The Farmer's Basket

Sara’s top 10 plant picks for late summer.

I really try to pay attention to the flowering plants I select for my garden- they must be easy-care, happy-hue, and reliable. I try to use never disappointing plants that require little deadheading and produce loads of blooms over a long period. Try a few of my favorite annual and perennial plants to keep the color coming on strong through the end of the growing season.

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Properly deadhead this native perennial and enjoy pyrotechnic blooms all summer. The fireworks-like flowers draw the eye through the garden and lure butterflies and hummingbirds.

Pink-and-white celosia

A sun-loving old-fashioned annual that produces a profusion of 4 to 5 inch feathery plumes from summer into fall. You can start seeds indoors five weeks before last frost to make your season even longer.

Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)

A robust, rapidly growing, sun-loving perennial that produces blue, pink or violet bloods on erect gray-green stems from midsummer to fall. Zones 3-8, size 12-15 inches tall and 12 inches wide.

Allium

Deer resistant summer blooming bulbs with showy purple globelike blossoms. Look fro late-blooming varieties.

Cleome

Stately plants with eye-catching, loose ball-shaped clusters of flowers that bloom form summer to fall. Annual. Size 3-4 feet tall and 8-15 inches wide. The flowers attract hummingbirds.

Lace-cap hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla normalis)

Perennial, sun-to-part shade loving shrubs yields flat-top flower clusters in white, pink, or blue through summer. Zones 6-9, Size 5 feet height and wide.

Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis Moonbeam)

A clump-forming perennial that produces airy stems of yellow daisy like blooms spring through summer. With a moderate growth rate, it makes a sunny border.

Cupid’s Dart (Catananche)

Large dark-center blue, violet, or white blooms rise on sturdy stems with heart-shaped leaves. A hardy perennial, these plants bloom form summer into fall in sunny sites with well drained soil. Zones 4-9. Size 18-24 inches tall.

Rose Mallow (Lavatera Trimestris)

A quick growing, shrub like annual that produces exotic summer blossoms in pink, white or rose and will reseed in the right conditions. Prefers sun to part sun in average soil. Size 3-5 feet high and 2-3 feet wide.

Cut and come Again Zinnia

The more flowers I cut for bouquets, the more blooms these sun-loving plants produce in summer and fall. Annual. Size 24-30 Inches tall and 12-18 inches wide.

Recipe of the Month

The winning, flavorful combination of rosemary and sage imbues a subtle taste to these unique pickles. Also works great with green or yellow zucchini.

Heirloom Tomatoes

It is possible that there is nothing tastier than a home grown tomato picked right off of the vine. There is a world of difference between your own tomatoes and the tasteless things you find in the grocery store. Tomatoes are probably the most popular and rewarding crop and the many heirloom varieties available make it the most fun and interesting too.

Heirloom varieties are those varieties of a vegetable that have been openly pollinated and are at least fifty years old. These varieties come from a time before commercial farms and grocery stores; when fruits and vegetables were grown for flavor, not shelf life.

The tomatoes found in your local supermarket are bred for disease resistance, ideal ripening, shelf life, travel-ability and consistency. You might notice that flavor is not on this list. Growing your own heirloom variety tomatoes might mean that your tomatoes are not as picture perfect as the ones in the store, or as hardy, but they will definitely be tasty, delightful and beautiful in their originality.

Known as Heritage or Heirloom, there are over 500 varieties of tomatoes to choose from. Many are named after the person who first grew them hundreds of years ago. They come in all different shapes and colors, green, purple, yellow, orange, and white; some are as small as peas and some are as big as melons. Following is a list of a few strange and delicious varieties, as well as some growing tips and a quick description.

Amish Paste Tomatoes

These heart shaped red tomatoes mature in 85 days. They have a mild flavor and grow well in poor conditions. They are good for sauces.

Aranyalma Tomato

Aranyalma is the Hungarian word for “Golden Apple”. These tomatoes are from Germany. These are yellow cherry tomatoes with a high yield and good disease resistance.

German Green Tomato

Also from Germany, these large bright green tomatoes can weigh more than a pound! They are sweet, juicy and beautiful. The German Green performs well in very hot climates.

Black Cherry Tomatoes

These cherry tomatoes are a deep purple and grow in clusters. They are a beautiful addition to salads and taste much like the bigger purple tomatoes.

Black Krim

A large red and brown tomato with bright green seeds! It has a salty and spicy flavor. Though they tend to crack, they are always delicious. These tomatoes come from the Island of Krim, in the Black Sea near Russia.

Black Russian Tomatoes

These medium sized round black heirloom varieties also come from Russia. This is a highly disease resistant variety. The plants are prolific early producers.

Brandywine Classic Pink

These tomatoes date back to 1885 and were originally grown by the Amish. These medium-sized pink tomatoes are said to taste like Brandywine.

Cherokee Purple

This variety is over 100 years old and was originally grown by the Cherokee Indians. The fruits are large and purple with pink and green spots. Has a sweet and smoky taste and performs well in high heat areas.

Glacier Tomato

These golf ball sized red tomatoes fruit in cold weather and early in the season. The plants start flowering at only four inches tall! This is a good plant for cold locations, especially coastal redwoods, but also does great in cold weather.

Green Zebra Tomatoes

These small green tomatoes begin as dark green with yellow stripes and mature to being dark green with light green stripes. They have a sweet and tart flavor and are a favorite amongst heirloom growers.

Ida Gold

These small, golden tomatoes have a high yield and do well in poor conditions. The vines are compact and good for small gardens. Manalucie a breeder named J.M. Walter developed this rare variety in the 1950s. This was a big achievement at the time as the tomatoes are highly disease resistant and tasty. They produce medium sized red tomatoes and are a heritage variety that are excellent for southern climates. They are resistant to Blossom End Rot, Gray Leaf Mold, Early Blight and Fusarium Wilt.

Nebraska Wedding Tomato

Hailing from Nebraska, these big orange tomatoes are sweet and lovely to look at.

Orange Banana Tomato

These long, orange banana shaped tomatoes have a sweet taste with a citrus undertone; they are great for making tomato pastes and eating fresh. This is an heirloom (heritage) species you will want if you love cooking from the garden.

Pineapple Tomato

These tomatoes weigh in at almost two pounds! They are beautifully streaked with red and yellow stripes and have a distinct flavor. Very high yields. As you can well see, there are far more varieties of tomato available than the ones we are all used to. You can decorate your garden with a whole bouquet of beautiful, rare and delicious tomatoes from around the world. Preserving these special tomato varieties has been a priority of small farmers around the country, and we have them to thank for preserving the tomato, as we know it.