Want some summer backyard fun? Create a cocktail
garden around your patio to spread some cheer for a gathering of friends or for
just relaxing after a hard day's work. This is a garden to get creative with-grow
your favorite herbal garnishes, mixes, ingredients for alcoholic beverages and
even a liver-booster to help out if you overdo the festivities. This inviting
little garden will also be a cocktail party conversation-starter, no question.
Throw in some silliness if you’d like. Whisky
barrels and half barrels are irresistibly appropriate containers for some of
the tender plants in our cocktail collection. Use wine corks for mulch if you
have a ready supply. Do you collect beautiful bottles? I've been known to sometimes
choose a wine simply for the shape or color of the bottle to add to my
collection. Display them here, where they can line a pathway or sit prettily
among the plants to twinkle in the sunlight. String some lights or hang some
lanterns to create a party atmosphere for the cocktail hour. Or like this become the edging.
Herbs for
Cocktails
There are quite a few herbs that
play starring roles in mixed drinks. Probably the most familiar are the mints
that are mulled for a mint julep and the popular mojito; that strong minty
flavor is an essential ingredient to the character of these festive drinks. Are
you interested in brewing your own beer?
Whether you are or not, you can
plant some fast-growing hops along a fence line. Lemon balm is an easy garnish
for a summer wine cooler (or tea for the teetotalers). For the legion of fans
of Bloody Marys, the perfect morning-after pick-me-up and headliner of the
Sunday brunch, grow some tomatoes for juicing and some lovage, since its hollow
stems and celery taste make it part garnish, part straw. Add a slice of lime
from your patio lime tree, and how perfect is that?
Don't forget the milk
thistle, whose seeds yield the best liver boost in the natural world. It has been used
for thousands of years for its protective, cleansing effects; you can make a
simple decoction from the seeds.
Care and
Containers
This little garden, placed on or
surrounding a patio, will be so close by that you won't forget to water and
feed the plants, especially if it becomes a place you hang out in at the end of
the day. Get to know your plants and their needs, including water requirements,
fertilizer needs, cold hardiness and light requirements. Some of these
suggested plants need overwintering indoors, so be sure that you know the
average first and last freeze dates in your area; if you don't, a quick online
search or phone call to the county extension office will give you that
information.
Row cover, an inexpensive
lightweight fabric that lets in sunlight and moisture but gives some cold
protection, is helpful to have on hand for sudden cold snaps. A good garden
center can turn up some useful plant trays with wheels on them, to make
transporting a large pot easier. Garden centers also have other helpful
pot-lifting aids.
My
example is to place all the herb plants and tomatoes in a single container or
raised bed that is approximately 12 feet in diameter. If it is done in two containers use one tall
plant Milk Thistle or Lovage in the center and alternate between mints and
tomatoes around the edge. All these
plants have a wide spread under ideal conditions so extra space between plants
is always a great idea.
These plants are a great start
for your very own cocktail garden. And all will help create a fabulous patio
haven.
• Tomato (T) (Solanum
lycopersicum). Plant
in a sunny spot, stake or cage it, and give it plenty of water and regular
feeding. Any flavorful tomato produces a good tomato juice; some favorites for
juicing include 'Porter', 'Rutgers', 'Ponderosa Pink', 'Better Boy' and many
beefsteak varieties.
• Milk thistle (MT) (Silybum
marianum). With
glossy, marbled leaves, this plant can reach 5 feet or so in bloom, with a
purple thistle flower head. It can
be annual or biennial, and is hardy to Zone 7.
• Lovage(L) (Levisticum officinale ). This
rock-hardy perennial, with its celery taste, can reach 5 feet by
midsummer in sun or part shade. Propagate from seed or division.
• Lemon balm (LB) (Melissa officinalis). A mint relative with
a lemony fragrance, this hardy perennial is best grown in a pot; it can be
aggressive in the garden. Easy to grow from seed, cutting or division.
• Spearmint (SM) (Mentha spicata). This common garden mint,
including such varieties as 'Kentucky Colonel', is easy to grow but a bit
rambunctious, so it is best grown in a container. Start it from a cutting, a
division from a friend, or a transplant from a garden center, as it does not
set viable seed; adaptable, can grow in sun or part shade.
• Mojito mint (MM) (Mentha
xvilfosa), also called Cuban mint or yerba buena, is propagated by cutting
or division. Keep your mints in separate containers, and harvest or prune
regularly to continually force out new green growth and prevent flowering.
For those with more space or
living farther south than Zone 5, you may want to think about including these
plants in your cocktail garden as well:
• Blue agave (Agave
tequilana). At
6 feet or taller,
this large succulent, native to Mexico, can make a handsome smaller specimen
plant in a container. It's drought-tolerant and it needs a sandy or gritty,
fast-draining potting medium, a sunny location and winter protection. This is the plant they make tequila from, but growing it does not mean you can actually make the drink, as it is sort of complicated.
• Lime and lemon trees (Citrus hybrids and varieties). These
small trees thrive in warm landscapes
(Zones 8 and higher), although
they are grown in other climates in pots on the patio and brought indoors for
the winter, as most won't tolerate a freeze. Needs a sunny location. Dwarf
citrus varieties are available, including a dwarf Meyer lemon; try Makrut lime
(C. xhystrix) leaves, which are often used in Thai cuisine.
Depending on your climate and your willingness to overwinter pots indoors, citrus trees can fit in perfectly here. Many cocktails and highballs demand a wedge of lime or a sliver of lemon peel. Over the years, citrus plants, including dwarf varieties that lend themselves to pots, have become popular and are often available in garden centers. While they take some nurturing because of their tender nature, they can become pets and even give back fruit in agreeable conditions.
Depending on your climate and your willingness to overwinter pots indoors, citrus trees can fit in perfectly here. Many cocktails and highballs demand a wedge of lime or a sliver of lemon peel. Over the years, citrus plants, including dwarf varieties that lend themselves to pots, have become popular and are often available in garden centers. While they take some nurturing because of their tender nature, they can become pets and even give back fruit in agreeable conditions.
• Hops (Humulus lupulus). A fast-growing, twining vine for a
fence line, this is a perennial hardy to Zone 3. It needs
a full-sun location and a deep, rich soil; start it from cuttings, suckers or
purchased plants. It grows very fast and
needs space to grow on a fence or trellis.
I love growing this. As a backdrop you can train it on a fence, it can cover a trellis in one season, and it had a very pretty look.
I love growing this. As a backdrop you can train it on a fence, it can cover a trellis in one season, and it had a very pretty look.
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