On Friday, May 29, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Hattie’s Garden will hold a plant sale. We will have available an outstanding selection of plants for the home gardener. You can see all these selections on the plant section of our website.

Please feel welcome to e-mail Hattie if you need another time that is more convenient.

While we do bring plants (and produce) to the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., because of space limitations, your best selection will always be found at the garden sale. And of course, Hattie will be there to answer any of your gardening questions.

Flowers

Flowers from Hattie’s Garden are not normally in bloom like the flowers you would find at a box store. This is because we do not treat our plants with Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) or other chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. These toxins are applied, in part, to keep plants from becoming leggy and to bring them to bloom as quickly as possible. What you see at these stores are flowers that should have come after the plant is established in your garden. Rest assured while our flower plants may or may not show the beginning of blooms, they will be green, healthy and ready to take off and perform magnificently in your gardens.

Zinnias

Zinnias are undemanding annuals that simply need full sun, warmth, and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Space taller varieties about 12 to 18 inches apart. Space shorter growing varieties about 6 to 8 inches apart.

This week we have a new batch of Benary Giants in Bright Pink, Scarlet, Purple, Salmon Rose, Golden Yellow, Coral, Wine, and Lilac colors, as well as;

• Pumila Mix (Cut and Come Again) – The most popular cutting zinnia ever! Like its modern namesake, Cut and Come Again, it produces fully double 2″ blooms.
• Oklahoma – Bright colors, excellent vase life, and low susceptibility to powdery mildew. Colors come in Carmine, Yellow, Ivory, Pink, Salmon, Scarlet and White.
• State Fair Mix – This one is a sure winner. Disease resistant with terrific sun and heat tolerance. Colors include red, magenta, purple, orange, lavender and pink.

Marigolds

We have a new batch of Marigolds ready, from tall to short. Complete descriptions can be found in our Marigold section of our website.

All Other Flowers

Other flowers available are Gomphrena in Purple or Mixed Colors and Tall Blue Ageratum.

Peppers

Yes, we have lots of very healthy pepper plants, including six types of Bell peppers in all the colors of the rainbow.

Bell Peppers

Most bell peppers turn red on ripening, but there are also yellow, orange, and even lavender-colored cultivars. As the fruit ripens, it loses some of the sharpness of green peppers and becomes sweeter and more nutritious.

• Ace – an outstanding, very early bell pepper that produces heavy yields of medium-sized bell peppers.
• Revolution – a medium sized plant that produces several giant peppers that are about as perfect as a bell pepper can get.



• Purple Beauty – This stunning bell pepper is ready to eat when the fruits turn deep purple with a green undertone. Produces loads of beautiful bells on compact, bushy plants.
• Flavorburst – produces a bountiful harvest of crisp, juicy golden peppers all summer long.
• Carolina Wonder – The best nematode-resistant bell for home gardeners. Peppers turn from green to bright red when mature, but sweet at any stage. Excellent for salads, stuffing, and cooking.
• Islander – This gorgeous pepper has a mild, slightly sweet taste. While most bell peppers start growing as a green pepper, maturing to either a red, orange, or yellow pepper, Islander grows as a purple/lilac colored pepper, then ripens through a showy stage of violet, yellow and orange streaks, eventually maturing into a rich, very dark red.

Other Sweet Peppers

• Carmen – Try our widely adaptable, Italian sweet Carmen Pepper that your whole family will love. Stuff them, saute them, or chop and eat them fresh from the plant — this is certain to become your new favorite! Carmen matures early from green to red, and is extremely productive in a wide temperature range.
• Lipstick – A delicious pepper with 4-inch long tapered, pimiento type fruit are super sweet. This fine pepper is early and ripens well in our area. Definitely a flavorful favorite.

Hot Peppers

All of our hot peppers are now available, including Habenero for those who want to turn up the heat.

Herbs

Herbs as a group are relatively easy to grow and can be very rewarding. They are well suited for planting in the ground, or maintaining in containers close to the kitchen, on the patio, on the back-porch steps, or even on the kitchen windowsill. Remember though, sun is essential for their growth and maintenance. Most of our culinary herbs come from the Mediterranean and other sun-drenched regions, so they will need a place where the sun shines at least eight hours a day.

Basil

Yes, Basil, Basil, Basil. Finally for all you basil seekers, the weather is ready for you! We will have PLENTY of basil!

Basil is a very warm weather herb and putting it out early just isn’t the thing to do! Of course you can buy it in other nurseries and big box stores, but Hattie’s Garden is a little old-fashioned and likes to provide you with plants when chances for your success are the greatest!

Try Eritrean Basil — beautiful purple-tinged leaves and stunning in flower, attractive and spicy clove-like flavor stands up to cooking.

Also try Thai Holy Basil — an aromatic Indian basil widely used in southeast Asia. Spicy, anise-flavor is crisp and pungent. This is also a basil that stands up to cooking well.

We also have Red Rubin Basil, Sweet Dani Lemon Basil and standard Genovese-types including sweet Large Leaf Italian and Dolly Basil.

Sage

Our Tri-colored Clary Sage is also ready! This sage, also known as Painted Sage, is beautiful, aromatic, and attractive to birds, bees and butterflies.

Culantro

We are pleased to offer Culantro, aka Mexican Coriander. This easy-to-grow herb, with extensive culinary uses in Caribbean, Latin American, and Asian cuisine, has a strong, aromatic scent that fills the air when you brush up against it.

If you love cilantro, but can’t grow it in the summer, then this one may be for you. It is used extensively in warmer regions such as Mexico in place of cilantro.

Bear in mind that culantro is not an alternate spelling of cilantro. They are two different plants. Culantro, also known as recao in the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, is pungent in flavor and its leaves are serrated and elongated. Its cousin herb cilantro, has scalloped leaves and its flavor is grassy and earthy. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro, times ten, that many consider to be superior. For that reason, culantro is very much added during the cooking process, whereas cilantro is most often used as a finishing aromatic herb and garnish that require no cooking.

Herb Planters

Herb Planters for your kitchen will be available. These will include five commonly used herbs: Thyme, Basil, Parsley, Oregano, and beautiful tri-colored Sage.

Produce

Don’t forget to pickup your salad ingredients while you are at the plant sale. We will have fresh lettuce heads of various varieties, including romaine, butterhead and loose leaf lettuce. We will also have triple-washed and bagged arugula, mesclun and loose leaf lettuce.

See you this Friday at the Garden from 3 to 6!

Yours in the greenhouse,