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In Wisconsin the temperature this morning registers 0 degrees. Looking outside I can see steady wind gusts blowing the trees, bushes, and snow around. Even though it's only February, our local stores already have large displays of annual and perennial seeds. This assures me that spring WILL be coming soon.
The seed displays got me thinking about annuals. In my perennial gardens, I always leave large empty spaces to grow my very favorite annual - Zinnia Swirls. Back in the late 90's, I bought one tiny packet of 'Assorted Zinnia Swirls' at a Madison garden center. I've been saving the seeds ever since. I keep the dried seeds over the winter, then in spring I sow them directly in the garden (no starter pots) around Memorial Day. No special care needed. They bloom reliably from July until frost. The assortment of colors is amazing -- whites, reds, purples, pinks, electric oranges and magentas with single, bi- and tri-color blooms. I don't make much of an effort to separate the seeds by color so I usually have clumps of several colors. And no two flowers look exactly alike. Love, love love my Zinnia Swirls!
The seed displays got me thinking about annuals. In my perennial gardens, I always leave large empty spaces to grow my very favorite annual - Zinnia Swirls. Back in the late 90's, I bought one tiny packet of 'Assorted Zinnia Swirls' at a Madison garden center. I've been saving the seeds ever since. I keep the dried seeds over the winter, then in spring I sow them directly in the garden (no starter pots) around Memorial Day. No special care needed. They bloom reliably from July until frost. The assortment of colors is amazing -- whites, reds, purples, pinks, electric oranges and magentas with single, bi- and tri-color blooms. I don't make much of an effort to separate the seeds by color so I usually have clumps of several colors. And no two flowers look exactly alike. Love, love love my Zinnia Swirls!
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