Easy choice for me.

Cosmos diablo and cosmos sunset.

Those are plants that have been growing in my family for more than 70 years, starting with my grandparents and their farm.

My original seeds came from the last plants on the farm before it was sold in the early 70's and I'm now the only one left in my family that bothers to keep the seeds growing every year.

I grow at least 15 plants of each, save all the seeds I can possibly get and offer plenty of extras for trades and BEAP offers.

Everything else in my garden beds is "expendable" under the conditions you described, but not the cosmos diablo and cosmos sunset.

The last thing I would want to have to go is drive an hour away to the cemetery to collect seeds every day from the plants that are growing on my grandparents and my mother's graves. They reseed there every year and have been on my grandparents graves for over 30 years.

Fran

Ohhh good question. Hope I never have to make that call. But, I'd take my Blanket Flower, all I could grab. I've WSed it every yr. and it never fails, blooms all summer even in this heat we had all summer. It's very drought tolarent, and comes in lots of different colors. Love this one.

My cherry profusion zinnia's. Love them and they come true from seed and I'd be in trouble if I had to BUY all the seed I start of this plant. So when the hurricane really was coming, I checked them out for seed. But all the blooms were fresh looking, nothing going to seed yet (I planted them late this year) and the sturdy flowers hung on just fine through the high winds and rain we got instead of a real hurricane hit.

Gee, it was such a lousy gardening year! New introductions to my garden this year? I'd probably grab seeds from the white osteospermums. They really did not do much this year - just a few blooms, but very pretty. Any plant that can strive to grow, even with those blasted pigeons using it as a bed, deserves my respect and a place in my 2011 garden.

PV

Interesting question. It would have to be my Hello Yellow Blackberry Lily seeds. I just have one plant and I want more. Plus, I promised some seeds to Token.

That would knock out any new perennials that aren't first year bloomers - like PV, my gardening year wasn't so great, so I guess it would be my gaura (which was/is a first year bloomer, LOL), which did the best of anything this year.

However, if I were to go back to my seaside garden - where I was much more likely to get hurricane activity anyway - and could choose from established plants, it would be my Dad's memorial Bluebird rose of sharon (I have a small start of it here, and I will overwinter it and plant it in the ground next year, when it is a bit bigger).

P.S. Glad ol' Earl was more bark than bite, Tiffy.

I got a lot of surprise first year blooms from my WS plants so it would be a tough call but I'm with drippy now that I found seedpods on my WS gaura. It has been a tough plant in this awful drought and I love its graceful habit. Fortuitously I planted it beside Russian sage and the two look fantastic together.

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Red alert! Seedpod stage right!
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No doubt that Guaras are pretty!! I had one a few years back but it bit the bullet in the winter.

Funny you should post first with Cosmos Fran. I forgot to mention my choice - and the one I actually did run out for before the whirlwinds hit - which was a Cosmos as well!! It came in a trade from a winter sowing friend in the USA.

Cosmos Rubenza. Beautiful sharp color. Can't remember who I got it from... Karen? Vera? It is truly beautiful!!

Datura.

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Tiffy, you got the cosmos rubenza seeds from me..... I didn't even grow them myself, maybe next year!

simple, simple plant would be my choice but I grew it this year and loved it! Pink Candles!

Lisa

Well, Lisa, you deserve a big Thank-you!! They are still flowering and like I said, are some of the brightest buttons in the gardens!! :O)