Garden Essentials

The other day I tweeted that I was planting lavender and, furthermore, no garden should be without lavender. I have just moved and my new house has a landscaping garden that is quite nice, was designed in order to correspond to principles of feng shui (so they say), and is indeed well laid out, functional, and pretty low maintenance. Of course, I want to get in a mess it all up and add clutter and bits and bobs. But I sold most of those in my garage sale
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I thought I might content myself with keeping things pruned and mulched and mown, but it took about 3 days before I realized I had to plant something, namely an 'Abraham Darby' rose. For that I cannot live without. Then some tomatoes and lettuce in pots. Herbs--basil, rosemary, parsley, rosemary, etc. And then I needed a sedge or three. Plus I saw a flowering jasmine that would add some scent to a large blue pot outside the front door, and a 'Fiona Sunrise' jasmine to add to the mix.

You see, it doesn't take long. So this led me to thinking, what can NO garden do without? Considering climate, space, etc. Well here's my short list

-a rose or two
-lavender
-herbs: basil, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, cilantro, thymes, sage, oregano, lovage
-tomatoes (nothing beats the taste)
-lettuce (eat it every day)
-arugula (same)
-something fragrant (jasmine, sarcococca, gardenia, lilac--whatever your climate permits)
-grasses, esp. Mexican feather grass (for stroking) and sedges
-bamboo, for the rustling sound, screening, and sculptural properties
-succulents in pots
-ART
-WATER

Okay, that's the short list; under a dozen. Next list is two dozen.

Oh geez, forgot peas. The kids can't live without them.