That is wonderful. You mention the width but how long is it? You are giving me ideas for next year Lily.

Sorry about the sunflowers. I seldom have luck, the slugs eat the stalks before they even reach 3". :( I do want to try those again next year too.

How incredible! I remember the bed from last year, it looks even better now. Excellent work, I bet your neighbors love that pretty view! Absolute heaven.

Martha , next year I will try to spray the sunflowers ! I didn't have a chance , one day my sunflowers were 2/3 ft tall , and the next morning they looked like they were run over with a mower ! They waited til they had buds and ate those and the leaves and left the stalks . I've seen the verbena you speak of , if I can get seeds for it it think it would mix well with the zinnias ! :)

Schoolhouse , thank you ! I don't know how long the front of our property runs but it's from the mailbox at our driveway to the corner property line . My guess is 120 feet ? I'm a bad judge of that though ! :)

thank you ninkasi !! I hope my neighbors enjoy it . the mailman complimented me on it and that made my day !

Very beautiful. Verbena boniarensis would be a great addition to your bed.

Wow, wow, wow! What a show-stopper and so simple! It doesn't get much better than that!

I planted zinnias that were to reach 2', right now they are only about 10" high and have buds, two are blooming. The colors on the packets read "coral" and the other "a creamy white". Well, I got a more red than coral and a more yellow than cream.

This is so pretty! Just the happiest, most summery spot.

What type of zinnia seed did you plant? You have such a wonderful variety of colors, and nice, large blossoms.

Martha

Thank you everyone again !!

School house what a bummer about your zinnias. Shame on the company for enhancing the colors !

Martha it is a bulk mix of California zinnias from grow organic. Com . I'm very pleased with them !!

I am growing Verbena boniarensis, so will try to save seed for you. I'm planning to save for myself, anyway, so not a bother. Are you planning to deadhead the zinnia bed, so would you be able to save zinnia seeds? I'd even take blossoms just starting to dry, and I could separate out the seeds myself. So, if/when you dead head, throw the heads in a paper bag, but only if you want to. Just letting them fall on the ground is far more relaxing, and I wouldn't blame you for one second. I can still save some VB for you.

Martha

Very Inspiring and beautifully done. The colors are so vibrant and happy. Your zinnia and sunflower border makes for the perfect summer bouquets to bring indoors. Love your photos. Thanks for sharing. Your post really brightened my day!!

Martha , what a great idea! I didn't know how to know when the seeds are ready to be saved . So is it when they start to dry up or much longer than that? I would be so happy to exchange seeds !! :)

thanks lore !! I'm so glad you enjoyed my photos . It sure makes me smile coming home to it !!

WOW! You have created a haven for butterflies and all nature. LOVE !

Lilyfinch, when the petals start to dry and turn brown, then you can cut the blossoms off into a paper bag. The seeds still need to be allowed as much air flow as possible to dry completely. Some people cut the stalks and tie a bunch of them together to hang upside down in a barn or shed to dry out and then harvest the seed. If the humidity and warmth are just right, the seeds will germinate right on the flowers. If you spread the flowers out in the sun for a day and then put them in a paper bag and mail them, they should be fine.

I'm so excited. It's always fun to develop friends here on GW. My Verbena are growing very well. They self sowed, so each plant is at it's own stage of development. But, they drop seeds for a very long time and I have many of them growing. I will message you my address, or you can message me.

Martha

I really love your zinnias. I am hoping to start a patch here in Florida this fall. Did you start yours in pots and move them outside or direct sew..... Also what variety of Zinnias are these? Thank you... the picture is an inspiration to what I am hoping for.....

A row of dark purple castor bean plants would look nice and IME are not eaten by deer and rabbits. Cannas. Tall amaranth although those tend to self seed a lot.

Sharon, I had a landscapers till up the area with a farm tiller. Then after a good rain , I sprinkled the seeds by hand . I over did it bc I thought maybe birds would eat some but I never noticed any birds there. It was a week with a couple days of rain in the forcast . If you were up close you would see I way over seeded ! But they are still doing great. It was a California mix from grow organic .com . The sunflower came from American meadows .

Mnwsgal - I love the canna idea ! They are great hummer magnets . I might try to get some in bulk in the spring .

Heres what the sunflowers look like now . I'm very pleased with them ! Henry Wilde type . I love all the branching . Though the rain really beats them down !

Martha - would you please email me ? I can't find how to message you . My email is Jenna7473@yahoo.com thanks !

I often see cana rhizomes at plant swaps.

Love your zinnia's. One of my favorite flowers.

Love your zinnias..

Love the zinnias. Would totally fill my freezer with deer meat.

The leaves look very healthy. Did you apply anything like baking soda? I always have problems with zinnia leaves. I will try again next year. It looks too nice not to.

Hi cookie ! I did not apply anything , they definitely started to look a little ratty and spotty . Is it mildew? I'm not sure . But I really enjoyed all the blooms and the butterflies ! It always looked so amazing from the street . I was sad when they had to be cut down. Next year I will be doing 2 rows , and mixing zinnias and cosmos and trying sunflowers again . I already can't wait !!

Thanks. I will try again. I did find that baking soda and water solution really helped with my heliopsis so I will do the same with the zinnias. Fingers crossed. Yours look great though.

Wonderful photos! I remember this garden from last year as well; agree that V. bonariensis would be a perfect companion.

Zinnias are hands down my favorite flower! I always plant fruit smoothie mix -wonderful shades of pink and purple- did u just cast seed down or cover with soil after? Very beautiful and ur granddaughter too!

Lovegardening - thank you so much !! I just cast the seed down myself after a rain .. I try to do it when there's a couple days of rain planned . No covering . I do kinda walk over it all just while I'm doing the casting . Also that's my daughter ! Haha I'm only 33 . :) based on your screen name I wonder if you are too !

I'm so sorry! Ha yes we r a rare breed! Not too many of out generation enjoy gardening. I have had a love affair with flowers and vegetables my whole life-and yes I am 32 and my daughter is 2.5 (this is an older pic I don't have any recent ones on my iPad) I always plant a ton of skinnies in rows and painstakingly cover them- takes forever

She's so beautiful!! Yes we are rare .. but I think it means I should know what I'm doing when I'm older and have more time to do it ! Haha probably not.

I think since I plant so many I don't notice if some get washed away or pecked at . I usually buy I think it's a one pound sack from American meadows or grow organic . Com . So I'm sure I lose some !

I've lost sunflowers to deer also. Here's something I've never tried. If you lay down chicken wire alongside the beds, the deer don't like to step on it because I guess they think it's going to trap their feet. Just a thought.

Just wondering if you are still growing zinnias?

Hi Sharon if you see this ! We moved to California:( so I am not right now but will try next spring ! :)

Lilyfinch I saw over on the rose forum that you moved.... I hope you have a nice spot to plant them next spring.... after all you were my inspiration for planting mine here in Florida.... though mine go in the ground in the fall

I also love all the butterflies and their finesse. I only see the power of the law of attraction