sometimes can be intimidating to the same sex.

Pisces women DO NOT like anybody touching their things or even asking to borrow their things. Leave them to their little bubbles with their cats and hamsters.

Pisces OBSESS over their love interest

Pisces… they loooove lists and to make notes about their lists. Check their online shopping carts.

Leos struggle to differentiate between acquaintances and friendships.

Leos do weird things like fart a lot or spit in public. Obnoxious. Invasive

Signs most likely to stalk you, CANCERS FA SHO (in an obvious way), aquarians, scorpios.

Aquarians are sentimental and want to be worshipped.

Geminis tolerate liquor and smoke well usually even in excess. Know this when entering relationship.

Never underestimate a Scorpio’s plan. They have intuition and are very primal. Also unhinged.

Scorpio and Sagittarius women are very thrifty.

Scorpios will open a drink or get hot food at the grocery store, consume it in store and then pay for it.

Scorpios will often inherit the generational trauma from their family. Example: the genetic mental disorder, the history of a dead parent, physical abuse, and they will tell you about it. They are very intense.

Leo women and Pisces face shapes can be similar.

All water signs are pretty ocd, but cancer women are the most.

— Casper

[judysxnd]

Hi.. can I request a pedro×reader please?

I want board game night with pedro. One where it things get hot and heavy 💋❤

Oh yes pleeeaaaase, I absolutely LOVE the idea.

I wanted to wait before publishing it, so that I could write others and plan them, but I was so proud of it (for once), that I couldn’t wait!! I love it so much, I was inspired!!!!!

Minors, please do not engage!

Warnings: smut, oral, unprotected sex

Summary: game night took a turn when you end up loosing

——————————————————————————

You were coming home a little bit late tonight, you had an emergency at work. You were a little bit worried that Pedro would be mad, since Friday nights are designated to be your game night. Unfortunately this time you couldn’t get out of work early.

When you entered the house, you saw the games on the table, and you smelled the pizzas in the oven. After putting your stuff to the side, you entered the living room, to see Pedro reading a book with the tv on with music.

“Hi” Pedro said, lifting his head, smiling

“Hey, I’m sorry for coming home so late” he put his book on the coffee table and got up

“It’s okay, don’t worry, I warmed the pizza and the games are ready” once in front of him, you put your arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. “Aaand, it’s not that late” he added, looking at his phone

“I don’t deserve you” you said, kissing him lightly again

“I know I know” you both laughed

“Are the pizza ready?” You turned your face towards the kitchen

“They should be” you both walked to the kitchen. While Pedro checked the pizzas you set up the table. “What game do you want to play tonight?”

“Hm, I don’t know.. Are you in a mood for a long game or a short one?”

“Whatever you want”

“That’s not helping” you joked

“When you ask this question it’s because you want to play a long one, since the only long one we have is monopoly, let’s do it then” you stood still, staring at him, blushing a little

“It’s not even funny, you know me too well”

“I’m the perfect boyfriend I know” you both laughed

“Don’t get too cocky”

“I should say that to you with that attitude, when you are the one who came home late” you gasped

“How dare you! I work to put food on the table!” you laughed

“And what do you think I’m doing? I stay home waiting for you!” Pedro continued the joke “and when you come home, the first thing you ask is what’s for dinner? How do you think it makes me feel!” You couldn’t stop laughing

“Alright alright miss pascal, I’ll set up the game, you can serve the pizzas”

“Right away ma’am” you chuckled “but still you’ll have to make it up for coming home late”

“Yeah yeah” you smirked as you sat. Pedro put he pizzas on the table, and gave you a piece of it, before taking one for himself.

After almost thrifty minutes, you were well into the game, music still playing in the background. There were almost no piece of pizza left. In the game, Pedro was winning. He bought a lot of places, the expensive ones, while you only had the cheapest ones.

“That’s not fair” you said as you ended on his place, the most expensive one. You looked at the two piece of paper that showed “50” on each.

“You do have to pay though” he smirked, proud of himself

“I regret choosing this game” Pedro laughed. “Can I take money from the bank?”

“Nope, you already did it twice, they refuse to lend you more money”

“Why? You will end with the money either way”

“You’re going to have to find another way to pay” he had a big evil smile on his face. You stared at him, thinking.

“Can I pay.. maybe.. in kind?” Pedro’s smile dropped a little, his eyes starting to travel on your body.

“Depends, what do you have in mind?” You slightly got up from your chair and leaned over the table. You put your hand under Pedro’s chin, pulling him closer to you. Once he was, your hand wandered on his body, before ending on his crotch. Pedro didn’t dare to move, his eyes never leaving yours.

“I was thinking, you know.. this kind of stuff.” You bit your lip. You slightly tilted his head on the side, getting closer to his ear. “Like maybe you could take me right now on the table” you whispered. Then suddenly you sat back down. “I don’t know, only if you want to, I can pay you later with money if you prefer” you were smirking, Pedro got all serious, but more specifically speechless.

“I’d like option one” he finally said. He put both his hands on the table, and pushed the board further on the side of the table. Once it was all empty in front of him, he tapped on the table, signaling you to come sit in front of him. Smiling, you got up, walked around the table, before sitting on it, right in front of Pedro.

You are wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with a simple white shirt. Well, you were wearing them. Because in soft motions, Pedro unbuttoned your jeans, and slowly took them off of you. Kissing your thighs as he got closer to you, his hands arrived on your waist and grabbed your shirt, taking it off. You were already moaning as you felt his lips on your body.

“It better be worth it, because you own me a lot of money” he softly said as he got up and started to kiss your stomach, then your neck. You couldn’t help but chuckle. One hand on the table, the other on your back, in just a snap he unclipped your bra. You took it off and threw it somewhere in the room.

Your hands were slowly going down under his shirt. Before he could kiss you again, you slightly pushed him, and started to take his shirt off. Once it was off limits, with your legs you pulled him closer to you again. Staring at him for a few seconds, this time, you were the one kissing all over his body, as your hands found and squeezed his butt.

“Do I never treat you right?” You asked, breaking the silence. You saw in Pedro’s eyes that he didn’t expect it, but that he didn’t dislike it as well. He smiled and kissed you roughly but not too much. He started to go down, going from you neck to breasts, making sure to take care of your boobs, before ending on your stomach, and a little bit lower, your right hand in his hair.

He looked at you, his hands on your waist as they grabbed the fabric of your panties, and started to slowly tug them down. You moved a bit so that Pedro could take them off. He threw them away, not really caring right now. On his knees, he brought you a little more on the edge of the table, and kissed your thighs again, before going down on you.

You immediately moaned when you felt his tongue working perfectly on your skin, his beard tickling you at the same time. All of these sensations were already sending you to heaven. You were arching your back, your left hand holding you still on the table as much as you could. Pedro was also holding you still with his right hand, while his left was curled up around your thigh, sometimes squeezing it.

In matters of minutes you were getting there, your moans getting louder and louder. Your legs naturally wrapped themselves around Pedro, it was too good. Grinding a little bit, you were finally on the edge. After you hit your orgasm, you were breathing heavily, laying on the table. You released Pedro from your legs. He got up, and kissed you all the way up to your lips. He pulled you up so that you were sitting again. Without saying anything, you stood up, and turned, pulling Pedro where you were.

“It was supposed to be the other way around” you said as you pulled down his pants.

“Can’t help myself” he said as he wiped his mouth with his thumb. You chuckled. “You taste too good” you pulled his underwear down, exposing him entered to you. You lightly pushed him so that he would sit on the table. Not saying anything, you kissed him passionately while you wrapped your hand around his dick and started to move up and down. He moaned in the kiss.

You lowered yourself, your left hand going down on his body too. Know on your knees, what your mouth started to do what your hand was doing before. Pedro threw his head back, moaning and groaning. You knew what you were doing, your tongue making it feel just right. You were also using your hands, each touch was essential. That’s actually his weakness.

His hand grabbing your hair tightly, he came in your mouth. Swallowing, you got back up. Neither of you said anything, you just looked at each other. It was now incredibly hot in the room, you were both panting, but you were far from done. After a few seconds, Pedro grabbed your thigh, quickly turned and put you on the table again. Here comes the best part.

He roughly kissed you again, his hand down, working on your clitoris, stimulating you again, and preparing you for what’s about to come next. You squeezed his ass, earning a moan from him. He parted your legs more, and centered himself with you. You pumped him a little, before putting his dick in front of your entrance and started to slide it inside. You put both of your legs around his waist, making him go even closer to you, making his dick going further and deeper inside of you. You both moaned at the feeling.

Then the motions started. In and out. Grinding accordingly to the thrusts. Your hands were either on his back or butt, squeezing what you could find, as the feeling was very intense. Pedro was kissing your neck, his hands on your breasts and holding you at the same time. He always preferred keeping you close to him. He loves the feeling of your skin of his way too much. You were starting to get close and Pedro was not far away from you. The thrusts were getting faster and deeper, making you both moan and scream.

Your orgasm both hit you almost at the same time, him a little after you as he kept going on a little bit as you were flooded with the most intense feeling. Pedro’s head rested on your chest, both of you breathing heavily. You pulled his head up, kissing him passionately.

“Did I pay my debts?” You both laughed

“I don’t know, the bank hasn’t made a decision yet” you hit him playfully before kissing languorously, still a little bit feeling the adrenaline and rush from the moment. You parted, gathering your clothes, leaving in the bedroom to change.

You eventually came back in the living room, well, you didn’t finish your game yet. You went back as nothing happened. Both smirking, you went on, knowing that it would all happen in a few minutes.

[mariacallous]

The Farm Bill is a critical piece of legislation that reauthorizes the country’s agricultural and nutrition programs about every five years—and the 2024 version is now on legislators’ desks, with some major changes. 

Originally designed to support farmers, the Farm Bill has evolved over time to prioritize nutrition assistance, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) now comprising 76% of the budget—projected to increase to 84% in the current version. This shift underscores the growing emphasis on addressing food insecurity among low-income Americans, as SNAP currently serves over 42 million individuals, or about 12% of the population.

The 2024 Farm Bill will fund SNAP, agriculture subsidies, and crop insurance through 2029, at a projected cost of $1.5 trillion. However, as the first Farm Bill to exceed $1 trillion, it faces heightened scrutiny as both parties clash over the allocation of funding between SNAP, subsidies, and other key programs.  

The current version of the bill, introduced by the Republican-led House Agriculture Committee, has sparked controversy by proposing a $30 billion cut to SNAP funding over the next decade. This reduction would be achieved by limiting adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP)—a low-cost, standardized estimate of the minimum cost of a nutritious diet, used to determine SNAP benefit levels—to inflation rates only.  

The TFP is reevaluated every five years to reflect current food costs. In 2021, the Biden administration reevaluated the TFP to respond to high food costs due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues in the global food industry, resulting in the largest-ever increase in SNAP benefits, totaling $256 billion. Now, Republicans are seeking to restrict future adjustments to reflect only inflation costs, marking the largest SNAP reduction in nearly three decades. But Democrats and researchers argue that such a restriction could have significant impacts on the 42 million SNAP recipients, including 17 million children, 6 million older adults, and 4 million people with disabilities.

Americans face rising food insecurity and barriers in accessing nutritious diets  

The proposed cuts, along with provisions to outsource program operations, could undermine SNAP’s ability to effectively combat food insecurity. This is especially concerning given that food insecurity rates rose to 13.5% of U.S. households in 2023, affecting 18 million families—a statistically significantly increase from 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Food insecurity rates are notably higher for single-parent, female-headed households; Black and Latino or Hispanic households; and households in principal cities and rural areas. In addition, voters are growing increasingly worried about inflation and high food costs, with 70% citing food prices as a major concern. This view is especially pronounced among younger voters, who have been hit hard by a 20% surge in food costs since 2020, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

In addition to concerns surrounding food insecurity and rising costs, the TFP debate risks being a superficial fix that overlooks deeper, more critical challenges low-income families face in accessing nutritious diets. A USDA study found that 88% of SNAP participants encounter challenges in maintaining a healthy diet, with 61% citing the high cost of healthy foods as a key barrier. Other reasons include a lack of time to prepare meals at home and transportation difficulties in accessing healthy foods.  

Access barriers—combined with broader economic factors such as regional variations in real food prices and other costs of living, shifts in food composition data, changing consumption patterns, and updated dietary guidance—significantly impact low-income households’ ability to maintain affordable, nutritious diets. Addressing such factors is crucial for creating a more sustainable and impactful SNAP program, yet they remain sidelined in favor of quick, inflation-focused approaches that do little to address systemic barriers to healthy food access for vulnerable families.

The proposed $30 billion cut to SNAP funding over the next decade by restricting the USDA’s authority to adjust the TFP beyond inflation rates will have serious and multidimensional challenges for these low-income, food-insecure households. In addition, the bill’s proposal to outsource core SNAP operations to private entities could create complications in the application process and eligibility criteria, while also increasing federal costs by $1 million.  

Notably, the current version of the bill proposes to expand SNAP’s purpose to include the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Critics, such as the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, argue that this risks diverting attention away from SNAP’s core mission of reducing food insecurity, and instead shifts the focus to diet-related concerns facing low-income populations. Yet these diet-related concerns are often a result of multifaceted challenges such as stress (or “bandwidth poverty”), food insecurity, and other factors such households face. The current version of the bill also proposes to cut climate-focused conservation efforts introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Proposed changes to agricultural subsidies have sparked equity concerns 

The proposed Farm Bill aims to reallocate funds by raising price floors for key agricultural commodities such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, while cutting SNAP funding. A large portion of the increased spending is directed toward farm programs and crop insurance—raising concerns about equity and the disproportionate benefits to large, wealthy farms. 

A report from the American Enterprise Institute highlights this disparity, revealing that the top 10% of farms receive 56.4% of all crop insurance subsidies, with the top 5% receiving 36.4%. Since these subsidies are not means-tested—and the level of subsidies is directly proportional to an agri-business’s production levels—the wealthiest and largest businesses capture the most significant share of these benefits. Research from the Environmental Working Group confirms evidence on the concentration of these subsidies toward the wealthiest agri-business owners. They found that between 1995 and 2021, the top 1% of recipients received 27% of the total $478 billion in farm subsidies—underscoring the disproportionate benefits to large-scale, wealthy farmers. Moreover, these subsidies favor a narrow range of commodity crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton, which accumulates benefits to white, wealthy farmers while farmers of color receive little support. This inequitable allocation of resources raises important questions about the Farm Bill’s broader social and economic implications.  

The Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office have proposed reforms to the current inequitable structure of these subsidies. Such reforms have the potential to reduce the fiscal deficit while protecting rights of farmers, ensuring food assistance to low-income populations, and maintaining price levels of key commodities. Reforms include implementing income limits on premium subsidies for wealthy farmers, adjusting compensation for insurance companies to reflect market rates, and reducing taxpayer reimbursements for administrative costs.

SNAP benefits aren’t keeping up with the true costs of a healthy diet 

A critical aspect of SNAP that is often overlooked in fiscal policy debates is the economic adequacy of the program’s benefits. There is a growing body of research suggesting that SNAP benefits in their current form are insufficient to cover the “real” cost of a healthy diet. 

In other words, the TFP might not truly reflect the real value of food costs low-income households face. The TFP was originally intended to represent the minimum food expenditure basket that would allow low-income households to avoid food insecurity. It is not necessarily based on the most recent scientific methodologies that factor in food prices, accessibility, and dietary needs.  

Recent evaluations have shown that the TFP often underestimates the cost of a nutritious diet, particularly in areas with higher living costs. An Urban Institute study found that despite food price inflation moderating in 2023, SNAP benefits remained inadequate for covering food costs: By the end of 2023, the average modestly priced meal cost $3.37, which was 19% more than the average maximum SNAP benefit of $2.84. Families with zero net income faced a shortfall of $49.29 per month by the end of the year, with urban areas experiencing a 28% gap between meal costs and SNAP benefits, compared to 17% in rural areas. In the five counties with the largest gaps, the shortfall exceeded 70% throughout the year. 

Recent economic research indicates that current SNAP benefits often fall short of covering the actual cost of a low-budget, healthy diet, with significant variations in benefit adequacy across U.S. regions. Researchers have found that these geographic variations in SNAP purchasing power significantly affect welfare outcomes such as child health and food insecurity. Despite deductions for housing and child care, many regions face much higher real costs of food, and SNAP dollars do not go far in such high-cost areas. To ensure equitable support, social scientists have put forth proposals to index SNAP benefits to local area food prices.   

Therefore, the proposed cuts to SNAP funding risk exacerbating systemic and multidimensional challenges low-income populations already face. Concerns about food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases are symptomatic of deeper systemic challenges related to health insurance access, stress and bandwidth poverty, access to healthy foods, the higher cost of healthy foods, and structural oligopolies in the American food industry. Research suggests that SNAP inadequacy is linked to worse health outcomes, such as increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Yet instead of focusing on deeper systemic issues, the current Farm Bill proposes a quick fix, Band-Aid solution by proposing to cut SNAP funding further.

Policy recommendations for a stronger Farm Bill 

Despite proposing massive cuts to SNAP, increasing inequitable farm subsidies, and cutting climate funding for conservation efforts, the 2024 Farm Bill does lay out some positive measures. These include raising the income cutoff for SNAP eligibility (the Earned Income Deduction) from 20% to 22% of income, which will ensure more households just at the margin of earned income now have access to SNAP benefits. It proposes to give benefits access to individuals with drug-related convictions, who were previously excluded. Further, it proposes to extend the age limit for high school students on SNAP from 18 to 22 years, allowing students to work without disincentivizing income for eligibility. However, despite these positives, the proposed cuts and other changes could undermine the Farm Bill’s effectiveness in addressing food insecurity and equity concerns in agricultural subsidies.  

The proposed cuts based on restricting SNAP increases to only reflect inflation diverge significantly from academic research underscoring that the TFP should be updated regularly to factor in food prices, consumption patterns, and nutritional guidelines. While this measure could save $29 billion between 2025 and 2033, it will further dampen SNAP’s purchasing power as food costs continue to rise and vary across regions. 

The polarization of the Farm Bill reflects a broader ideological divide over the role of welfare in American society. Republicans have historically advocated for limited assistance and stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients. In contrast, Democrats have historically perceived welfare programs such as SNAP as essential tools for reducing poverty and inequality, and advocated for expanded benefits and more coverage.  

Politicians need to look beyond this ideological gap and focus instead on creating a more equitable and effective Farm Bill that addresses society’s economic and welfare needs. A zero-sum approach that pits agricultural interests against the needs of food-insecure, low-income consumers is not proving to be effective.  

What follows are key policy recommendations for crafting an inclusive and equitable Farm Bill that addresses the economic and welfare needs of vulnerable populations, including low-income households and underrepresented farmers. 

Evidence-based SNAP adjustments: Use scientific methodologies to measure the TFP’s adequacy and issue frequent and regular updates to SNAP benefits. Factors that impact the TFP beyond inflation include other costs of living, regional variations in SNAP adequacy, food consumption patterns, and healthy diet guidelines. 

Index benefits to reflect local economic conditions: Implement regional cost-of-living adjustments to SNAP benefits, which can address disparities in food costs and improve equity across geographic regions.  

Expand access to healthy foods: Invest in initiatives that improve access to healthier food options, such as affordable farmers markets, community gardens, and incentives for retailers in underserved areas to improve food access and support local economies.  

Rebalance agricultural subsidies: Impose income limits on farm subsidies and expand efforts to improve subsidy access for small-scale and BIPOC farmers.   

Integrate climate goals: Allocate funding for climate-resilient agricultural practices and provide financial assistance and incentives to small-scale and BIPOC farmers to invest in such technologies.  

Foster bipartisan collaboration: Encourage cooperation across party lines to create a Farm Bill that balances agricultural support with food assistance—recognizing their interdependence rather than treating them as competing interests. 

Engage stakeholders: Involve farmers, nutrition advocates, and SNAP recipients in the legislative process to ensure policies reflect the needs and realities of those directly impacted. 

The 2024 Farm Bill represents a critical opportunity for Congress to craft a more equitable and inclusive policy that addresses the dual needs of supporting agricultural production as well as nutrition assistance. However, as it currently stands, proposals such as the $30 billion cut to SNAP funding, the shift in focus toward preventing diet-related diseases, and the continued expansion of agricultural subsidies that disproportionately benefit white, wealthy farmers and a limited number of commodity crops risk undermining SNAP’s response to food insecurity and worsening inequality in the agriculture sector. 

Policymakers must look beyond zero-sum dynamics that pit agricultural subsidies against nutrition assistance, when the fundamental issues farmers and low-income households face are symptomatic of deeper systemic inequalities in the economic and welfare structures of fiscal policy. Therefore, rather than continuing to concentrate support in the hands of wealthy, large-scale agricultural producers, the Farm Bill should prioritize uplifting smaller, diverse farmers and ensuring low-income households have the resources they need to access nutritious food. Encouraging small-scale and low-income BIPOC farmers to invest in green technology is also essential, as this would foster more sustainable agricultural practices while supporting communities’ economic growth. At the same time, Congress must ensure that commodity prices remain stable and affordable, preventing further economic burdens on consumers. 

An equitable and welfare-focused Farm Bill would embrace a broader vision—one that balances the needs of both rural farming communities and urban, food-insecure families. By aligning agricultural subsidies with sustainable practices and expanding SNAP’s effectiveness, Congress can craft a policy that not only strengthens food security, but also builds a more just, resilient, and environmentally responsible food system for all Americans. 

[arisenreborn]

❖ The Basics:

Name: Reverie Orlaith

Age: ~23-26

One good trait: Kindhearted

One bad trait: Reckless

❖ Habits:

One bad habit: Throwing herself into battle (especially to protect someone) without thinking too much further ahead.

One good habit: (Usually) very thrifty and good about spending, pretty good about planning expenditures on necessities in advance. 

One habit they can’t break: Taking so many naps.

One they've broken: Eating poorly - thanks in part to Rann, she's generally eating more balanced meals - as far as their journey allows.

What they're afraid of: "Failure" - but really what she fears most of all is Rann getting hurt because of her. The godsway and dragonplague especially scare her senseless.

❖ Family:

Their parents names: Caerwyn (father), Irina (mother) (both deceased - nor does she remember them)

Their siblings names: Non-Applicable - Though most of the kids who were around her age in the Nameless Village were akin to siblings

Other relations: Non-Applicable (But again, most of the Nameless Village was like family.)

Favorite childhood memory: Playing with Srail behind the manor in the Nameless Village. She can't really recall it, but she does get a nostalgic feeling. It's where she would read, make up adventures, and share her daydreams with him.

Favorite childhood toy: A stuffed griffin Flaude gave her

Embarrassing story: Regrettably no one thought to prepare her for menstruation, (probably a case of 'surely someone else did' and 'happened a little sooner than anticipated because what even is her age?') so she woke Srail up in the middle of the night wailing, thinking she was dying. Would be pretty happy she doesn't remember that one.

Favorite family member: Flaude, Srail (using the term family loosely)

A story about that family member: When she was very young Flaude took her and Srail to Vernworth posing as a family during a festival. They ate delicious food, played games with other kids, watched street performers, and she got to ride on Flaude's shoulders. There was definitely an aspect of training going on, but for the most part it was still just a happy childhood memory. Alas, she no longer remembers this.

❖ What they prefer:

Coffee or tea? Tea - especially when Rann makes it

Showering in the day or night? Depends on how grueling the day, weather, where they're at, etc., but generally prefers them at night because they put her to sleep.

Taking baths or taking showers? Baths

Writing or reading? Both - but for writing she primarily journals

Platonic or romantic love? Oh she is absolutely a romantic, (but she deeply cherishes her platonic relationships.)

Iced tea or lemonade? Lemonade (prefers warm teas)

Ice cream or smoothies? Ice cream, preferably with fruit

Cupcakes or cake? Cupcakes! (but moreso muffins)

Beach or mountains? Mountains, though she does have a somewhat odd fascination and appreciation with the sea, it's tempered by an almost constant fear/awareness whenever near a large body of water of a very specific scenario involving ogres throwing Pawns into the brine...

tagged by: the elusive god of self-tagging

tagging: @godwoken, @bearlytolerant, @fizzyghosts, @tautline-hitch, @pawnguild,

@riftstone-of-the-calm, @wraithwars, @hit-tab, @ritens (if you'd like to be tagged for stuff like this post so I can keep track!)

[tumibaba]

November 10th, 2024 Posted In: Garden Style & Living The best cottage garden plants have pretty blooms. They flower for a long time and are often fragrant. And above all, they are plants which grow well in your climate and soil.But there are no rules in cottage garden style. You can adopt a colour theme as Tim Pilgrim has in this contemporary cottage garden.Or you can grow a glorious patchwork of different flowers together.You can plan a cottage garden, but you don’t have to. You can let it evolve, experimenting over time. If you love to buy plants on impulse, then this style is perfect for you.So this is a list of the best cottage garden plants, with their pros and cons. They all have charming flowers, some are sweetly scented and they’re all perfect for pollinators. That’s not just bees but butterflies, moths and other insects.These plants grow in a wide range of climates and zones, so you’re likely to have a variety available to you.Firstly, decide whether you want a low maintenance cottage garden, a romantic ‘cottagecore’ haven or you’re prepared to spend time and effort on creating a classic cottage garden.What makes a garden a cottage garden?Cottage garden style is colourful and relaxed. It has informal plantings of flowers, fruit and vegetables. See what is cottage garden style and how to achieve it?The name derives from the idea that workers in cottages would use plants they could grow cheaply and easily. This can mean choosing native plants. It certainly means using plants that grow easily.Cottage gardens don’t need defined areas. Whereas English country garden style will have lawns, herbaceous borders and a separate ‘veg patch’, everything can be grown together in a cottage garden.A cottage garden doesn’t look designed. It evolves slowly, with vintage finds and thrifty hand-me-downs. Paths, pots, troughs, arches and other landscaping elements are recycled or upcycled. See A Rustic Cottage Garden on A Budget , Recycled Garden Ideas from RHS Chelsea and Eco-Friendly Garden Design for ideas.You could also use natural materials, such as stone or wood, for furniture and hardscaping elements.Recycled zinc bins and pavers with thrifty vintage garden furniture in Arit Anderson’s peat-free show garden at RHS Hampton CourtWhat are the most ‘cottagecore’ flowers?‘Cottagecore’ is a social media term. It stands for a simple, rustic life where you grow your own food, bake your own bread and make home-made clothes. It’s a lifestyle ideal around simplicity, sustainability and biodiversity.The hashtag #cottagecore on social media is  associated with pretty cottages, romantic floral dresses and other picturesque rural elements such as keeping hens or ducks.All the plants in this post have charming ‘cottagecore’ flowers. But if you want to emphasize the ‘cottagecore’ ethos, combine flowers and veg growing and make sure your garden supports biodiversity.Find out which plants are native to your area, too, as these will support your local wildlife best.However, non-native plants can also support biodiversity, especially when weather patterns are unexpected. For example, some non-native plants flower earlier or later than your native plants. This helps pollinators if there is warm weather earlier or later than usual.So ‘grow native plants’ isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ rule.Old bricks, a pretty gate and ducks – elements of ‘cottagecore’ style.Asters (asters & symphyotrichum)Hardiness varies, but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Asters are daisy-like flowers in blue, pink, red, white or purple, perfect for the cottage garden look. Botanists have recently re-classified them into several different, unrelated species. But the common name for them all is still asters.‘Symphyotrichum’ asters are native to many parts of the Americas. Plants with the botanic name of ‘Aster’ are European, UK and Asian natives. There are other species too.If you want to focus on native plants, look up the asters that are native you where you are. Otherwise, both asters and symphyotrichum are pretty, easy-grow plants that flower for a long period from summer to the first frosts.They’re a good flower for pollinators at the end of the season when many other flowers are over.Aster amellus ‘King George’ has pretty blue flowers. It starts flowering in summer and goes on flowering until the first frosts.HoneysuckleHardiness varies, some down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Dappled or partial shade.A classic cottage garden climbing plant, but do your research before planting one! There are nearly 200 species of honeysuckle. Different varieties are native to north America, northern Europe or Asia.Some honeysuckle varieties may be invasive where you are, so check the name carefully. Some Asian honeysuckles can be very invasive in parts of the USA and Canada, for example. That means that they will spread too quickly, which will crowd out other plants. This can be damaging to biodiversity.However, there will be a honeysuckle for where you live.The honeysuckle fragrance is famous, but not all honeysuckles are scented. Check that too.And some honeysuckles will grow and grow. Unless you’re happy to prune back several times a year, check the eventual height and size.Honeysuckle comes in white, cream, yellow or gold. This yellow honeysuckle is native to North America, but grows well in the UK too.PoppiesThe seed of Common Poppies can survive very cold temperatures, such as minus 50C/minus 60F but they need the weather to warm up before they sprout and flower.  Full sun or partial shade.Poppies are famous for popping up when the soil has been disturbed. If you dig a new bed, turning over the soil for the first time for years, you’re likely to get poppies the following summer.That’s why so many poppies appeared in the fields after World War 1. They germinated where the soil had been turned by tires or dug up in trenches.There are dozens of different types of poppy, all good for a cottage garden. But the best known is the Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), mainly available in scarlet and light purple/pink.They are particularly loved by pollinators. I often find two or three bees sharing one poppy flower.Grow Common Poppies from seed. You can either sow them in trays and plant them out or scatter the seed directly on the ground.Poppies self-seed well. They seem to prefer to self-seed – they want to decide where they will grow! Once you have them in your garden, they will dot themselves around.The common poppy grows every year from seed. The seed heads look good in winter.See this post for more self-seeding plants – all 20 are so pretty and perfect for a cottage garden.Low maintenance perennials for a cottage gardenIf you want low maintenance cottage garden plants, then choose shrubs and perennials. They need less work than annuals and bedding plants.Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die in one year.Perennials are plants that live in your garden for three years or more. See perennials made simple for advice from Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.And here are three top long-flowering, easy-care perennials for cottage gardens.Catmint (Nepeta)Very hardy – down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Drought resistant, deer and slug resistant, easy going, long flowering…this must be one of the easiest plants to grow. It flowers for weeks from mid-summer onwards. If you cut it back when the blooms fade, it will start flowering again. It grows in almost any soil, is loved by pollinators and comes in shades of blue, white or lavender.Nepeta is often recommended as an easier alternative to lavender. Lavender isn’t difficult to grow. However, nepeta will tolerate wet weather and lavender hates getting its feet wet.Catmint (nepeta) in the gardens in the famous West Dean Gardens in Sussex.Globe thistle (Echinops)Hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Another easy-growing plant which is drought-resistant, deer and slug resistant and with a long season of interest.The sculptural blue or white globe thistle flowers make this one of the best plants for pollinators. And when the blooms are over, they develop seedheads for the birds.Once established, globe thistle needs almost no care. Once the birds have enjoyed the seeds, the stems will slowly collapse over winter and can be cleared away easily in spring. New foliage will spring from the base.Globe thistle (Echinops) is a magnet for pollinators. And the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. A cottage garden plant with a long season of interest.Hardy geraniumsHardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and some varieties full shade.Don’t be confused by the brightly coloured bedding plants labelled ‘geraniums’ for sale in garden centres in summer. Those are called pelargoniums. They won’t survive any freezing weather outside.But there are nearly 500 different varieties of hardy geranium. Some like full sun, others are perfect woodland ground cover plants. Many are drought resistant once established. Geranium macrorrhizum (Cranesbill) is even good in dry shade and difficult conditions under trees.They flower for months with blooms in pinks, reds, purple or white. They’re deer and rabbit-resistant.The only care hardy geraniums need is to be cut back once a year after flowering. Then they will often flower again.Hardy geraniums, such as ‘Anne Folkard’ can be sprawling plants or you can find low-growing ground cover varieties.When are cottage gardens high maintenance?A cottage garden generally has lots of different plants and flowers in it. This may mean that there are lots of different caring schedules – you’ll be pruning, feeding, watering or dead-heading at different times.Some people enjoy looking after their gardens, so ‘high maintenance’ isn’t always a bad thing. But if you want the cottage garden to be low maintenance, plant perennials, shrubs and trees.Annuals and vegetables are the high maintenance elements in a cottage garden.The following cottage gardens plants are delightfully pretty. But they are ‘high maintenance.’ This doesn’t mean they’re ‘difficult to grow’. It means they will need regular attention.Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)Annuals (grown from seed every year) so can be grown in most temperate climates. Full sun in cooler climates, light shade in warmer places.Probably the most famous ‘cottage garden plant.’ But also the one that requires the most attention, sadly! The blooms are adorably pretty in colours such as pink , purple, blue or white. The scent is delightful and the fragrance from a vase of sweet peas will fill a room.You’ll need to train sweet peas up a support, water them, dead-head them constantly and protect them from rodents.None of these tasks are difficult, but it isn’t a plant that can be left to its own devices. If you want a low maintenance garden, then don’t plant sweet peas.Everlasting sweet peas are less work and come back every year, but they don’t have the fragrance.I know so few people who grow sweet peas that I only have a photo of them in a vase. They are the most beautiful, fragrant cottage garden plants, but they do need regular attention.LupinsThere are some very cold hardy lupins but many lupins you buy in garden centres won’t come back year after year. Full sun.Some experts suggest treating lupins as an annual or short-lived perennial, although the original cottage garden lupins were both cold hardy and long-lived. But the gorgeous new cultivars are less likely to survive over winter in your garden.In the UK, the milder winters mean that lupins may survive, but gardeners often report disappointment. They are also prone to slug damage.They are stunningly beautiful cottage garden staples in blues, yellows, reds, purples or white.Lupins are classic cottage garden plants. Their spikes add fireworks to any border, but they do need more care than many other border plants.TulipsTulips grow best in areas with cold winters and can survive down to minus 40C/minus 40F. However if you have hot summers and mild winters, then tulips may not grow as well. Full sun or part shade.Tulips have all the gorgeous drama that makes a cottage garden.But in many gardens, they don’t come back year after year. And Head Gardener Neil Miller of Hever Castle says that tulips flower best in their first year. Read his advice on growing tulips here.My garden is full of odd tulips in different sizes and colours. That’s because I planted a group of them in a certain colour scheme, and just one remains. Then I planted a different colour scheme another year. And only one  or two of those survived. It looks pretty and cottagey, but if you want a particular effect, it’s best to grow your tulips from new every year.They’re easy to grow in pots. But they don’t reliably come back in borders. Tulips may get tulip fire after a very wet winter or spring.These mixed tulips in my lawn are pretty, but they are all different sizes and colours. Tulips don’t come back reliably, so these are the remnants of several planting schemes over the years!Delphiniums (sometimes called larkspur, although true larkspur is different)Hardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Delphinium blooms are vibrant spires in purple, red, blue or white. They are probably the most striking and gorgeous flowers for any cottage or ‘English country’ garden.But they need looking after. They need feeding, staking and protecting from slugs. They don’t want too much competition. They need enough water, but not too much.None of this is difficult but you can’t just plant delphiniums and leave them to get on with it. You need to look after them on an almost daily basis.Any list of cottage garden plants will include delphiniums, such as this blue delphinium at Doddington Place Gardens. They are gorgeous but they are not low maintenance.Best cottage gardens bulbs & tubersDaffodils/narcissiHardy down to minus 20C/minus 4F. Not suitable for climates with hot summers and mild winters. Full sun or partial shade.Daffodils, also called narcissi, are probably the easiest bulbs to grow. Many of them will spread and they come back year after year.Plant them in a lawn for a romantic cottage garden look. But remember that you won’t be able to mow the lawn until six weeks after the flowers have faded.All bulbs need about six weeks of sun on their leaves in order to make their flowers for next year. So if you mow too soon, you will lose next year’s blooms.There’s more about growing and choosing daffodils here.One good place to plant them is under trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in winter. By the time the leaves are back, the daffodil will be almost ready to go dormant again. See where to plant bulbs.Daffodils are the easiest bulbs to grow. They come back reliably year after year and even spread. These were planted over 30 years ago, so I don’t know their name!AlliumsHardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shade.Alliums have striking blue, white or purple pom-pom blooms. These add punctuation points to a cottage garden border. In some places, they’ll self-seed easily, popping up in unexpected places. Another very popular flower for pollinators.Deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles don’t like the taste of onion. Alliums are the decorative side of the onion family, so pests leave them alone. Super easy and very resilient, alliums flower in early summer. The seed heads offer sculptural interest for several months afterwards. The foliage dies away by mid-summer.Alliums (this is ‘Purple Sensation’) keep their distinctive shapes after the flower colour has gone. So they are a presence in the garden for around three months from early summer.Alstromerias (also known as alstroemerias)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 10C/14F. Full sun or light shade.Easy to grow and long flowering. See alstromeria grower Ben Cross’s advice in how to grow alstromerias for endless flowers. The red and orange blooms are taller – if you want the more delicate shades, they’ll be shorter. Plant in the front of a border.Alstromerias can spread too vigorously in some areas. If they’re invasive in your area, they grow well in pots.They are very good flowers for the vase but always twist and pull the stem out. Never cut an alstromeria!Best cottage garden shrubsLavenderHardiness varies but most ‘English lavender’ hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun.Lavender loves sunlight. It’s a Mediterranean plant but ‘English lavender’ will grow well in colder climates, as long as they are fairly dry. It’s another pollinator magnet and has magnificent fragrance.You can get lavender in several shades of blue and purple, and also white.I had bushes of Lavender ‘Munstead’ in the garden for 15 years. They only needed cutting back once a year, after flowering. Otherwise they were almost maintenance free. I cut my lavender back much harder than many people advise. It keeps it in good shape. See The Absolutely Best Way to Prune Lavender.My lavender ‘Munstead’. It flowers in summer, after which we cut it into neat mounds.RosesHardiness varies but many hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and a few grow in shade.Roses are the most famous cottage garden plant of all. You can grow roses round arches, arbours and pergolas. You can grow them in pots. And you can grow them in a mixed border.Some roses have fragrance and others do not. If the blooms have an open centre, they’re good for pollinators. But the double-flowered ones are less beneficial.There are more than thirty thousand different varieties of roses. You can find roses for very cold climates and roses for hotter climates. But you’ll get the biggest choice of roses if your winters are no colder than minus 28C/minus 20F and your summers average below 30C/100F.Roses can be low maintenance or high maintenance, depending on what you want. If you insist on perfect blooms without black spot on the leaf or aphids, then you will have to keep fussing over them.However, if you accept imperfection, you can enjoy beautiful roses in your garden without too much work. They will need fertilising once or twice a year and will flower best if you deadhead them regularly. See how to grow roses and how to choose roses for an obelisk, arch, fence or pergola.The archetypal cottage garden flower – roses! Here at the Peter Beales rose garden in Norfolk, there are roses on arbours, arches, fences and obelisks, as well as in borders and climbing up walls. Roses mix well with other cottage garden plants, such as foxgloves.HydrangeasHardiness varies, generally down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Also some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Shade or partial shade.Hydrangeas are easy-going plants that grow well in shade. Some varieties are good for pollinators but the ��mop head’ varieties (with a round flower) don’t offer pollen or nectar. If you want pollinator-friendly hydrangeas, check the variety before buying.Hydrangeas flower from mid to late summer. Then their flowers slowly dry on the stem and turn into autumn shades of brown and cream. Some hydrangeas, such as ‘Annabelle’, stay sculptural all through the winter and look magnificent with frost on them. So these plants offer a long season of interest.See everything you need to know about growing hydrangeas.Hydrangeas are very easy-care. They need watering in dry summers, but otherwise all they need is to be pruned once a year in spring. Not all hydrangeas are wildlife friendly, but this hydrangea flower is called ‘lace-cap’ and offers benefits to pollinators.Best cottage garden perennialsMonarda (bee balm)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Another easy-care, deer resistant plant although it can get some slug and snail damage. Popular with pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The striking spidery blooms come in brilliant, jewel red, pin or purple and also white.Monardas won’t like long droughts or boggy conditions.The unusual spidery flower of monarda (bee balm) attracts bees and hummingbirds.Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena)If your winters go below minus 17C/0F, then you’ll need to grow verbena bonariensis as an annual. Full sun.Butterflies and bees both adore the purple flowers and birds love the seeds. A tall ‘see-through’ plant with slender stems and blooms which last from mid-late summer to the first frosts. Best planted in clumps – you’ll hardly be able to see just one verbena bonariensis.Verbena bonariensis is generally considered slug-resistant, deer resistant and easy care. You can leave the flowers to turn into winter seed heads for the birds and they look good in frost.Verbena bonariensis is a short-lived perennial. If you have colder winters, you will probably need to grow it as an annual. A clump of verbena bonariensis creates a mass of see-through stems topped by a cloud of purple.Sedum/stonecrop (now hylotelephium)Hardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shadeSedum (now hylotelephium) is one of the 10 resilient plants in 10 beautiful but tough perennials which will survive both too wet and too dry summers.I find Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ to be extra-ordinarily resilient. It can get nibbled by slugs. But I picked up a stem that had been nibbled by a slug and put it into a vase. I forgot about it and two months later, I realised it had grown roots. So I planted it in the soil. It’s grown into a proper plant!And when you look at ‘Autumn Joy’ in bloom, you will see the flowers are crowded with pollinators of lots of different types and sizes, all enjoying the nectar.Sedum (now hylotelephium) ‘Autumn Joy’ is on the bottom right of this photo. A superbly resilient plant for late summer and autumn/fall. Adored by pollinators.Best cottage garden annuals & biennialsAnnuals grow from seed every year so you don’t always need to know about hardiness.Biennials grow from seed, flower, set seed and die over two years.Many people plant their annuals from seed in the autumn/fall so that their plants have a head start the following summer. If you’re doing this, you’ll need to check whether you can plant them outside over the winter.You can also grow the seedlings in a greenhouse or potting shed until spring comes. When temperatures and light levels are low, plants don’t grow much.Annuals and biennials have lots of flowers and come in a wonderful range of colours. They’re perfect for filling gaps or creating a gorgeous display. But they are more work. You have to sow the seed and/or plant the seedlings. Then you may have to support them, feed, water and deadhead them, then clear them away at the end of summer.CosmosFull sun or partial shade.One of the prettiest and most popular cottage garden annuals. I find them easy to grow. One warning, however! Don’t give them extra fertilizer!Most plants flower more if you fertilize them. But cosmos will grow green and bushy, then fail to flower.Cosmos are available in various shades of pink, yellow and cream, along with white. Perfect cottage garden blooms!Hollyhocks (can be annual or biennial)Full sun.A classic cottage garden flower. It’s tall and vigorous with blooms in white, pink or cream. Hollyhocks can sometimes have a mind of their own. Gardeners have often told me that they’ve struggled to grow hollyhocks. Then suddenly hollyhocks start to spring up on their driveway or in the cracks of pavers.You can get single flowered hollyhocks and double-flowered ones. Only the single flowered ones benefit pollinators.They can grow to 6ft/2m tall so may need staking.A hollyhock in the Abbey Physic Garden in Faversham. The soft colours and frilly flowers make it a beautifully romantic cottage garden plant.Cleome (Spider flowers)Full sun or light shadeCleomes aren’t as well known as cosmos or hollyhocks, but they are striking, pollinator-friendly flowers. They have spidery blooms in deep pink, pale pink or white.Although cleomes are tall (3ft/1m), they are upright and don’t usually need supports. It doesn’t need fertilizer and can be very drought-resistant. Resistant to most pests and diseases.Cleomes and salvias in the Savill Garden near Windsor. The cleomes are the taller, spidery flowers. They’re long-lasting and dramatic.Foxgloves (biennial)Partial shadeFoxgloves have spires of flowers in white, pink, purple, white or cream in early summer.They’re toxic to both humans and pets, so if you are worried about either nibbling plants in your garden, then don’t plant them. Most pets know what to nibble though. See how to puppy-proof your garden.Foxgloves often self-seed easily and need very little attention. If you cut the first big spire of flowers off when it is over, you should be rewarded by a spray of smaller spires.Foxgloves are another popular cottage garden plant. The spires add spikes of colour in early summer. They are toxic so be careful around children and pets.Best cottage garden plants for warmer climatesMost of the plants in this post will grow well in warmer climates, but some will not like temperatures that are regularly above 30C/100F or never freeze. If you don’t need a winter coat and spend most of your life in a T shirt instead of a sweater, you probably won’t be able to grow tulips, daffodils, delphiniums or hydrangeas!However, some popular cottage garden plants grow as perennials in warmer climates and are re-planted annually in cooler climates. Mix them with local native plants as Bill Bampton of The Diggers Club does in Cottage Garden Mash-up – how to adapt English cottage garden style to your own climate.SalviaFull sun or partial shadeSalvias come from Mexico and grow well in climates which rarely freeze in winter. They can tolerate hot summers and drought.However, if you see a salvia growing in the UK, you’ll see lots of bees enjoying the nectar. They’re proof that non-native flowers can be valuable to wildlife.There are 900 different types of salvia in a very wide range of different colours. There are some vivid pinks and purples, pastel pinks and creams plus bi-coloured salvias.Read the UK’s top expert on growing salvias here. Those in cooler climates will probably have to replant salvias every year.  But they flower for months at a time. See 18 long flowering perennials that bloom from summer until the first frost.Plants such as rosemary and sage have recently been re-classified as salvias. They are perfect cottage garden herbs.Salvias are quite tender and if your winters freeze regularly you will either have to lift and store them or plant again from new. But they are amongst the longest-flowering perennials and perfect for a cottage garden.Best cottage garden treesEvery cottage garden should have a fruit tree!  You may want to choose something unusual, such as a quince or a medlar tree. A native fruit tree is always a good choice.But a simple apple or crab apple tree will give you flowers in spring and fruit in autumn/fall. You can enjoy this or share it with wildlife by leaving it on the tree.See An Orchard in Your Garden for tips on growing fruit trees in a small garden.Crab apple trees on either side of a vintage gate. These are Malus hupehensis and birds adore the tiny red fruits at the end of summer.Pin to remember the best cottage garden plantsAnd do join us. See here for a free weekly email with more gardening tips, ideas and inspiration.  Source link

[butmakeitgayblog]

How was Clarke and Lexa's first time together in AWTR? Was it bittersweet knowing they have a limited time to experience this

Not bittersweet, but only because Lexa's illness was almost the last thing on either of their minds 😅

It's after a rather special and sweet date night.

Clarke takes Lexa to the town movie night, one of those things where they set up a big projector and play a movie in the park for anyone who wants to show up.

She packs them a couple picnic blankets and brings the bug spray, while Lexa's self-appointedly in charge of smuggling in the popcorn and lemonade instead of letting Clarke buy them from the stand Mr. Goodel puts up every year because, as Lexa had decreed with chin held loftily in the air, "His prices are exorbitant, Clarke. It isn't even for charity or a fund drive, it's just a racket. We are not paying six dollars for junk food." (Clarke's heart squeezes a little tighter at being one half of their thrifty-minded 'we'. So she just nods goes with it). It's an evening she knows she'll always remember. Watching the movie cuddled together under a blanket of stars. Soaking up the feeling of Lexa nestled in the space between her legs, relaxing peacefully back against her chest, safe and cozy in her arms. Kissing the intricate little braids that decorate her temple for every one of Lexa's sighs at the lovers on screen because Clarke knows she must've taken extra time to look pretty for her that night.

They get a few odd looks and side-eyes from a few choice townfolk and old friends, what with being so wrapped up in each other, but being the respective daughters of Take-No-Shit Gus and the only doctor in town, they go the whole evening without being bothered.

And Clarke fully thinks that's it.

Another successful date night in the books.

Except...

When they climb back into her car, Lexa seems to have other plans.

Because as soon as she's looked around to see if they're alone, Lexa reaches over and captures Clarke into a kiss. Deepens it. Coaxes Clarke to open up to her with a flick of her tongue. Runs her hands all over every bit of Clarke she can get. It's a little clumsy, but what she lacks in experience and grace she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. And it takes Lexa swiftly climbing over the gearshift and accidentally beeping the steering wheel's horn with her ass as she straddles Clarke's lap for her brain to finally catch up to what's happening.

The girl is like a tornado. A limber one, Clarke gives her credit for. And once she gets something into her mind it becomes damn near impossible to change it.

But also? Messy and quick in the driver's seat of her honda civic is not how Clarke pictured making love to Lexa for the first time. Lexa deserves better. And she's headstrong enough that she'll be damned if she'll allow it to play out like this no matter how persuasive the feel of Lexa's mouth sucking marks along her neck is.

So. Her girlfriend may be stubborn, but so she is.

They're a good match like that.

Because even Lexa's kiss-plumped lips panting a deliciously humid, "I want you," against Clarke's mouth isn't enough to deter her. It's not enough to stop her from slowing things down and checking that Lexa really wants what she's saying.

Lexa's sighed, "I've thought about being with you since I was 17, Clarke. I think I've waited long enough," is pretty convincing.

And also,,, very eye opening.

But she'll circle back to that at a later date.

It's a, ahem, a rough ride out to the city. Clarke struggling to keep her eyes on the road and the speedometer under 80. Because, fuck, Lexa is apparently determined to take them both out with the way she keeps leaning over to press kisses along the hinge of Clarke's neck and nibble at her ear. Her hand rubbing along Clarke's thigh is just plain unnecessary and distracting.

But she gets them there in one piece when they pull up to the nicest hotel her credit card limit would allow (not that she'd specifically researched nearby hotel prices and drive times and had them all bookmarked in descending in her tabs or anything weird and desperately horny like that) Their room is nice. Clean sheets and the air smells like a sweet, floral perfume. The bed is bigger than anything Clarke's ever slept in and honestly it's all a little intimidating.

But then there's Lexa.

Sweet, defiant Lexa, who she can tell is trying very hard to look entirely unaffected, save for the nervous little fingers plucking her sweater's bottom hem.

"I'm realizing I never considered how to get from A to B," is her contemplative response when Clarke asks what that beautiful brain is thinking. And unfortunately, despite slowly becoming an expert in the subject over the past several weeks, Clarke has to admit that she has no idea what that means in Lexa-ese. "In my head," Lexa elaborates as the tips of her ears spike a delicate shade of pink, "It was always me kissing you, and us agreeing that we wanted to have—... But, now I'm realizing I always mentally jumped to the middle. When we're already... naked in bed."

It's so adorably innocent. Or, it would be, if it weren't for the dark, ravenous look in Lexa's eyes as she basically tells Clarke without telling her that she'd very much fantasized about fucking her at some point in the past.

The thought makes Clarke's mouth go dry.

Tucking that piece of information away for a rainy day, Clarke stepped up and took the reins. Didn't make a production out of it, scared of making this precious thing feel foolish when all she wanted in the world to was to make her feel as blissful, worshiped, and cared for as she possibly could. So she shows that it's not that hard, the whole "getting from A to B" part, as she kisses her and slowly undresses them piece by piece until they're bare.

And there's something devastating about seeing her like that, about laying Lexa down on the white sheets that contrast so beautifully with the pale rose of her skin. Clarke doesn't comment on the bruises. Takes Lexa's hands and slips into the gaps between her fingers when Lexa instinctively moves to cover them up. Instead she kisses each and every one. Loves them as thoroughly as she loves every other part of Lexa's body. All the purpled blooms marking hips, biceps, and belly; little reminders of the truth that refuses to wait for them speckled across the hourglass of Lexa's body.

She makes love to Lexa as tenderly as she can with vows to go slow and be gentle. Which she does. But "not too gentle," as Lexa had breathlessly requested when Clarke coaxed her legs open and settled into the warmth there. She nibbles lines down Lexa's neck and licks the sweat dappled valley between her breasts, tastes the cherry of her nipples and leaves her own sweet lip shaped bruises there too. Clarke kisses her deeply as she makes Lexa come on the swirls of her fingers, and then again after Lexa spills over the insistent lapping of her tongue between her thighs. There's something divine in the way those thighs clamp around her head when Lexa's chest rises and falls, back bowing off the bed as she shakes apart with the force of her pleasure.

And Lexa's a spent pile of very sexy bones and sweat when Clarke manages to crawl her way back up, dropping kisses wherever she feels like, just because she knows she can. Just because Lexa sleepily moans with each and every one, and it's impossible to stop the buck of her hips when Lexa sucks the taste of herself from Clarke's tongue.

To think, she once believed this girl was incapable of any kind of sensuality. Which is so painfully untrue when Lexa finds a second wind and flips them over. In the way green eyes sparkle with lust and want. Clarke's already so worked up she doesn't think it'll take much, but Lexa seems determined to enjoy giving just as much as she did recieving.

That sweetly earnest face asking Clarke to tell her when something feels good makes Clarke feel like she's the one who might meet her maker first from the swell of love she feels for this girl, in all her pure 'adorable-mess' overload. But she just smiles and nods. Reaches up and tucks back some of that wild volume of freshly-fucked-curls that curtains her face and lets Lexa know in no uncertain terms, "Believe me, baby. You'll know."

And Lexa takes her with meticulous hands and lips, just the same as she does with everything else in her life. Resolutely. Fearlessly. Like she's making love to Clarke mind, body, and soul.

She spends an inordinate amount of time lavishing attention on Clarke's breasts. Which, just going off their previously handsy makeouts among the stacks of the bookshop? Really is no surpise there. Bites to the undersides leave rosy blooms in her wake. You'd think Lexa was the one being worshipped with the way her eyes close in ecstasy every time her tongue laps languid circles around Clarke's nipple.

They go until the sun crests over the trees that blot the city below. More orgasms and shared sighs and love-drunk bouts of laughter than either cares to count. All that matters the sweet exhaustion as they lay wrapped up in each other. Lexa streched out on her stomach across sweat and arousal soaked sheets, drifting somewhere between awake and a twilight snooze in the orange-bronzed blaze of the morning sun. Her claims of not being able to move slurred half into her pillow make Clarke smile as she mouths sleep-mussed kisses over her shoulders, neck, and spine.

It may not be everything poetic and whimsically magic as Clarke had dreamed of for Lexa in the weeks she'd spent falling in love with her, but in the moment, in the quiet of nothing but listening to each other breathe and luxuriating in skin against skin, it all feels too perfect to imagine anything else.

[romaleen]

November 10th, 2024 Posted In: Garden Style & Living The best cottage garden plants have pretty blooms. They flower for a long time and are often fragrant. And above all, they are plants which grow well in your climate and soil.But there are no rules in cottage garden style. You can adopt a colour theme as Tim Pilgrim has in this contemporary cottage garden.Or you can grow a glorious patchwork of different flowers together.You can plan a cottage garden, but you don’t have to. You can let it evolve, experimenting over time. If you love to buy plants on impulse, then this style is perfect for you.So this is a list of the best cottage garden plants, with their pros and cons. They all have charming flowers, some are sweetly scented and they’re all perfect for pollinators. That’s not just bees but butterflies, moths and other insects.These plants grow in a wide range of climates and zones, so you’re likely to have a variety available to you.Firstly, decide whether you want a low maintenance cottage garden, a romantic ‘cottagecore’ haven or you’re prepared to spend time and effort on creating a classic cottage garden.What makes a garden a cottage garden?Cottage garden style is colourful and relaxed. It has informal plantings of flowers, fruit and vegetables. See what is cottage garden style and how to achieve it?The name derives from the idea that workers in cottages would use plants they could grow cheaply and easily. This can mean choosing native plants. It certainly means using plants that grow easily.Cottage gardens don’t need defined areas. Whereas English country garden style will have lawns, herbaceous borders and a separate ‘veg patch’, everything can be grown together in a cottage garden.A cottage garden doesn’t look designed. It evolves slowly, with vintage finds and thrifty hand-me-downs. Paths, pots, troughs, arches and other landscaping elements are recycled or upcycled. See A Rustic Cottage Garden on A Budget , Recycled Garden Ideas from RHS Chelsea and Eco-Friendly Garden Design for ideas.You could also use natural materials, such as stone or wood, for furniture and hardscaping elements.Recycled zinc bins and pavers with thrifty vintage garden furniture in Arit Anderson’s peat-free show garden at RHS Hampton CourtWhat are the most ‘cottagecore’ flowers?‘Cottagecore’ is a social media term. It stands for a simple, rustic life where you grow your own food, bake your own bread and make home-made clothes. It’s a lifestyle ideal around simplicity, sustainability and biodiversity.The hashtag #cottagecore on social media is  associated with pretty cottages, romantic floral dresses and other picturesque rural elements such as keeping hens or ducks.All the plants in this post have charming ‘cottagecore’ flowers. But if you want to emphasize the ‘cottagecore’ ethos, combine flowers and veg growing and make sure your garden supports biodiversity.Find out which plants are native to your area, too, as these will support your local wildlife best.However, non-native plants can also support biodiversity, especially when weather patterns are unexpected. For example, some non-native plants flower earlier or later than your native plants. This helps pollinators if there is warm weather earlier or later than usual.So ‘grow native plants’ isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ rule.Old bricks, a pretty gate and ducks – elements of ‘cottagecore’ style.Asters (asters & symphyotrichum)Hardiness varies, but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Asters are daisy-like flowers in blue, pink, red, white or purple, perfect for the cottage garden look. Botanists have recently re-classified them into several different, unrelated species. But the common name for them all is still asters.‘Symphyotrichum’ asters are native to many parts of the Americas. Plants with the botanic name of ‘Aster’ are European, UK and Asian natives. There are other species too.If you want to focus on native plants, look up the asters that are native you where you are. Otherwise, both asters and symphyotrichum are pretty, easy-grow plants that flower for a long period from summer to the first frosts.They’re a good flower for pollinators at the end of the season when many other flowers are over.Aster amellus ‘King George’ has pretty blue flowers. It starts flowering in summer and goes on flowering until the first frosts.HoneysuckleHardiness varies, some down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Dappled or partial shade.A classic cottage garden climbing plant, but do your research before planting one! There are nearly 200 species of honeysuckle. Different varieties are native to north America, northern Europe or Asia.Some honeysuckle varieties may be invasive where you are, so check the name carefully. Some Asian honeysuckles can be very invasive in parts of the USA and Canada, for example. That means that they will spread too quickly, which will crowd out other plants. This can be damaging to biodiversity.However, there will be a honeysuckle for where you live.The honeysuckle fragrance is famous, but not all honeysuckles are scented. Check that too.And some honeysuckles will grow and grow. Unless you’re happy to prune back several times a year, check the eventual height and size.Honeysuckle comes in white, cream, yellow or gold. This yellow honeysuckle is native to North America, but grows well in the UK too.PoppiesThe seed of Common Poppies can survive very cold temperatures, such as minus 50C/minus 60F but they need the weather to warm up before they sprout and flower.  Full sun or partial shade.Poppies are famous for popping up when the soil has been disturbed. If you dig a new bed, turning over the soil for the first time for years, you’re likely to get poppies the following summer.That’s why so many poppies appeared in the fields after World War 1. They germinated where the soil had been turned by tires or dug up in trenches.There are dozens of different types of poppy, all good for a cottage garden. But the best known is the Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), mainly available in scarlet and light purple/pink.They are particularly loved by pollinators. I often find two or three bees sharing one poppy flower.Grow Common Poppies from seed. You can either sow them in trays and plant them out or scatter the seed directly on the ground.Poppies self-seed well. They seem to prefer to self-seed – they want to decide where they will grow! Once you have them in your garden, they will dot themselves around.The common poppy grows every year from seed. The seed heads look good in winter.See this post for more self-seeding plants – all 20 are so pretty and perfect for a cottage garden.Low maintenance perennials for a cottage gardenIf you want low maintenance cottage garden plants, then choose shrubs and perennials. They need less work than annuals and bedding plants.Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die in one year.Perennials are plants that live in your garden for three years or more. See perennials made simple for advice from Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.And here are three top long-flowering, easy-care perennials for cottage gardens.Catmint (Nepeta)Very hardy – down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Drought resistant, deer and slug resistant, easy going, long flowering…this must be one of the easiest plants to grow. It flowers for weeks from mid-summer onwards. If you cut it back when the blooms fade, it will start flowering again. It grows in almost any soil, is loved by pollinators and comes in shades of blue, white or lavender.Nepeta is often recommended as an easier alternative to lavender. Lavender isn’t difficult to grow. However, nepeta will tolerate wet weather and lavender hates getting its feet wet.Catmint (nepeta) in the gardens in the famous West Dean Gardens in Sussex.Globe thistle (Echinops)Hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Another easy-growing plant which is drought-resistant, deer and slug resistant and with a long season of interest.The sculptural blue or white globe thistle flowers make this one of the best plants for pollinators. And when the blooms are over, they develop seedheads for the birds.Once established, globe thistle needs almost no care. Once the birds have enjoyed the seeds, the stems will slowly collapse over winter and can be cleared away easily in spring. New foliage will spring from the base.Globe thistle (Echinops) is a magnet for pollinators. And the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. A cottage garden plant with a long season of interest.Hardy geraniumsHardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and some varieties full shade.Don’t be confused by the brightly coloured bedding plants labelled ‘geraniums’ for sale in garden centres in summer. Those are called pelargoniums. They won’t survive any freezing weather outside.But there are nearly 500 different varieties of hardy geranium. Some like full sun, others are perfect woodland ground cover plants. Many are drought resistant once established. Geranium macrorrhizum (Cranesbill) is even good in dry shade and difficult conditions under trees.They flower for months with blooms in pinks, reds, purple or white. They’re deer and rabbit-resistant.The only care hardy geraniums need is to be cut back once a year after flowering. Then they will often flower again.Hardy geraniums, such as ‘Anne Folkard’ can be sprawling plants or you can find low-growing ground cover varieties.When are cottage gardens high maintenance?A cottage garden generally has lots of different plants and flowers in it. This may mean that there are lots of different caring schedules – you’ll be pruning, feeding, watering or dead-heading at different times.Some people enjoy looking after their gardens, so ‘high maintenance’ isn’t always a bad thing. But if you want the cottage garden to be low maintenance, plant perennials, shrubs and trees.Annuals and vegetables are the high maintenance elements in a cottage garden.The following cottage gardens plants are delightfully pretty. But they are ‘high maintenance.’ This doesn’t mean they’re ‘difficult to grow’. It means they will need regular attention.Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)Annuals (grown from seed every year) so can be grown in most temperate climates. Full sun in cooler climates, light shade in warmer places.Probably the most famous ‘cottage garden plant.’ But also the one that requires the most attention, sadly! The blooms are adorably pretty in colours such as pink , purple, blue or white. The scent is delightful and the fragrance from a vase of sweet peas will fill a room.You’ll need to train sweet peas up a support, water them, dead-head them constantly and protect them from rodents.None of these tasks are difficult, but it isn’t a plant that can be left to its own devices. If you want a low maintenance garden, then don’t plant sweet peas.Everlasting sweet peas are less work and come back every year, but they don’t have the fragrance.I know so few people who grow sweet peas that I only have a photo of them in a vase. They are the most beautiful, fragrant cottage garden plants, but they do need regular attention.LupinsThere are some very cold hardy lupins but many lupins you buy in garden centres won’t come back year after year. Full sun.Some experts suggest treating lupins as an annual or short-lived perennial, although the original cottage garden lupins were both cold hardy and long-lived. But the gorgeous new cultivars are less likely to survive over winter in your garden.In the UK, the milder winters mean that lupins may survive, but gardeners often report disappointment. They are also prone to slug damage.They are stunningly beautiful cottage garden staples in blues, yellows, reds, purples or white.Lupins are classic cottage garden plants. Their spikes add fireworks to any border, but they do need more care than many other border plants.TulipsTulips grow best in areas with cold winters and can survive down to minus 40C/minus 40F. However if you have hot summers and mild winters, then tulips may not grow as well. Full sun or part shade.Tulips have all the gorgeous drama that makes a cottage garden.But in many gardens, they don’t come back year after year. And Head Gardener Neil Miller of Hever Castle says that tulips flower best in their first year. Read his advice on growing tulips here.My garden is full of odd tulips in different sizes and colours. That’s because I planted a group of them in a certain colour scheme, and just one remains. Then I planted a different colour scheme another year. And only one  or two of those survived. It looks pretty and cottagey, but if you want a particular effect, it’s best to grow your tulips from new every year.They’re easy to grow in pots. But they don’t reliably come back in borders. Tulips may get tulip fire after a very wet winter or spring.These mixed tulips in my lawn are pretty, but they are all different sizes and colours. Tulips don’t come back reliably, so these are the remnants of several planting schemes over the years!Delphiniums (sometimes called larkspur, although true larkspur is different)Hardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Delphinium blooms are vibrant spires in purple, red, blue or white. They are probably the most striking and gorgeous flowers for any cottage or ‘English country’ garden.But they need looking after. They need feeding, staking and protecting from slugs. They don’t want too much competition. They need enough water, but not too much.None of this is difficult but you can’t just plant delphiniums and leave them to get on with it. You need to look after them on an almost daily basis.Any list of cottage garden plants will include delphiniums, such as this blue delphinium at Doddington Place Gardens. They are gorgeous but they are not low maintenance.Best cottage gardens bulbs & tubersDaffodils/narcissiHardy down to minus 20C/minus 4F. Not suitable for climates with hot summers and mild winters. Full sun or partial shade.Daffodils, also called narcissi, are probably the easiest bulbs to grow. Many of them will spread and they come back year after year.Plant them in a lawn for a romantic cottage garden look. But remember that you won’t be able to mow the lawn until six weeks after the flowers have faded.All bulbs need about six weeks of sun on their leaves in order to make their flowers for next year. So if you mow too soon, you will lose next year’s blooms.There’s more about growing and choosing daffodils here.One good place to plant them is under trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in winter. By the time the leaves are back, the daffodil will be almost ready to go dormant again. See where to plant bulbs.Daffodils are the easiest bulbs to grow. They come back reliably year after year and even spread. These were planted over 30 years ago, so I don’t know their name!AlliumsHardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shade.Alliums have striking blue, white or purple pom-pom blooms. These add punctuation points to a cottage garden border. In some places, they’ll self-seed easily, popping up in unexpected places. Another very popular flower for pollinators.Deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles don’t like the taste of onion. Alliums are the decorative side of the onion family, so pests leave them alone. Super easy and very resilient, alliums flower in early summer. The seed heads offer sculptural interest for several months afterwards. The foliage dies away by mid-summer.Alliums (this is ‘Purple Sensation’) keep their distinctive shapes after the flower colour has gone. So they are a presence in the garden for around three months from early summer.Alstromerias (also known as alstroemerias)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 10C/14F. Full sun or light shade.Easy to grow and long flowering. See alstromeria grower Ben Cross’s advice in how to grow alstromerias for endless flowers. The red and orange blooms are taller – if you want the more delicate shades, they’ll be shorter. Plant in the front of a border.Alstromerias can spread too vigorously in some areas. If they’re invasive in your area, they grow well in pots.They are very good flowers for the vase but always twist and pull the stem out. Never cut an alstromeria!Best cottage garden shrubsLavenderHardiness varies but most ‘English lavender’ hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun.Lavender loves sunlight. It’s a Mediterranean plant but ‘English lavender’ will grow well in colder climates, as long as they are fairly dry. It’s another pollinator magnet and has magnificent fragrance.You can get lavender in several shades of blue and purple, and also white.I had bushes of Lavender ‘Munstead’ in the garden for 15 years. They only needed cutting back once a year, after flowering. Otherwise they were almost maintenance free. I cut my lavender back much harder than many people advise. It keeps it in good shape. See The Absolutely Best Way to Prune Lavender.My lavender ‘Munstead’. It flowers in summer, after which we cut it into neat mounds.RosesHardiness varies but many hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and a few grow in shade.Roses are the most famous cottage garden plant of all. You can grow roses round arches, arbours and pergolas. You can grow them in pots. And you can grow them in a mixed border.Some roses have fragrance and others do not. If the blooms have an open centre, they’re good for pollinators. But the double-flowered ones are less beneficial.There are more than thirty thousand different varieties of roses. You can find roses for very cold climates and roses for hotter climates. But you’ll get the biggest choice of roses if your winters are no colder than minus 28C/minus 20F and your summers average below 30C/100F.Roses can be low maintenance or high maintenance, depending on what you want. If you insist on perfect blooms without black spot on the leaf or aphids, then you will have to keep fussing over them.However, if you accept imperfection, you can enjoy beautiful roses in your garden without too much work. They will need fertilising once or twice a year and will flower best if you deadhead them regularly. See how to grow roses and how to choose roses for an obelisk, arch, fence or pergola.The archetypal cottage garden flower – roses! Here at the Peter Beales rose garden in Norfolk, there are roses on arbours, arches, fences and obelisks, as well as in borders and climbing up walls. Roses mix well with other cottage garden plants, such as foxgloves.HydrangeasHardiness varies, generally down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Also some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Shade or partial shade.Hydrangeas are easy-going plants that grow well in shade. Some varieties are good for pollinators but the ‘mop head’ varieties (with a round flower) don’t offer pollen or nectar. If you want pollinator-friendly hydrangeas, check the variety before buying.Hydrangeas flower from mid to late summer. Then their flowers slowly dry on the stem and turn into autumn shades of brown and cream. Some hydrangeas, such as ‘Annabelle’, stay sculptural all through the winter and look magnificent with frost on them. So these plants offer a long season of interest.See everything you need to know about growing hydrangeas.Hydrangeas are very easy-care. They need watering in dry summers, but otherwise all they need is to be pruned once a year in spring. Not all hydrangeas are wildlife friendly, but this hydrangea flower is called ‘lace-cap’ and offers benefits to pollinators.Best cottage garden perennialsMonarda (bee balm)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Another easy-care, deer resistant plant although it can get some slug and snail damage. Popular with pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The striking spidery blooms come in brilliant, jewel red, pin or purple and also white.Monardas won’t like long droughts or boggy conditions.The unusual spidery flower of monarda (bee balm) attracts bees and hummingbirds.Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena)If your winters go below minus 17C/0F, then you’ll need to grow verbena bonariensis as an annual. Full sun.Butterflies and bees both adore the purple flowers and birds love the seeds. A tall ‘see-through’ plant with slender stems and blooms which last from mid-late summer to the first frosts. Best planted in clumps – you’ll hardly be able to see just one verbena bonariensis.Verbena bonariensis is generally considered slug-resistant, deer resistant and easy care. You can leave the flowers to turn into winter seed heads for the birds and they look good in frost.Verbena bonariensis is a short-lived perennial. If you have colder winters, you will probably need to grow it as an annual. A clump of verbena bonariensis creates a mass of see-through stems topped by a cloud of purple.Sedum/stonecrop (now hylotelephium)Hardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shadeSedum (now hylotelephium) is one of the 10 resilient plants in 10 beautiful but tough perennials which will survive both too wet and too dry summers.I find Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ to be extra-ordinarily resilient. It can get nibbled by slugs. But I picked up a stem that had been nibbled by a slug and put it into a vase. I forgot about it and two months later, I realised it had grown roots. So I planted it in the soil. It’s grown into a proper plant!And when you look at ‘Autumn Joy’ in bloom, you will see the flowers are crowded with pollinators of lots of different types and sizes, all enjoying the nectar.Sedum (now hylotelephium) ‘Autumn Joy’ is on the bottom right of this photo. A superbly resilient plant for late summer and autumn/fall. Adored by pollinators.Best cottage garden annuals & biennialsAnnuals grow from seed every year so you don’t always need to know about hardiness.Biennials grow from seed, flower, set seed and die over two years.Many people plant their annuals from seed in the autumn/fall so that their plants have a head start the following summer. If you’re doing this, you’ll need to check whether you can plant them outside over the winter.You can also grow the seedlings in a greenhouse or potting shed until spring comes. When temperatures and light levels are low, plants don’t grow much.Annuals and biennials have lots of flowers and come in a wonderful range of colours. They’re perfect for filling gaps or creating a gorgeous display. But they are more work. You have to sow the seed and/or plant the seedlings. Then you may have to support them, feed, water and deadhead them, then clear them away at the end of summer.CosmosFull sun or partial shade.One of the prettiest and most popular cottage garden annuals. I find them easy to grow. One warning, however! Don’t give them extra fertilizer!Most plants flower more if you fertilize them. But cosmos will grow green and bushy, then fail to flower.Cosmos are available in various shades of pink, yellow and cream, along with white. Perfect cottage garden blooms!Hollyhocks (can be annual or biennial)Full sun.A classic cottage garden flower. It’s tall and vigorous with blooms in white, pink or cream. Hollyhocks can sometimes have a mind of their own. Gardeners have often told me that they’ve struggled to grow hollyhocks. Then suddenly hollyhocks start to spring up on their driveway or in the cracks of pavers.You can get single flowered hollyhocks and double-flowered ones. Only the single flowered ones benefit pollinators.They can grow to 6ft/2m tall so may need staking.A hollyhock in the Abbey Physic Garden in Faversham. The soft colours and frilly flowers make it a beautifully romantic cottage garden plant.Cleome (Spider flowers)Full sun or light shadeCleomes aren’t as well known as cosmos or hollyhocks, but they are striking, pollinator-friendly flowers. They have spidery blooms in deep pink, pale pink or white.Although cleomes are tall (3ft/1m), they are upright and don’t usually need supports. It doesn’t need fertilizer and can be very drought-resistant. Resistant to most pests and diseases.Cleomes and salvias in the Savill Garden near Windsor. The cleomes are the taller, spidery flowers. They’re long-lasting and dramatic.Foxgloves (biennial)Partial shadeFoxgloves have spires of flowers in white, pink, purple, white or cream in early summer.They’re toxic to both humans and pets, so if you are worried about either nibbling plants in your garden, then don’t plant them. Most pets know what to nibble though. See how to puppy-proof your garden.Foxgloves often self-seed easily and need very little attention. If you cut the first big spire of flowers off when it is over, you should be rewarded by a spray of smaller spires.Foxgloves are another popular cottage garden plant. The spires add spikes of colour in early summer. They are toxic so be careful around children and pets.Best cottage garden plants for warmer climatesMost of the plants in this post will grow well in warmer climates, but some will not like temperatures that are regularly above 30C/100F or never freeze. If you don’t need a winter coat and spend most of your life in a T shirt instead of a sweater, you probably won’t be able to grow tulips, daffodils, delphiniums or hydrangeas!However, some popular cottage garden plants grow as perennials in warmer climates and are re-planted annually in cooler climates. Mix them with local native plants as Bill Bampton of The Diggers Club does in Cottage Garden Mash-up – how to adapt English cottage garden style to your own climate.SalviaFull sun or partial shadeSalvias come from Mexico and grow well in climates which rarely freeze in winter. They can tolerate hot summers and drought.However, if you see a salvia growing in the UK, you’ll see lots of bees enjoying the nectar. They’re proof that non-native flowers can be valuable to wildlife.There are 900 different types of salvia in a very wide range of different colours. There are some vivid pinks and purples, pastel pinks and creams plus bi-coloured salvias.Read the UK’s top expert on growing salvias here. Those in cooler climates will probably have to replant salvias every year.  But they flower for months at a time. See 18 long flowering perennials that bloom from summer until the first frost.Plants such as rosemary and sage have recently been re-classified as salvias. They are perfect cottage garden herbs.Salvias are quite tender and if your winters freeze regularly you will either have to lift and store them or plant again from new. But they are amongst the longest-flowering perennials and perfect for a cottage garden.Best cottage garden treesEvery cottage garden should have a fruit tree!  You may want to choose something unusual, such as a quince or a medlar tree. A native fruit tree is always a good choice.But a simple apple or crab apple tree will give you flowers in spring and fruit in autumn/fall. You can enjoy this or share it with wildlife by leaving it on the tree.See An Orchard in Your Garden for tips on growing fruit trees in a small garden.Crab apple trees on either side of a vintage gate. These are Malus hupehensis and birds adore the tiny red fruits at the end of summer.Pin to remember the best cottage garden plantsAnd do join us. See here for a free weekly email with more gardening tips, ideas and inspiration.  Source link

[shelyold]

November 10th, 2024 Posted In: Garden Style & Living The best cottage garden plants have pretty blooms. They flower for a long time and are often fragrant. And above all, they are plants which grow well in your climate and soil.But there are no rules in cottage garden style. You can adopt a colour theme as Tim Pilgrim has in this contemporary cottage garden.Or you can grow a glorious patchwork of different flowers together.You can plan a cottage garden, but you don’t have to. You can let it evolve, experimenting over time. If you love to buy plants on impulse, then this style is perfect for you.So this is a list of the best cottage garden plants, with their pros and cons. They all have charming flowers, some are sweetly scented and they’re all perfect for pollinators. That’s not just bees but butterflies, moths and other insects.These plants grow in a wide range of climates and zones, so you’re likely to have a variety available to you.Firstly, decide whether you want a low maintenance cottage garden, a romantic ‘cottagecore’ haven or you’re prepared to spend time and effort on creating a classic cottage garden.What makes a garden a cottage garden?Cottage garden style is colourful and relaxed. It has informal plantings of flowers, fruit and vegetables. See what is cottage garden style and how to achieve it?The name derives from the idea that workers in cottages would use plants they could grow cheaply and easily. This can mean choosing native plants. It certainly means using plants that grow easily.Cottage gardens don’t need defined areas. Whereas English country garden style will have lawns, herbaceous borders and a separate ‘veg patch’, everything can be grown together in a cottage garden.A cottage garden doesn’t look designed. It evolves slowly, with vintage finds and thrifty hand-me-downs. Paths, pots, troughs, arches and other landscaping elements are recycled or upcycled. See A Rustic Cottage Garden on A Budget , Recycled Garden Ideas from RHS Chelsea and Eco-Friendly Garden Design for ideas.You could also use natural materials, such as stone or wood, for furniture and hardscaping elements.Recycled zinc bins and pavers with thrifty vintage garden furniture in Arit Anderson’s peat-free show garden at RHS Hampton CourtWhat are the most ‘cottagecore’ flowers?‘Cottagecore’ is a social media term. It stands for a simple, rustic life where you grow your own food, bake your own bread and make home-made clothes. It’s a lifestyle ideal around simplicity, sustainability and biodiversity.The hashtag #cottagecore on social media is  associated with pretty cottages, romantic floral dresses and other picturesque rural elements such as keeping hens or ducks.All the plants in this post have charming ‘cottagecore’ flowers. But if you want to emphasize the ‘cottagecore’ ethos, combine flowers and veg growing and make sure your garden supports biodiversity.Find out which plants are native to your area, too, as these will support your local wildlife best.However, non-native plants can also support biodiversity, especially when weather patterns are unexpected. For example, some non-native plants flower earlier or later than your native plants. This helps pollinators if there is warm weather earlier or later than usual.So ‘grow native plants’ isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ rule.Old bricks, a pretty gate and ducks – elements of ‘cottagecore’ style.Asters (asters & symphyotrichum)Hardiness varies, but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Asters are daisy-like flowers in blue, pink, red, white or purple, perfect for the cottage garden look. Botanists have recently re-classified them into several different, unrelated species. But the common name for them all is still asters.‘Symphyotrichum’ asters are native to many parts of the Americas. Plants with the botanic name of ‘Aster’ are European, UK and Asian natives. There are other species too.If you want to focus on native plants, look up the asters that are native you where you are. Otherwise, both asters and symphyotrichum are pretty, easy-grow plants that flower for a long period from summer to the first frosts.They’re a good flower for pollinators at the end of the season when many other flowers are over.Aster amellus ‘King George’ has pretty blue flowers. It starts flowering in summer and goes on flowering until the first frosts.HoneysuckleHardiness varies, some down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Dappled or partial shade.A classic cottage garden climbing plant, but do your research before planting one! There are nearly 200 species of honeysuckle. Different varieties are native to north America, northern Europe or Asia.Some honeysuckle varieties may be invasive where you are, so check the name carefully. Some Asian honeysuckles can be very invasive in parts of the USA and Canada, for example. That means that they will spread too quickly, which will crowd out other plants. This can be damaging to biodiversity.However, there will be a honeysuckle for where you live.The honeysuckle fragrance is famous, but not all honeysuckles are scented. Check that too.And some honeysuckles will grow and grow. Unless you’re happy to prune back several times a year, check the eventual height and size.Honeysuckle comes in white, cream, yellow or gold. This yellow honeysuckle is native to North America, but grows well in the UK too.PoppiesThe seed of Common Poppies can survive very cold temperatures, such as minus 50C/minus 60F but they need the weather to warm up before they sprout and flower.  Full sun or partial shade.Poppies are famous for popping up when the soil has been disturbed. If you dig a new bed, turning over the soil for the first time for years, you’re likely to get poppies the following summer.That’s why so many poppies appeared in the fields after World War 1. They germinated where the soil had been turned by tires or dug up in trenches.There are dozens of different types of poppy, all good for a cottage garden. But the best known is the Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), mainly available in scarlet and light purple/pink.They are particularly loved by pollinators. I often find two or three bees sharing one poppy flower.Grow Common Poppies from seed. You can either sow them in trays and plant them out or scatter the seed directly on the ground.Poppies self-seed well. They seem to prefer to self-seed – they want to decide where they will grow! Once you have them in your garden, they will dot themselves around.The common poppy grows every year from seed. The seed heads look good in winter.See this post for more self-seeding plants – all 20 are so pretty and perfect for a cottage garden.Low maintenance perennials for a cottage gardenIf you want low maintenance cottage garden plants, then choose shrubs and perennials. They need less work than annuals and bedding plants.Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die in one year.Perennials are plants that live in your garden for three years or more. See perennials made simple for advice from Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.And here are three top long-flowering, easy-care perennials for cottage gardens.Catmint (Nepeta)Very hardy – down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Drought resistant, deer and slug resistant, easy going, long flowering…this must be one of the easiest plants to grow. It flowers for weeks from mid-summer onwards. If you cut it back when the blooms fade, it will start flowering again. It grows in almost any soil, is loved by pollinators and comes in shades of blue, white or lavender.Nepeta is often recommended as an easier alternative to lavender. Lavender isn’t difficult to grow. However, nepeta will tolerate wet weather and lavender hates getting its feet wet.Catmint (nepeta) in the gardens in the famous West Dean Gardens in Sussex.Globe thistle (Echinops)Hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Another easy-growing plant which is drought-resistant, deer and slug resistant and with a long season of interest.The sculptural blue or white globe thistle flowers make this one of the best plants for pollinators. And when the blooms are over, they develop seedheads for the birds.Once established, globe thistle needs almost no care. Once the birds have enjoyed the seeds, the stems will slowly collapse over winter and can be cleared away easily in spring. New foliage will spring from the base.Globe thistle (Echinops) is a magnet for pollinators. And the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. A cottage garden plant with a long season of interest.Hardy geraniumsHardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and some varieties full shade.Don’t be confused by the brightly coloured bedding plants labelled ‘geraniums’ for sale in garden centres in summer. Those are called pelargoniums. They won’t survive any freezing weather outside.But there are nearly 500 different varieties of hardy geranium. Some like full sun, others are perfect woodland ground cover plants. Many are drought resistant once established. Geranium macrorrhizum (Cranesbill) is even good in dry shade and difficult conditions under trees.They flower for months with blooms in pinks, reds, purple or white. They’re deer and rabbit-resistant.The only care hardy geraniums need is to be cut back once a year after flowering. Then they will often flower again.Hardy geraniums, such as ‘Anne Folkard’ can be sprawling plants or you can find low-growing ground cover varieties.When are cottage gardens high maintenance?A cottage garden generally has lots of different plants and flowers in it. This may mean that there are lots of different caring schedules – you’ll be pruning, feeding, watering or dead-heading at different times.Some people enjoy looking after their gardens, so ‘high maintenance’ isn’t always a bad thing. But if you want the cottage garden to be low maintenance, plant perennials, shrubs and trees.Annuals and vegetables are the high maintenance elements in a cottage garden.The following cottage gardens plants are delightfully pretty. But they are ‘high maintenance.’ This doesn’t mean they’re ‘difficult to grow’. It means they will need regular attention.Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)Annuals (grown from seed every year) so can be grown in most temperate climates. Full sun in cooler climates, light shade in warmer places.Probably the most famous ‘cottage garden plant.’ But also the one that requires the most attention, sadly! The blooms are adorably pretty in colours such as pink , purple, blue or white. The scent is delightful and the fragrance from a vase of sweet peas will fill a room.You’ll need to train sweet peas up a support, water them, dead-head them constantly and protect them from rodents.None of these tasks are difficult, but it isn’t a plant that can be left to its own devices. If you want a low maintenance garden, then don’t plant sweet peas.Everlasting sweet peas are less work and come back every year, but they don’t have the fragrance.I know so few people who grow sweet peas that I only have a photo of them in a vase. They are the most beautiful, fragrant cottage garden plants, but they do need regular attention.LupinsThere are some very cold hardy lupins but many lupins you buy in garden centres won’t come back year after year. Full sun.Some experts suggest treating lupins as an annual or short-lived perennial, although the original cottage garden lupins were both cold hardy and long-lived. But the gorgeous new cultivars are less likely to survive over winter in your garden.In the UK, the milder winters mean that lupins may survive, but gardeners often report disappointment. They are also prone to slug damage.They are stunningly beautiful cottage garden staples in blues, yellows, reds, purples or white.Lupins are classic cottage garden plants. Their spikes add fireworks to any border, but they do need more care than many other border plants.TulipsTulips grow best in areas with cold winters and can survive down to minus 40C/minus 40F. However if you have hot summers and mild winters, then tulips may not grow as well. Full sun or part shade.Tulips have all the gorgeous drama that makes a cottage garden.But in many gardens, they don’t come back year after year. And Head Gardener Neil Miller of Hever Castle says that tulips flower best in their first year. Read his advice on growing tulips here.My garden is full of odd tulips in different sizes and colours. That’s because I planted a group of them in a certain colour scheme, and just one remains. Then I planted a different colour scheme another year. And only one  or two of those survived. It looks pretty and cottagey, but if you want a particular effect, it’s best to grow your tulips from new every year.They’re easy to grow in pots. But they don’t reliably come back in borders. Tulips may get tulip fire after a very wet winter or spring.These mixed tulips in my lawn are pretty, but they are all different sizes and colours. Tulips don’t come back reliably, so these are the remnants of several planting schemes over the years!Delphiniums (sometimes called larkspur, although true larkspur is different)Hardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Delphinium blooms are vibrant spires in purple, red, blue or white. They are probably the most striking and gorgeous flowers for any cottage or ‘English country’ garden.But they need looking after. They need feeding, staking and protecting from slugs. They don’t want too much competition. They need enough water, but not too much.None of this is difficult but you can’t just plant delphiniums and leave them to get on with it. You need to look after them on an almost daily basis.Any list of cottage garden plants will include delphiniums, such as this blue delphinium at Doddington Place Gardens. They are gorgeous but they are not low maintenance.Best cottage gardens bulbs & tubersDaffodils/narcissiHardy down to minus 20C/minus 4F. Not suitable for climates with hot summers and mild winters. Full sun or partial shade.Daffodils, also called narcissi, are probably the easiest bulbs to grow. Many of them will spread and they come back year after year.Plant them in a lawn for a romantic cottage garden look. But remember that you won’t be able to mow the lawn until six weeks after the flowers have faded.All bulbs need about six weeks of sun on their leaves in order to make their flowers for next year. So if you mow too soon, you will lose next year’s blooms.There’s more about growing and choosing daffodils here.One good place to plant them is under trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in winter. By the time the leaves are back, the daffodil will be almost ready to go dormant again. See where to plant bulbs.Daffodils are the easiest bulbs to grow. They come back reliably year after year and even spread. These were planted over 30 years ago, so I don’t know their name!AlliumsHardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shade.Alliums have striking blue, white or purple pom-pom blooms. These add punctuation points to a cottage garden border. In some places, they’ll self-seed easily, popping up in unexpected places. Another very popular flower for pollinators.Deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles don’t like the taste of onion. Alliums are the decorative side of the onion family, so pests leave them alone. Super easy and very resilient, alliums flower in early summer. The seed heads offer sculptural interest for several months afterwards. The foliage dies away by mid-summer.Alliums (this is ‘Purple Sensation’) keep their distinctive shapes after the flower colour has gone. So they are a presence in the garden for around three months from early summer.Alstromerias (also known as alstroemerias)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 10C/14F. Full sun or light shade.Easy to grow and long flowering. See alstromeria grower Ben Cross’s advice in how to grow alstromerias for endless flowers. The red and orange blooms are taller – if you want the more delicate shades, they’ll be shorter. Plant in the front of a border.Alstromerias can spread too vigorously in some areas. If they’re invasive in your area, they grow well in pots.They are very good flowers for the vase but always twist and pull the stem out. Never cut an alstromeria!Best cottage garden shrubsLavenderHardiness varies but most ‘English lavender’ hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun.Lavender loves sunlight. It’s a Mediterranean plant but ‘English lavender’ will grow well in colder climates, as long as they are fairly dry. It’s another pollinator magnet and has magnificent fragrance.You can get lavender in several shades of blue and purple, and also white.I had bushes of Lavender ‘Munstead’ in the garden for 15 years. They only needed cutting back once a year, after flowering. Otherwise they were almost maintenance free. I cut my lavender back much harder than many people advise. It keeps it in good shape. See The Absolutely Best Way to Prune Lavender.My lavender ‘Munstead’. It flowers in summer, after which we cut it into neat mounds.RosesHardiness varies but many hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and a few grow in shade.Roses are the most famous cottage garden plant of all. You can grow roses round arches, arbours and pergolas. You can grow them in pots. And you can grow them in a mixed border.Some roses have fragrance and others do not. If the blooms have an open centre, they’re good for pollinators. But the double-flowered ones are less beneficial.There are more than thirty thousand different varieties of roses. You can find roses for very cold climates and roses for hotter climates. But you’ll get the biggest choice of roses if your winters are no colder than minus 28C/minus 20F and your summers average below 30C/100F.Roses can be low maintenance or high maintenance, depending on what you want. If you insist on perfect blooms without black spot on the leaf or aphids, then you will have to keep fussing over them.However, if you accept imperfection, you can enjoy beautiful roses in your garden without too much work. They will need fertilising once or twice a year and will flower best if you deadhead them regularly. See how to grow roses and how to choose roses for an obelisk, arch, fence or pergola.The archetypal cottage garden flower – roses! Here at the Peter Beales rose garden in Norfolk, there are roses on arbours, arches, fences and obelisks, as well as in borders and climbing up walls. Roses mix well with other cottage garden plants, such as foxgloves.HydrangeasHardiness varies, generally down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Also some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Shade or partial shade.Hydrangeas are easy-going plants that grow well in shade. Some varieties are good for pollinators but the ‘mop head’ varieties (with a round flower) don’t offer pollen or nectar. If you want pollinator-friendly hydrangeas, check the variety before buying.Hydrangeas flower from mid to late summer. Then their flowers slowly dry on the stem and turn into autumn shades of brown and cream. Some hydrangeas, such as ‘Annabelle’, stay sculptural all through the winter and look magnificent with frost on them. So these plants offer a long season of interest.See everything you need to know about growing hydrangeas.Hydrangeas are very easy-care. They need watering in dry summers, but otherwise all they need is to be pruned once a year in spring. Not all hydrangeas are wildlife friendly, but this hydrangea flower is called ‘lace-cap’ and offers benefits to pollinators.Best cottage garden perennialsMonarda (bee balm)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Another easy-care, deer resistant plant although it can get some slug and snail damage. Popular with pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The striking spidery blooms come in brilliant, jewel red, pin or purple and also white.Monardas won’t like long droughts or boggy conditions.The unusual spidery flower of monarda (bee balm) attracts bees and hummingbirds.Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena)If your winters go below minus 17C/0F, then you’ll need to grow verbena bonariensis as an annual. Full sun.Butterflies and bees both adore the purple flowers and birds love the seeds. A tall ‘see-through’ plant with slender stems and blooms which last from mid-late summer to the first frosts. Best planted in clumps – you’ll hardly be able to see just one verbena bonariensis.Verbena bonariensis is generally considered slug-resistant, deer resistant and easy care. You can leave the flowers to turn into winter seed heads for the birds and they look good in frost.Verbena bonariensis is a short-lived perennial. If you have colder winters, you will probably need to grow it as an annual. A clump of verbena bonariensis creates a mass of see-through stems topped by a cloud of purple.Sedum/stonecrop (now hylotelephium)Hardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shadeSedum (now hylotelephium) is one of the 10 resilient plants in 10 beautiful but tough perennials which will survive both too wet and too dry summers.I find Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ to be extra-ordinarily resilient. It can get nibbled by slugs. But I picked up a stem that had been nibbled by a slug and put it into a vase. I forgot about it and two months later, I realised it had grown roots. So I planted it in the soil. It’s grown into a proper plant!And when you look at ‘Autumn Joy’ in bloom, you will see the flowers are crowded with pollinators of lots of different types and sizes, all enjoying the nectar.Sedum (now hylotelephium) ‘Autumn Joy’ is on the bottom right of this photo. A superbly resilient plant for late summer and autumn/fall. Adored by pollinators.Best cottage garden annuals & biennialsAnnuals grow from seed every year so you don’t always need to know about hardiness.Biennials grow from seed, flower, set seed and die over two years.Many people plant their annuals from seed in the autumn/fall so that their plants have a head start the following summer. If you’re doing this, you’ll need to check whether you can plant them outside over the winter.You can also grow the seedlings in a greenhouse or potting shed until spring comes. When temperatures and light levels are low, plants don’t grow much.Annuals and biennials have lots of flowers and come in a wonderful range of colours. They’re perfect for filling gaps or creating a gorgeous display. But they are more work. You have to sow the seed and/or plant the seedlings. Then you may have to support them, feed, water and deadhead them, then clear them away at the end of summer.CosmosFull sun or partial shade.One of the prettiest and most popular cottage garden annuals. I find them easy to grow. One warning, however! Don’t give them extra fertilizer!Most plants flower more if you fertilize them. But cosmos will grow green and bushy, then fail to flower.Cosmos are available in various shades of pink, yellow and cream, along with white. Perfect cottage garden blooms!Hollyhocks (can be annual or biennial)Full sun.A classic cottage garden flower. It’s tall and vigorous with blooms in white, pink or cream. Hollyhocks can sometimes have a mind of their own. Gardeners have often told me that they’ve struggled to grow hollyhocks. Then suddenly hollyhocks start to spring up on their driveway or in the cracks of pavers.You can get single flowered hollyhocks and double-flowered ones. Only the single flowered ones benefit pollinators.They can grow to 6ft/2m tall so may need staking.A hollyhock in the Abbey Physic Garden in Faversham. The soft colours and frilly flowers make it a beautifully romantic cottage garden plant.Cleome (Spider flowers)Full sun or light shadeCleomes aren’t as well known as cosmos or hollyhocks, but they are striking, pollinator-friendly flowers. They have spidery blooms in deep pink, pale pink or white.Although cleomes are tall (3ft/1m), they are upright and don’t usually need supports. It doesn’t need fertilizer and can be very drought-resistant. Resistant to most pests and diseases.Cleomes and salvias in the Savill Garden near Windsor. The cleomes are the taller, spidery flowers. They’re long-lasting and dramatic.Foxgloves (biennial)Partial shadeFoxgloves have spires of flowers in white, pink, purple, white or cream in early summer.They’re toxic to both humans and pets, so if you are worried about either nibbling plants in your garden, then don’t plant them. Most pets know what to nibble though. See how to puppy-proof your garden.Foxgloves often self-seed easily and need very little attention. If you cut the first big spire of flowers off when it is over, you should be rewarded by a spray of smaller spires.Foxgloves are another popular cottage garden plant. The spires add spikes of colour in early summer. They are toxic so be careful around children and pets.Best cottage garden plants for warmer climatesMost of the plants in this post will grow well in warmer climates, but some will not like temperatures that are regularly above 30C/100F or never freeze. If you don’t need a winter coat and spend most of your life in a T shirt instead of a sweater, you probably won’t be able to grow tulips, daffodils, delphiniums or hydrangeas!However, some popular cottage garden plants grow as perennials in warmer climates and are re-planted annually in cooler climates. Mix them with local native plants as Bill Bampton of The Diggers Club does in Cottage Garden Mash-up – how to adapt English cottage garden style to your own climate.SalviaFull sun or partial shadeSalvias come from Mexico and grow well in climates which rarely freeze in winter. They can tolerate hot summers and drought.However, if you see a salvia growing in the UK, you’ll see lots of bees enjoying the nectar. They’re proof that non-native flowers can be valuable to wildlife.There are 900 different types of salvia in a very wide range of different colours. There are some vivid pinks and purples, pastel pinks and creams plus bi-coloured salvias.Read the UK’s top expert on growing salvias here. Those in cooler climates will probably have to replant salvias every year.  But they flower for months at a time. See 18 long flowering perennials that bloom from summer until the first frost.Plants such as rosemary and sage have recently been re-classified as salvias. They are perfect cottage garden herbs.Salvias are quite tender and if your winters freeze regularly you will either have to lift and store them or plant again from new. But they are amongst the longest-flowering perennials and perfect for a cottage garden.Best cottage garden treesEvery cottage garden should have a fruit tree!  You may want to choose something unusual, such as a quince or a medlar tree. A native fruit tree is always a good choice.But a simple apple or crab apple tree will give you flowers in spring and fruit in autumn/fall. You can enjoy this or share it with wildlife by leaving it on the tree.See An Orchard in Your Garden for tips on growing fruit trees in a small garden.Crab apple trees on either side of a vintage gate. These are Malus hupehensis and birds adore the tiny red fruits at the end of summer.Pin to remember the best cottage garden plantsAnd do join us. See here for a free weekly email with more gardening tips, ideas and inspiration.  Source link

[iammeandmy]

November 10th, 2024 Posted In: Garden Style & Living The best cottage garden plants have pretty blooms. They flower for a long time and are often fragrant. And above all, they are plants which grow well in your climate and soil.But there are no rules in cottage garden style. You can adopt a colour theme as Tim Pilgrim has in this contemporary cottage garden.Or you can grow a glorious patchwork of different flowers together.You can plan a cottage garden, but you don’t have to. You can let it evolve, experimenting over time. If you love to buy plants on impulse, then this style is perfect for you.So this is a list of the best cottage garden plants, with their pros and cons. They all have charming flowers, some are sweetly scented and they’re all perfect for pollinators. That’s not just bees but butterflies, moths and other insects.These plants grow in a wide range of climates and zones, so you’re likely to have a variety available to you.Firstly, decide whether you want a low maintenance cottage garden, a romantic ‘cottagecore’ haven or you’re prepared to spend time and effort on creating a classic cottage garden.What makes a garden a cottage garden?Cottage garden style is colourful and relaxed. It has informal plantings of flowers, fruit and vegetables. See what is cottage garden style and how to achieve it?The name derives from the idea that workers in cottages would use plants they could grow cheaply and easily. This can mean choosing native plants. It certainly means using plants that grow easily.Cottage gardens don’t need defined areas. Whereas English country garden style will have lawns, herbaceous borders and a separate ‘veg patch’, everything can be grown together in a cottage garden.A cottage garden doesn’t look designed. It evolves slowly, with vintage finds and thrifty hand-me-downs. Paths, pots, troughs, arches and other landscaping elements are recycled or upcycled. See A Rustic Cottage Garden on A Budget , Recycled Garden Ideas from RHS Chelsea and Eco-Friendly Garden Design for ideas.You could also use natural materials, such as stone or wood, for furniture and hardscaping elements.Recycled zinc bins and pavers with thrifty vintage garden furniture in Arit Anderson’s peat-free show garden at RHS Hampton CourtWhat are the most ‘cottagecore’ flowers?‘Cottagecore’ is a social media term. It stands for a simple, rustic life where you grow your own food, bake your own bread and make home-made clothes. It’s a lifestyle ideal around simplicity, sustainability and biodiversity.The hashtag #cottagecore on social media is  associated with pretty cottages, romantic floral dresses and other picturesque rural elements such as keeping hens or ducks.All the plants in this post have charming ‘cottagecore’ flowers. But if you want to emphasize the ‘cottagecore’ ethos, combine flowers and veg growing and make sure your garden supports biodiversity.Find out which plants are native to your area, too, as these will support your local wildlife best.However, non-native plants can also support biodiversity, especially when weather patterns are unexpected. For example, some non-native plants flower earlier or later than your native plants. This helps pollinators if there is warm weather earlier or later than usual.So ‘grow native plants’ isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ rule.Old bricks, a pretty gate and ducks – elements of ‘cottagecore’ style.Asters (asters & symphyotrichum)Hardiness varies, but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Asters are daisy-like flowers in blue, pink, red, white or purple, perfect for the cottage garden look. Botanists have recently re-classified them into several different, unrelated species. But the common name for them all is still asters.‘Symphyotrichum’ asters are native to many parts of the Americas. Plants with the botanic name of ‘Aster’ are European, UK and Asian natives. There are other species too.If you want to focus on native plants, look up the asters that are native you where you are. Otherwise, both asters and symphyotrichum are pretty, easy-grow plants that flower for a long period from summer to the first frosts.They’re a good flower for pollinators at the end of the season when many other flowers are over.Aster amellus ‘King George’ has pretty blue flowers. It starts flowering in summer and goes on flowering until the first frosts.HoneysuckleHardiness varies, some down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Dappled or partial shade.A classic cottage garden climbing plant, but do your research before planting one! There are nearly 200 species of honeysuckle. Different varieties are native to north America, northern Europe or Asia.Some honeysuckle varieties may be invasive where you are, so check the name carefully. Some Asian honeysuckles can be very invasive in parts of the USA and Canada, for example. That means that they will spread too quickly, which will crowd out other plants. This can be damaging to biodiversity.However, there will be a honeysuckle for where you live.The honeysuckle fragrance is famous, but not all honeysuckles are scented. Check that too.And some honeysuckles will grow and grow. Unless you’re happy to prune back several times a year, check the eventual height and size.Honeysuckle comes in white, cream, yellow or gold. This yellow honeysuckle is native to North America, but grows well in the UK too.PoppiesThe seed of Common Poppies can survive very cold temperatures, such as minus 50C/minus 60F but they need the weather to warm up before they sprout and flower.  Full sun or partial shade.Poppies are famous for popping up when the soil has been disturbed. If you dig a new bed, turning over the soil for the first time for years, you’re likely to get poppies the following summer.That’s why so many poppies appeared in the fields after World War 1. They germinated where the soil had been turned by tires or dug up in trenches.There are dozens of different types of poppy, all good for a cottage garden. But the best known is the Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), mainly available in scarlet and light purple/pink.They are particularly loved by pollinators. I often find two or three bees sharing one poppy flower.Grow Common Poppies from seed. You can either sow them in trays and plant them out or scatter the seed directly on the ground.Poppies self-seed well. They seem to prefer to self-seed – they want to decide where they will grow! Once you have them in your garden, they will dot themselves around.The common poppy grows every year from seed. The seed heads look good in winter.See this post for more self-seeding plants – all 20 are so pretty and perfect for a cottage garden.Low maintenance perennials for a cottage gardenIf you want low maintenance cottage garden plants, then choose shrubs and perennials. They need less work than annuals and bedding plants.Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die in one year.Perennials are plants that live in your garden for three years or more. See perennials made simple for advice from Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants.And here are three top long-flowering, easy-care perennials for cottage gardens.Catmint (Nepeta)Very hardy – down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Drought resistant, deer and slug resistant, easy going, long flowering…this must be one of the easiest plants to grow. It flowers for weeks from mid-summer onwards. If you cut it back when the blooms fade, it will start flowering again. It grows in almost any soil, is loved by pollinators and comes in shades of blue, white or lavender.Nepeta is often recommended as an easier alternative to lavender. Lavender isn’t difficult to grow. However, nepeta will tolerate wet weather and lavender hates getting its feet wet.Catmint (nepeta) in the gardens in the famous West Dean Gardens in Sussex.Globe thistle (Echinops)Hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Another easy-growing plant which is drought-resistant, deer and slug resistant and with a long season of interest.The sculptural blue or white globe thistle flowers make this one of the best plants for pollinators. And when the blooms are over, they develop seedheads for the birds.Once established, globe thistle needs almost no care. Once the birds have enjoyed the seeds, the stems will slowly collapse over winter and can be cleared away easily in spring. New foliage will spring from the base.Globe thistle (Echinops) is a magnet for pollinators. And the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. A cottage garden plant with a long season of interest.Hardy geraniumsHardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 29C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and some varieties full shade.Don’t be confused by the brightly coloured bedding plants labelled ‘geraniums’ for sale in garden centres in summer. Those are called pelargoniums. They won’t survive any freezing weather outside.But there are nearly 500 different varieties of hardy geranium. Some like full sun, others are perfect woodland ground cover plants. Many are drought resistant once established. Geranium macrorrhizum (Cranesbill) is even good in dry shade and difficult conditions under trees.They flower for months with blooms in pinks, reds, purple or white. They’re deer and rabbit-resistant.The only care hardy geraniums need is to be cut back once a year after flowering. Then they will often flower again.Hardy geraniums, such as ‘Anne Folkard’ can be sprawling plants or you can find low-growing ground cover varieties.When are cottage gardens high maintenance?A cottage garden generally has lots of different plants and flowers in it. This may mean that there are lots of different caring schedules – you’ll be pruning, feeding, watering or dead-heading at different times.Some people enjoy looking after their gardens, so ‘high maintenance’ isn’t always a bad thing. But if you want the cottage garden to be low maintenance, plant perennials, shrubs and trees.Annuals and vegetables are the high maintenance elements in a cottage garden.The following cottage gardens plants are delightfully pretty. But they are ‘high maintenance.’ This doesn’t mean they’re ‘difficult to grow’. It means they will need regular attention.Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)Annuals (grown from seed every year) so can be grown in most temperate climates. Full sun in cooler climates, light shade in warmer places.Probably the most famous ‘cottage garden plant.’ But also the one that requires the most attention, sadly! The blooms are adorably pretty in colours such as pink , purple, blue or white. The scent is delightful and the fragrance from a vase of sweet peas will fill a room.You’ll need to train sweet peas up a support, water them, dead-head them constantly and protect them from rodents.None of these tasks are difficult, but it isn’t a plant that can be left to its own devices. If you want a low maintenance garden, then don’t plant sweet peas.Everlasting sweet peas are less work and come back every year, but they don’t have the fragrance.I know so few people who grow sweet peas that I only have a photo of them in a vase. They are the most beautiful, fragrant cottage garden plants, but they do need regular attention.LupinsThere are some very cold hardy lupins but many lupins you buy in garden centres won’t come back year after year. Full sun.Some experts suggest treating lupins as an annual or short-lived perennial, although the original cottage garden lupins were both cold hardy and long-lived. But the gorgeous new cultivars are less likely to survive over winter in your garden.In the UK, the milder winters mean that lupins may survive, but gardeners often report disappointment. They are also prone to slug damage.They are stunningly beautiful cottage garden staples in blues, yellows, reds, purples or white.Lupins are classic cottage garden plants. Their spikes add fireworks to any border, but they do need more care than many other border plants.TulipsTulips grow best in areas with cold winters and can survive down to minus 40C/minus 40F. However if you have hot summers and mild winters, then tulips may not grow as well. Full sun or part shade.Tulips have all the gorgeous drama that makes a cottage garden.But in many gardens, they don’t come back year after year. And Head Gardener Neil Miller of Hever Castle says that tulips flower best in their first year. Read his advice on growing tulips here.My garden is full of odd tulips in different sizes and colours. That’s because I planted a group of them in a certain colour scheme, and just one remains. Then I planted a different colour scheme another year. And only one  or two of those survived. It looks pretty and cottagey, but if you want a particular effect, it’s best to grow your tulips from new every year.They’re easy to grow in pots. But they don’t reliably come back in borders. Tulips may get tulip fire after a very wet winter or spring.These mixed tulips in my lawn are pretty, but they are all different sizes and colours. Tulips don’t come back reliably, so these are the remnants of several planting schemes over the years!Delphiniums (sometimes called larkspur, although true larkspur is different)Hardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun.Delphinium blooms are vibrant spires in purple, red, blue or white. They are probably the most striking and gorgeous flowers for any cottage or ‘English country’ garden.But they need looking after. They need feeding, staking and protecting from slugs. They don’t want too much competition. They need enough water, but not too much.None of this is difficult but you can’t just plant delphiniums and leave them to get on with it. You need to look after them on an almost daily basis.Any list of cottage garden plants will include delphiniums, such as this blue delphinium at Doddington Place Gardens. They are gorgeous but they are not low maintenance.Best cottage gardens bulbs & tubersDaffodils/narcissiHardy down to minus 20C/minus 4F. Not suitable for climates with hot summers and mild winters. Full sun or partial shade.Daffodils, also called narcissi, are probably the easiest bulbs to grow. Many of them will spread and they come back year after year.Plant them in a lawn for a romantic cottage garden look. But remember that you won’t be able to mow the lawn until six weeks after the flowers have faded.All bulbs need about six weeks of sun on their leaves in order to make their flowers for next year. So if you mow too soon, you will lose next year’s blooms.There’s more about growing and choosing daffodils here.One good place to plant them is under trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in winter. By the time the leaves are back, the daffodil will be almost ready to go dormant again. See where to plant bulbs.Daffodils are the easiest bulbs to grow. They come back reliably year after year and even spread. These were planted over 30 years ago, so I don’t know their name!AlliumsHardiness varies but some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shade.Alliums have striking blue, white or purple pom-pom blooms. These add punctuation points to a cottage garden border. In some places, they’ll self-seed easily, popping up in unexpected places. Another very popular flower for pollinators.Deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles don’t like the taste of onion. Alliums are the decorative side of the onion family, so pests leave them alone. Super easy and very resilient, alliums flower in early summer. The seed heads offer sculptural interest for several months afterwards. The foliage dies away by mid-summer.Alliums (this is ‘Purple Sensation’) keep their distinctive shapes after the flower colour has gone. So they are a presence in the garden for around three months from early summer.Alstromerias (also known as alstroemerias)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 10C/14F. Full sun or light shade.Easy to grow and long flowering. See alstromeria grower Ben Cross’s advice in how to grow alstromerias for endless flowers. The red and orange blooms are taller – if you want the more delicate shades, they’ll be shorter. Plant in the front of a border.Alstromerias can spread too vigorously in some areas. If they’re invasive in your area, they grow well in pots.They are very good flowers for the vase but always twist and pull the stem out. Never cut an alstromeria!Best cottage garden shrubsLavenderHardiness varies but most ‘English lavender’ hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun.Lavender loves sunlight. It’s a Mediterranean plant but ‘English lavender’ will grow well in colder climates, as long as they are fairly dry. It’s another pollinator magnet and has magnificent fragrance.You can get lavender in several shades of blue and purple, and also white.I had bushes of Lavender ‘Munstead’ in the garden for 15 years. They only needed cutting back once a year, after flowering. Otherwise they were almost maintenance free. I cut my lavender back much harder than many people advise. It keeps it in good shape. See The Absolutely Best Way to Prune Lavender.My lavender ‘Munstead’. It flowers in summer, after which we cut it into neat mounds.RosesHardiness varies but many hardy down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Full sun, partial shade and a few grow in shade.Roses are the most famous cottage garden plant of all. You can grow roses round arches, arbours and pergolas. You can grow them in pots. And you can grow them in a mixed border.Some roses have fragrance and others do not. If the blooms have an open centre, they’re good for pollinators. But the double-flowered ones are less beneficial.There are more than thirty thousand different varieties of roses. You can find roses for very cold climates and roses for hotter climates. But you’ll get the biggest choice of roses if your winters are no colder than minus 28C/minus 20F and your summers average below 30C/100F.Roses can be low maintenance or high maintenance, depending on what you want. If you insist on perfect blooms without black spot on the leaf or aphids, then you will have to keep fussing over them.However, if you accept imperfection, you can enjoy beautiful roses in your garden without too much work. They will need fertilising once or twice a year and will flower best if you deadhead them regularly. See how to grow roses and how to choose roses for an obelisk, arch, fence or pergola.The archetypal cottage garden flower – roses! Here at the Peter Beales rose garden in Norfolk, there are roses on arbours, arches, fences and obelisks, as well as in borders and climbing up walls. Roses mix well with other cottage garden plants, such as foxgloves.HydrangeasHardiness varies, generally down to minus 28C/minus 20F. Also some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Shade or partial shade.Hydrangeas are easy-going plants that grow well in shade. Some varieties are good for pollinators but the ‘mop head’ varieties (with a round flower) don’t offer pollen or nectar. If you want pollinator-friendly hydrangeas, check the variety before buying.Hydrangeas flower from mid to late summer. Then their flowers slowly dry on the stem and turn into autumn shades of brown and cream. Some hydrangeas, such as ‘Annabelle’, stay sculptural all through the winter and look magnificent with frost on them. So these plants offer a long season of interest.See everything you need to know about growing hydrangeas.Hydrangeas are very easy-care. They need watering in dry summers, but otherwise all they need is to be pruned once a year in spring. Not all hydrangeas are wildlife friendly, but this hydrangea flower is called ‘lace-cap’ and offers benefits to pollinators.Best cottage garden perennialsMonarda (bee balm)Hardiness varies, some down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or partial shade.Another easy-care, deer resistant plant although it can get some slug and snail damage. Popular with pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The striking spidery blooms come in brilliant, jewel red, pin or purple and also white.Monardas won’t like long droughts or boggy conditions.The unusual spidery flower of monarda (bee balm) attracts bees and hummingbirds.Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena)If your winters go below minus 17C/0F, then you’ll need to grow verbena bonariensis as an annual. Full sun.Butterflies and bees both adore the purple flowers and birds love the seeds. A tall ‘see-through’ plant with slender stems and blooms which last from mid-late summer to the first frosts. Best planted in clumps – you’ll hardly be able to see just one verbena bonariensis.Verbena bonariensis is generally considered slug-resistant, deer resistant and easy care. You can leave the flowers to turn into winter seed heads for the birds and they look good in frost.Verbena bonariensis is a short-lived perennial. If you have colder winters, you will probably need to grow it as an annual. A clump of verbena bonariensis creates a mass of see-through stems topped by a cloud of purple.Sedum/stonecrop (now hylotelephium)Hardiness varies but some hardy down to minus 40C/minus 40F. Full sun or light shadeSedum (now hylotelephium) is one of the 10 resilient plants in 10 beautiful but tough perennials which will survive both too wet and too dry summers.I find Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ to be extra-ordinarily resilient. It can get nibbled by slugs. But I picked up a stem that had been nibbled by a slug and put it into a vase. I forgot about it and two months later, I realised it had grown roots. So I planted it in the soil. It’s grown into a proper plant!And when you look at ‘Autumn Joy’ in bloom, you will see the flowers are crowded with pollinators of lots of different types and sizes, all enjoying the nectar.Sedum (now hylotelephium) ‘Autumn Joy’ is on the bottom right of this photo. A superbly resilient plant for late summer and autumn/fall. Adored by pollinators.Best cottage garden annuals & biennialsAnnuals grow from seed every year so you don’t always need to know about hardiness.Biennials grow from seed, flower, set seed and die over two years.Many people plant their annuals from seed in the autumn/fall so that their plants have a head start the following summer. If you’re doing this, you’ll need to check whether you can plant them outside over the winter.You can also grow the seedlings in a greenhouse or potting shed until spring comes. When temperatures and light levels are low, plants don’t grow much.Annuals and biennials have lots of flowers and come in a wonderful range of colours. They’re perfect for filling gaps or creating a gorgeous display. But they are more work. You have to sow the seed and/or plant the seedlings. Then you may have to support them, feed, water and deadhead them, then clear them away at the end of summer.CosmosFull sun or partial shade.One of the prettiest and most popular cottage garden annuals. I find them easy to grow. One warning, however! Don’t give them extra fertilizer!Most plants flower more if you fertilize them. But cosmos will grow green and bushy, then fail to flower.Cosmos are available in various shades of pink, yellow and cream, along with white. Perfect cottage garden blooms!Hollyhocks (can be annual or biennial)Full sun.A classic cottage garden flower. It’s tall and vigorous with blooms in white, pink or cream. Hollyhocks can sometimes have a mind of their own. Gardeners have often told me that they’ve struggled to grow hollyhocks. Then suddenly hollyhocks start to spring up on their driveway or in the cracks of pavers.You can get single flowered hollyhocks and double-flowered ones. Only the single flowered ones benefit pollinators.They can grow to 6ft/2m tall so may need staking.A hollyhock in the Abbey Physic Garden in Faversham. The soft colours and frilly flowers make it a beautifully romantic cottage garden plant.Cleome (Spider flowers)Full sun or light shadeCleomes aren’t as well known as cosmos or hollyhocks, but they are striking, pollinator-friendly flowers. They have spidery blooms in deep pink, pale pink or white.Although cleomes are tall (3ft/1m), they are upright and don’t usually need supports. It doesn’t need fertilizer and can be very drought-resistant. Resistant to most pests and diseases.Cleomes and salvias in the Savill Garden near Windsor. The cleomes are the taller, spidery flowers. They’re long-lasting and dramatic.Foxgloves (biennial)Partial shadeFoxgloves have spires of flowers in white, pink, purple, white or cream in early summer.They’re toxic to both humans and pets, so if you are worried about either nibbling plants in your garden, then don’t plant them. Most pets know what to nibble though. See how to puppy-proof your garden.Foxgloves often self-seed easily and need very little attention. If you cut the first big spire of flowers off when it is over, you should be rewarded by a spray of smaller spires.Foxgloves are another popular cottage garden plant. The spires add spikes of colour in early summer. They are toxic so be careful around children and pets.Best cottage garden plants for warmer climatesMost of the plants in this post will grow well in warmer climates, but some will not like temperatures that are regularly above 30C/100F or never freeze. If you don’t need a winter coat and spend most of your life in a T shirt instead of a sweater, you probably won’t be able to grow tulips, daffodils, delphiniums or hydrangeas!However, some popular cottage garden plants grow as perennials in warmer climates and are re-planted annually in cooler climates. Mix them with local native plants as Bill Bampton of The Diggers Club does in Cottage Garden Mash-up – how to adapt English cottage garden style to your own climate.SalviaFull sun or partial shadeSalvias come from Mexico and grow well in climates which rarely freeze in winter. They can tolerate hot summers and drought.However, if you see a salvia growing in the UK, you’ll see lots of bees enjoying the nectar. They’re proof that non-native flowers can be valuable to wildlife.There are 900 different types of salvia in a very wide range of different colours. There are some vivid pinks and purples, pastel pinks and creams plus bi-coloured salvias.Read the UK’s top expert on growing salvias here. Those in cooler climates will probably have to replant salvias every year.  But they flower for months at a time. See 18 long flowering perennials that bloom from summer until the first frost.Plants such as rosemary and sage have recently been re-classified as salvias. They are perfect cottage garden herbs.Salvias are quite tender and if your winters freeze regularly you will either have to lift and store them or plant again from new. But they are amongst the longest-flowering perennials and perfect for a cottage garden.Best cottage garden treesEvery cottage garden should have a fruit tree!  You may want to choose something unusual, such as a quince or a medlar tree. A native fruit tree is always a good choice.But a simple apple or crab apple tree will give you flowers in spring and fruit in autumn/fall. You can enjoy this or share it with wildlife by leaving it on the tree.See An Orchard in Your Garden for tips on growing fruit trees in a small garden.Crab apple trees on either side of a vintage gate. These are Malus hupehensis and birds adore the tiny red fruits at the end of summer.Pin to remember the best cottage garden plantsAnd do join us. See here for a free weekly email with more gardening tips, ideas and inspiration.  Source link

[fireheartedpup]

Just found out about the USDA food plans, which calculates how much it costs to feed someone on a "thrifty" budget.

It's currently around $51-57 per week for adults.

[timesblogger]

Exploring Rishikesh on a Budget: A Thrifty Traveler's Guide

Is it true or not that you are longing for an audacious escape to the tranquil town of Rishikesh without burning through every last dollar? All things considered, this is your lucky day! Rishikesh, settled in the lower regions of the Himalayas along the banks of the Ganges Stream, offers a plenty of encounters for economical explorers. From yoga retreats and stream boating to investigating old sanctuaries and quiet nature strolls, here's your definitive manual for investigating Rishikesh on a tight spending plan.

Reasonable Facilities Rishikesh brags a reach spending plan cordial facilities, from comfortable guesthouses to explorer lodgings. Search for guesthouses in regions like Laxman Jhula and Tapovan, which offer agreeable stays at sensible rates. Furthermore, explorer inns give reasonable beds as well as deal potential chances to interface with individual voyagers.

Heavenly and Practical Diners Enjoy heavenly neighborhood cooking without begging to be spent. Rishikesh is dabbed with various diners serving healthy veggie lover feasts. Visit the nearby road food joints for scrumptious deals with like aloo puri, chole bhature, and delicious chaat. For spending plan amicable feasting, select the numerous roof bistros offering shocking perspectives on the waterway and mountains.

Yoga and Contemplation Retreats Submerge yourself in the otherworldly vibe of Rishikesh with reasonable yoga and contemplation withdraws. Numerous ashrams and yoga focuses offer practical bundles for yoga classes, reflection meetings, and even multi-day withdraws. This is an incredible method for reviving your whole self without overspending.

Nature Strolls and Traveling Investigate Rishikesh's regular excellence by walking. Go for comfortable walks along the riverside or adventure into the encompassing slopes for some light traveling. The Neer Garh Cascade journey and the Beatles Ashram climb are famous decisions among financial plan voyagers, offering stunning perspectives and an opportunity to interface with nature.

Experience Exercises on a Tight spending plan Try not to pass up exciting experiences Rishikesh is renowned for, for example, wilderness boating and bungee bouncing. Search for spending plan agreeable bundles for waterway boating, which can be delighted in by fledglings and experienced travelers the same. You'll find a few administrators along the riverbanks offering serious rates.

Social and Otherworldly Investigation Dive into Rishikesh's rich otherworldly legacy by visiting its numerous sanctuaries and ashrams. Investigate the notorious Lakshman Sanctuary, Triveni Ghat for night aarti services, and the popular Parmarth Niketan Ashram. These encounters are socially improving as well as kind with the wallet.

Looking for Gifts Carry back a piece of Rishikesh with you by shopping at the neighborhood markets. Peruse slows down selling handiworks, gems, dress, and otherworldly curios. The business sectors around Laxman Jhula and Slam Jhula offer one of a kind things at sensible costs. Make sure to can foresee the best arrangements!

Travel Tips for Financial plan Voyagers Slow time of year Travel: Think about visiting during the slow time of year (July to September) for lower convenience and movement rates. Nearby Vehicle: Utilize nearby transports or shared carts for driving inside the town, which are more conservative than private taxicabs. Pack Light: Keep away from overabundance stuff to save money on transportation expenses and make your movement bother free. End Rishikesh, with its mix of otherworldliness, experience, and regular excellence, is an ideal objective for financial plan voyagers. By arranging keenly and investigating the town's contributions decisively, you can partake in an enhancing experience without extending your financial plan. In this way, gather your sacks, set out on an undertaking, and find the wizardry of Rishikesh without burning through every last dollar!

#timesblogger

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

125 of 2024

Created by lilprincess

NAMES Your first name begins with a C. Your first name contains 6 letters. Your mom solely picked out your name prior to your birth. Your first name is of Latin origin. You like your first name. Your surname contains 7 letters. (if the prefix counts lol)Your surname begins with a C. Many people have had trouble spelling or pronouncing your surname. When you get married, you choose to take your partner's surname.

BIRTHDAY, BIRTHPLACE & THE LIKE You were born outside of the United States. You're a Capricorn. You think most of your personality traits are akin to your zodiac sign. You have lived in more than one foreign country. You have one sister. You have half-siblings. You have step-siblings. You're a middle child. One of your parents is deceased. Two of your grandparents are deceased. You would love to have kids of your own some day. You would consider adopting a child. You don't see much of your relatives very often. You have a first cousin you haven't seen in 10+ years. You're in your late 20's. You have completed at least some college.

SPORTS & OTHER ACTIVITIES You're not an athletic person. …but you try to remain psychically active. You don't understand the concept of American football. You like soccer. You're a fan of the NY Mets. You've tried skiing and figure skating. You have a gym membership. You like ice hockey. You have watched a game/ match (of any professional sport) LIVE. You like to swim, but are not very good at it.

RELATIONSHIPS & ROMANCE You're in a committed relationship. You've been committed to your partner for 6+ months. You're a sucker for old, romantic films. You've watched porn movies on cable. You've personally experienced a pregnancy. You plan to marry the person you're involved with now. (I already did)

RANDOM MIX You prefer winter over summer. You like the cold. New Year's Eve is your favorite holiday. Christmas really bores or depresses you. You're agnostic or atheist. You're socially liberal. You have pen pals from foreign countries. You have a Tumblr account. You're a proponent of LGBT, animal and environmental rights. You're thrifty. You have lived with roommates… … and hated it! You find the terms "retard" & "fag" very offensive and overused. You're multi-ethnic. You're trying to omit sweets from your diet. You've recently quit drinking or smoking. (<-- that's a grand achievement!) You're currently unemployed. You love techno music. You're an 80's brat. You're bilingual. At least one of your family members have served in the military. You believe war is not a solution to ANYTHING! You fidget constantly when feeling nervous or bored. You're a suburbanite. You have owned a dog, cat, some fish, or a rabbit. You know someone with a neurological disorder like ADHD, epilepsy, OCD, etc (yeah, myself lol)You're a grammar Nazi. You've participated in a spelling bee in elementary school. You prefer swimming in a natural body of water over a swimming pool. You have naturally wavy hair. You love to travel…. but hate traveling by plane!! You don't own a desktop computer. You like spicy and sweet foods. You thought George W Bush was one of the dumbest U.S. presidents ever. You've been to NY…. California… Massachusetts… Florida… Washington, DC… Texas… Virginia… Maryland… New Jersey… New Hampshire… Rhode Island… Maine… Canada… Western Europe… You're a natural brunette, but have colored it before. You think you have a disproportioned physique. You think horror movies are more dumb than scary. You prefer to spend your Friday & Saturday nights quietly. You've taken a ballet or jazz class. You know how to play a musical instrument. You hate to cook and really suck at it. You don't attend parties very often. You've pondered about how overall life was like 100 years ago. You enjoy answering long surveys or creating them. :)

[plethoraworldatlas]

Benefits that our neighbors facing hunger receive through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should reflect the latest nutrition science and today's economy. As the cost of nutritious foods increases, as it has in the last few years, SNAP benefits should increase, too.

Congress can help millions of families afford a healthy diet by continuing to modernize SNAP and ensuring the Thrifty Food Plan—used to determine SNAP benefit amounts—reflects adjustments for inflation as well as evolving dietary recommendations and consumption patterns.