GPOD on the Road: Pike Place Market

Cherry Ong recently visited Seattle’s Pike Place Market, which is a famous farmers market; however, she was focused not on the fresh produce for sale, but on the beautiful plantings.

This garden bed with the Corten steel edging is located by the Market Pavilion and overlooks the water. The bed is everything you would want in a summer garden—bold, spicy, and full of color and energy.

Huge castor beans (Ricinus communis, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) dominate the planting here with bold, dark leaves and showy red developing seeds.

A morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea, annual) has been trained to grow as a mound of foliage sprinkled with beautiful purple blooms that will fade in the afternoon.

Closer look at the morning glory blooms

Petunias (Petunia hybrids, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) are blooming amid sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas, Zone 10–12 or as an annual. The dark sweet potato foliage makes the petunia flowers glow.

Spotted bee balm (Monarda punctata, Zones 4–9). Most bee balms are grown for their showy flowers, but on this species, the flowers are small and almost unnoticeable compared to the large, beautiful, white-and-pink bracts that surround them.

Though not technically petals, these brachts perform the same function—attracting pollinators.

A cluster of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual) not yet in bloom still provide great beauty thanks to their bold foliage.

Brilliant gold sweet potato vine and blue sea holly (Eryngium sp.)

A big patch of marigolds (Tagetes patula, annual) brings intense color to this bed. Marigolds are among the easiest and heaviest-flowering annuals you can grow.

This incredible hanging basket includes sweet potato vines in two colors and some gorgeous petunias.

Another hanging basket,