I'm growing Zinnias for Hospice again this year. They're perfect for me: varied, easy, prolific, and forgiving. And, good for Hospice: long vase life.
I'm growing the same types as before, but their behavior this year (when not totally drought-stricken) is wildly different. The large varieties are doing so much better that I'd think they were different plants. (They're actually from the same batch of seeds.) We watered them last year, but apparently, that doesn't compare to actual rain.
The only problem I'm having...
... besides Japanese beetles...
... is indecisive cropping.
Can't decide which looks best.
I have that problem a lot.
Gave up after one try on this Peppermint Stick variety.
18 comments:
They all look great! :D
Yes, rain beats watering every time. Great shots, all of them!
I love Zinnias!! THose are some great looking flowers!!
They ALL are BEST...and beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing them.
Thanks Annie!
RA, thanks, yeah I'm not sure how they know the difference, but they do.
Tonia, - me too, they're the only thing that grows so well for me.
Thanks Lorianne, I normally have trouble deciding which crop to post, but this time just threw them all up. Well, almost all.
Gorgeous!
I give away a lot of flower arrangements throughout the year and find it as satisfying as having them growing in the yard. It always seems to be a manna thing. I never miss the ones I have cut and more come to replace them and the joy of the receiver is another blessing all its own.
Wow, those are gorgeous shots! Every one of my grandparents was cared for by Hospice -- wonderful that you're growing flowers for it.
SNB, I bought a bunch of thrift-store vases over the past year, so that if I wanted to give away any extra flowers, I'd have plenty of vases to do so. But so far everybody keeps giving them back. :)
Thanks Meg, we've had experience with Hospice in my family too. They do good work.
Guess I am suffering from indecisive viewing.
I like them all.
that's the great thing about flowers - there's not usually a wrong way to crop them.
huh. flowers for hospice? what a fabulous idea! if only i weren't a plant serial killer...
I love the flowers-within-a-flower of the zinnia. I threw some seed down about a month ago and they are already blooming.
Thanks, Jill!
Ericka, I am too. That's why I love Zinnias so much. They resist all my neglect & efforts to kill them. :)
Beth, this year mine all came up so much faster than last year. The rain, I guess, is the reason.
These are amazing pictures, and I've got goosebumps reading about the gift you bring to those in their last moments of life. How cool! Thanks for posting the link at FB too. It was a quick click reminder to come check out your wonderful work. :)
Thanks, Lené! Someone from Hospice requested a few years back that the Master Gardeners give them any excess flowers from their gardens. I thought it would be a good excuse to actually learn how to garden, lol. Mostly, I learned that I'm not that good at growing flowers... except Zinnias. :) Which is what my mother had suggested in the first place, when I mentioned the project to her. When am I ever going to learn that my mother is smarter than me?!
Beautiful shots and I love the variety of zinnias...Mine didn't happen this summer, can't figure out what happened! gail
Indecisive clicking here, somehow I missed this post.
They are all nice and what a great thing to do for hospice.
they're all beautiful Karen- the joy these beautiful flowers will bring to those that sorely need it warms my heart :)
Love your cropping...all of them! And what amazing subjects you had to work with! Kudos to you on both counts!
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