On Saturday I removed the landscape fabric from around the stump of the burning bush. After amending the soil I began to plant and planted a border of lettuce.
I had several different speckled and a few reds plants, all from the 'Wild Garden Mixed' lettuce. This mix contains all of the released lettuce varieties of Frank Morton and some unreleased work too. The diversity of this mix is amazing. Several are the reddest lettuce I have ever grown. Their are all types in this mix, leaf, head, butter head, deer tongue, romaine, oak leaf and everything in between.
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| A speckled crisp head, this is a type I have never before seen! |
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| Speckled oak leaf. |
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| Blushing, speckled oak leaf. |
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| Very speckled romaine. |
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| A very red loose leaf. |
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| Another very red loose leaf. |
There is more of this mix in the pool bed.
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| The reddest of them all. |
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| A blushed butter oak. |
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| Regular green butter head. |
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| A bronze crisp head. |
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| A bronze loose leaf. |
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| Green deer tongue. |
These selections are just a small sampling of the diversity found in this mix.
I purchased the seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I'm already looking forward to starting a lot of this mix for fall planting.
Aren't they gorgeous! The speckled oak leaf is my prettiest. That's the one I hate to harvest leaves from, I don't want to ruin its perfection. Right at this moment I'm eating a salad from that fantastic mix, tossed with a light raspberry dressing and topped with walnut pieces. Mmmm, good!
ReplyDeleteYes they are gorgeous, the ones pictured are growing in my flower beds. The ruby reds are my favorites so far. I'm glad I have lots of other varieties as I'm going to let these get very large before I pick them. Tonight mine had a light lemon vinaigrette with some blueberries tossed in.
ReplyDeleteLettuce is so beautiful and it is almost a shame to eat it.....almost :)
ReplyDeleteThat is very true, GrafixMuse. I have to force myseilf to pick the leaves from the more attractive plants.
DeleteThey are beautiful! I am going to order seeds for my fall plantings! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteChristy, if you do order this variety, sow it thinly as you'll hate to discard even one plant!
DeleteThose are some really pretty lettuces. Last year I grew lettuce right outside my kitchen door so I could look at it all the time. But it is a bad place for it since there are too many hot bricks.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, mine are not in the best place either. Both beds are surrounding the which gets quite hot in the summer. Unless I decide to save seed they should be gone by the time it gets too hot.
DeleteThese are very lovely and i'd have very hard time picking them because they're so pretty :) Which one taste the best?
ReplyDeleteThe blushed butter oak by far. The leaves are very tender and it has a soft butter head heart.
DeletePretty lettuce! I generally don't buy mixed lettuce blends because I'm type A and need to know what I'm growing. LOL! But with that pretty blend, you can't go wrong!
ReplyDeleteHolly, I'm normally the same way. I was intrigued by the description for the last few years and finally gave in this year. I'm very glad I did!
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