ANNUAL FLOWER SEEDS
Annual Flower Seeds produce blooms in a huge assortment of colors and shapes. It’s like a trip to the Candy Store, without the calories. Many times, I have seen people select flower seeds from the supermarket display just by choosing the prettiest picture on the packet. They snap them up so fast, you just know it didn’t occur to them to read the label first. Not that I blame them, for some pretty pictures are just too much to resist.
I have a stash of unopened flower seed packets from years gone by that I didn’t bother to plant. After getting home and reality sets in, I knew I either didn’t have the right spot to plant them, or they were way too difficult to germinate. They ended up in a plastic bag until they were too old to use anyway, so don’t feel bad if this has already happened to you.
ZINNIAS
There are some flowers that I stick by year after year because they are so reliable. Zinnias are my weakness. They come in more colors than most other flowers do, and you can tuck them in here and there among the perennials in your flower bed. I learned the hard way that it is best to plant them “en masse” so they can help hold each other up, otherwise they tend to flop over. Deer use my yard like a freeway and will happily munch their way through my flower border. Nevertheless, they always avoid the zinnias due to their bitter taste.
COSMOS
Cosmos come in single or double flowered varieties. The feathery foliage is attractive, and makes an excellent filler in bouquets. The usual colors are pink, rose, white, yellow, and orange. I plan to try growing a few in the asparagus bed. When the asparagus stops producing for the year, they send up tall, ferny leaves that wind up looking tattered by the end of the Summer. I’m hoping the cosmos blossoms will soften the look of it.
COREOPSIS
I grow coreopsis, if for no other reason, than that they come in sunshiny colors. For those of us who don’t always have room to plant yellow sunflowers, this is a happy substitute. When the rest of my flower border is starting to look tired, they are still going strong. They are pretty easy to germinate, and are best started in the house in late Winter.
They always say to never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. You also should never buy garden seeds until you do a little research first. Some flowers are really best when bought from a greenhouse.
HAPPY PLANTING! Susan
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