The lot between my neighbor’s house and mine, which used to be a kind of community garden for three families, has been sold and will have a house built on it. My backyard is too shady for most vegetables, and my sunny front yard has always been planted with flowers after the spring bulbs die back.

I have to think about how to fit in some vegetables this year. What varieties of vegetables would be attractive enough to mix with annual flowers, or maybe even replace them?

Down-to-Earth Esthete on Emerson Street

Dear Down-to-Earth Esthete,

The first esthetic edible that springs to my mind is the carrot, with its ferny foliage and lacy flowers, followed by visions of leaf-lettuce rosettes; velvety emerald okra; purple-podded bush beans; capsicum plants bejeweled with scarlet peppers; glowing cherry tomatoes on tidy plants; frilly parsley; and ethereal dill, basil, and sage in a spectrum of violaceous shades, silvery whites, and many subtleties of green.

I also think of elegantly urn-shaped endives; smoky blue kale; curly-leaved mustard greens; pink-flowered chives; rainbow chard; and red-foliaged beets.

Garden writer Ken Kraft once said, “Every vegetable is a beauty in its own right when viewed without prejudice.”

Fortunately for you, the Hyattsville Horticultural Society (HHS) is having its 14th annual seed sale on Saturday, Feb. 7, with many beautiful varieties of vegetables and flowers, including those I’ve mentioned and more.

Among the squash offerings, Dr. Greengenes especially recommends the climbing cucuzzi caravazzi and the tromboncino, with its large golden-yellow flowers followed by trombone-shaped light-green fruit. Either would look striking on a wrought iron obelisk.

She adds that okra, although not a climber, grows 4 to 6 feet tall and is tall enough to provide another impressive structural element. Its hibiscus-like flowers, with their arresting crimson centers, are especially eye-catching.

Trailing squash, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes grown in large ornamental pots would form lovely cascades surrounding a Listada de Gandia purple-and-white striped eggplant, or one of the many tomatoes being offered. These range from small-fruited Sugar Cherry, Black Plum, Persimmon, Amy’s Apricot, Yellow Pear, and Matt’s Wild Cherry, to medium-sized Long Keeper and Early Choice, to large-fruited favorites such as Abraham Lincoln and Mortgage Lifter. An attractive trellis can be placed in the pot to support the more luxuriant growers.

Corn stalks, including the gorgeous Glass Gem corn recommended by Herb Hill, easily support Scarlet Runner, Royal Burgundy, or Kentucky Wonder beans. From the colorful bush beans available, Dr. Greengenes favors Tongue of Fire and Purple Royalty.

Thanks to traditional companion planting, flowers and vegetables have enjoyed mutual benefits for some time. Beans can be grown up thick-stemmed sunflower varieties, which can take the place of traditional corn stalks. Marigolds, zinnias, nasturtiums, lavender, petunias, and other flowering plants are often grown with vegetables to repel nematodes and harmful insects.

Wendy Wildflower suggests including such beautiful herbs as blue-flowered borage and purple sage.

For convenience, you might consider flower mixtures to attract beneficial insects, such as Bee My Friend, Bird Lover’s Mix, Beneficial Bug Mix, and Please Don’t Flutter By to attract butterflies. Seeds for several varieties of basil, sage, and other helpful herbs will also be available.

The HHS seed sale will be held in the ground-floor multipurpose room of the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street. Doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition to viewing the many varieties of seeds offered by Southern Exposure and Hart Seed Companies, visitors can enjoy baked goods, hot drinks, and soups. There will once again be a valentine-making table where children can make cards for family and friends. Limited free parking is available in the adjoining lot or in pay lots across the street, and the door leading to the lot will be open for easy access.

After years of observing local microclimate conditions, the HHS seed committee selects varieties most likely to thrive. Carrots chosen for clay soil include Danvers 126 and Chantenay Red Core.

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Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.