The Great Heat of 2013 has come and gone, and there is joy and gladness throughout the land — and when I say land, I mean my garden. In fact, I think I can actually hear a collective sigh of relief coming from the plants (and maybe some of you) as more reasonable, seasonable summer temps return.
And when I look around the garden, it’s clear that some plants are still sporting nasty sunburns. Some of the hydrangea heads, for example, are tipped with brown.
But it’s the zinnias that garner all of my praise. I planted various kinds of zinnias this year — more than usual — because I knew that I would be unable to start my usual annuals from seed in the potting shed. I needed an easy seed — one that could be directly sown — and zinnias were the obvious choice.
And I’m so glad I did. As the temperatures rose, they stood tall and proud, empty of fear and full of color. I like to think they were the cheerleaders of the garden, encouraging the other plants to hold on. I’ll let their photos do the talking.
Which plants in your garden would you cheer for?
Nitty Gritty Dirt Man 
Love the white one with purple dusting. I’ve always loved Zinnias and always had a bed dedicated to only them. They make me think of Mexico with the vibrant colors. But then I had some perennials that needed somewhere to go and this bed was taken over. This was the first year I replanted them. They are against a mahogany colored building and they really stand out. And up in this heat. Love them in arrangements. .
That one surprised me, because when it first opened white. Then in a few days, the purple markings appeared, like faint thumb prints on each petal. Glad to hear you’ve rediscovered zinnias — enjoy them!
WOW!!!!
Hey Alesia. Thanks — and they handled the heat beautifully (better than I did). 🙂
I love my lavender azaleas, and orange lilies, it’s sad that they’re both only here for a few weeks a year. My favorite consistent blooms are my pink knock outs. I wish I could grow hibiscus in my yard, but I don’t think they would survive here in Tennessee. I miss the red and orange varieties I grew in my yard in Hawai’i.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures, they are all simply stunning!
Hi Charity. I’m so glad you stopped by. You must have had incredible flowers while you were in Hawaii — but I’m glad to hear you’ve found some color for your Tennessee landscape. Thanks for commenting.
Here’s our million dollar idea: Sunscreen for plants. SPF according to shade levels. 🙂
Hope you’re staying cool. The Zinnias are so vibrant.
MARIO!! Great idea — maybe it could be a mister or an attachment that attaches to a hose or a sprinkler. You might be on to something! 🙂 Hope you’re wearing your sunscreen. Take care!
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Wow, Kevin!! Those are such glorious, celebratory blooms!! Glad you enjoyed them this growing season. I’m celebrating BLUE–stokesia/Stoke’s aster blooms this year. My winter sown blooms have finally achieved their potential and are showing off along with both blue & white balloon flowers. Gardening doesn’t get much better than this if you ask me.
Hi Eileen. Your garden and it’s colors sound lovely. One of the pleasures of gardening is planting a seed and the anticipation of its bloom. Enjoy every moment!
These are just beautiful! I have a few zinnias, but nothing like this variety! Gorgeous! I am really glad to hear your heatwave is behind you. I have also found zinnias to be so resilient and relatively easy to grow. And they make a wonderful splash of color. I also really love Rudbeckia, but I didn’t plant any of those Black-eyed Susans, either. I need to take note of that and do better next time. Enjoy!
Hi Debra. The heat wave is now bit a memory. Now, we’re socked in with clouds, rain, and cool temperatures. It feels like late September — and that’s just not right for July. I do hope you take a chance on zinnias in the future — easy, drought tolerant, and lots of variety.
Hi Kevin
I admire the fact that these gorgeous flowers were grown from seed! I am not diligent enough to take care of seed-grown plants and therefore they are not successful. I will delight in yours instead.
The Die-Hard in my garden? Daylilies! Many shades, many colours, dependable year after year.
Enjoy the lack of humidity (although I think it may be back several times this summer)
Hi Astrid. Daylilies are a relatively new favorite of mine. Colors are great and the blooms are big. But I do hope you give zinnias a chance — super easy to grow from seed. They like full sun and like to be clipped. 🙂
Zinnia flowers also dry very well in dessicant, keeping their color.
Hi Mary. Thanks for the tip! I may give that a try.
Zinnias are one of my favorite summer flowers. I have a bunch this summer but have already made plans to grow more next summer. I love how colorful and easy they are. Yours look great!
I’m with you. I’m thinking more zinnias, as well. There are so many varieties, from small to tall.
Beautiful! I think I need to think about growing Zinnias next year. Gorgeous colours!
Hi Bridget. I hope you give zinnias a chance — they love heat and sun, and there are so many varieties. I’m sure you’ll do wonders with them. Happy gardening!
Viva la glorious colors of Mother Nature!
Beautifully said.