To end the week, we’re visiting Cory in Neptune City, New Jersey, for a tour of his ever-expanding Zone 7b garden. Here’s what Cory has to say:
We bought this house 11 years ago, and the first thing I did was clear room to build my greenhouse from recycled windows. That was followed by four medium-size beds, and each year I cleared a little more of the yard for gardening.
I started with almost all veggies and quickly realized I couldn’t keep up with eating our crop. Soon I incorporated dahlias (Dahlia cvs., Zones 8–11), the gateway flower. After some lessons about overwintering tubers, I started doubling my dahlia collection almost every year and gradually added zinnias (Zinnia elegans, annual), cosmos (Cosmos cvs., annual), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, Zones 4–9), poppies (Papaver cvs., Zones 3–10), and strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum, annual) for more diversity.
Over time, I also added fruit trees throughout the yard and planted an annex garden at my sister’s house across the street. My cut flowers go to my wife’s restaurant for table arrangements, and I also make bouquets for friends, family, and anyone who asks.
All of my plants are started from seed in my basement, transferred to my greenhouse, and then planted in the garden or given away. I save seeds, participate in local seed swaps, and recently started sharing gardening videos on Instagram (@lettuce_and_figs).
I love sharing the gift of gardening. It gives me a break from the outside world, and I love showing people that it’s never too late to plant something. Even if you grow one tomato plant or a sunflower, you’re creating life and growing something cool, and then you can add from there.
Cosmos catching the morning light in the garden.
A freshly picked bouquet of dahlias and zinnias from the garden.
A dahlia harvest ready to be turned into bouquets and arrangements.
Dinner in the garden, with bouquets of freshly cut flowers lining the table.
A freshly cut bunch of ‘Labyrinth’ dahlias (Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’, Zones 8–11).
‘Miss Amara’ dahlia (Dahlia ‘Miss Amara’, Zones 8–11) showing off its large, ruffled pink blooms.
My dahlia patch in full bloom. After learning a few lessons about overwintering tubers, I’ve doubled my collection almost every year.
A colorful tomato harvest from the vegetable side of my garden. I started out growing almost all veggies before cut flowers began taking up more and more space.
Our ducks enjoying the garden alongside a bucket of mixed flowers from that day’s harvest.
A mixed bouquet of dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, and fennel, all freshly cut from my garden.
Thank you, Cory, for sharing your garden with us! Between the flowers, the garden dinners, and those ducks, I’d happily RSVP to the next gathering. You’ve created such a fun and generous space for growing, sharing, and bringing people together.
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