Swizzle Scarlet and Yellow Zinnia Flower

 Zinnia flowers are grown in my garden annually and I always grow them from seed.  The only exception was this year when I bought the Swizzle Scarlet and Yellow Zinnia flowers.

I was drawn to the brilliant large bi-color flower and bought six of the dwarf-size zinnia plants at Lowe’s garden center.   The flower is striking and would add good contrast to my full sunflower garden. I also thought the dwarf size would be good for containers or grown along the border of a garden path.

Plant in a location where the zinnias will get six hours of full sun. The soil should be well-drained as the roots will rot if they are wet. This pant will bloom continuously from spring to fall and is hardy to 40 F.

Water daily for the first 30 days or until the plant is mature (10 to 12 inches in height and the same for width) then water as needed.

My summers are extremely hot so I did apply mulch to help retain moisture and to prevent weed growth in the garden. 

Here are some photographs of the Swizzle Scarlet and Yellow Zinnia Flower.

Walkers Low Catmint

A few years ago I bought walkers low catmint online at Greenwood Nursery. They shipped me very healthy potted plants, that had green leaves and pretty flowers. These plants were added to my garden and they bloomed throughout the summer season.

Photographs of the catnip plants I bought from Greenwood Nursery.  This is how they looked on the day I received them.  I definitely recommend this online nursery for your garden needs.

By the second season, these six plants put out runners and filled in a space of 4 x 4, forming a thick mat of green foliage and pretty lavender-blue flowers. The flowers bloomed continually in May and June, then I deadheaded the plants, fed them with miracle grow bloom booster and the catmint bloomed again.

What I like about this plant is that it is maintenance-free and pest resistant and it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to my yard. 

I would recommend that you plant in full sun, although it will tolerate some shade in the afternoon. My summers get very hot and where I have planted the catmint there is part shade at the peak of the day followed by the late afternoon sun. On average the plants get 6 hours of sun daily. My garden soil is well-drained and I water this catmint in the morning with a slow drip soaking hose for one hour. By afternoon the soil is dry and I have found that the catmint can hold up and is tolerant of dry soil conditions.

Learn more about this beautiful perennial for your garden here

Planted an Herb Garden Today

Here in USDA growing zone 6 the threat of spring frost has past and now it is safe to garden. So I took advantage of the warm and sunny day and planted an herb garden.

Last week when  I did my garden checklist I noted that the harsh winter and killed many of my herbs and that I needed to replace many.  I was fortunate to have a friend with a nursery in town as she provided me with a discount.  Lucky me I was able to buy 11 herbs in three-inch pots for $3.00 each.


I found some new herbs for my garden and this year I will be growing
Mojito mint, I grow many varieties of mint and think it is a delicious plant for aromatics and for culinary uses.  In fact last year I made an invigorating soap from peppermint leaves.  So I am excited to be growing the new Motito mint.  

Another new herb this year is Kew Red Lavender for growing in full sun.  This aromatic herb looks exciting as it is covered with vibrant pink flowers with gray-green spikes.  I like that the lavender is drought-tolerant because my summers do get dreadfully hot. I am thinking that this lavender herb would make a nice bath soap and also a wonderful potpourri.

I am so happy that winter is finally over and that gardening season has begun.

Growing Coreopsis for Sun Gardens

A few years ago when I was hiking in the woods by my home I came across the yellow flowers of the coreopsis.  I noted that butterflies were in the area and decided to dig up one of the plants for my yard.  I grew the coreopsis amongst black-eyed Susan’s, ornamental grasses, spiderwort and liatris.  I liked the mix of plants as they were very eye appealing.

I planted the coreopsis by digging a hole that was deep enough to cover the roots.  The soil was amended with compost and I firmed the soil around the plant stem before watering it.  I kept the soil evenly moist and the plant grew quickly and produced many flowers.

Coreopsis flowers and peppermint

When the first batch of flowers were spent I removed them and sowed the seeds back into the garden. The seedlings grew in and soon I had a 9x18 area of prairie flowers.  These flowers will continue to bloom throughout summer provided they have 1 inch of water per week.  The roots are shallow and tend to dry out quickly.  

It is better to hydrate coreopsis once a week with a deep root watering than to water during the week.  If you live in a climate that has mild summers then no need to water.  You can watch your plant and water as needed. My summers are brutal with temperatures well into the 100's F.  I will water my coreopsis twice a week in the morning with soaker hose.  Plants receive 1/2 inch of water twice a week.

Planting tips for Coreopsis

The coreopsis is not picky about the soil and will grow in sandy, rocky or fertile soils provided it is well drained. Grow coreopsis easily from seed.  You can sow seeds outdoors 8 weeks prior to fall frost, or sow seeds in the spring after the danger of frost has past.  You can also buy a seedling in a nursery grown pot from your local garden center.  

If you are sowing seeds into the ground then sow them 12 inches apart and cover with one inch of soil.  Water the seeds so that the ground is evenly moist.  Take care of your seeds by covering them with a thin layer of organic mulch.  I have many birds in my area and so I covered my newly planted seeds with a thin layer of pine needles.  Continue to water the seedlings so that the soil is evenly moist but not wet.  Coreopsis is mature when the plant is 18-24 inches in height.

The plant grows into a clump and multi stems grow out of this six inch clump.  This plant will thrive in poor soil and is semi drought tolerant.

View gardens of coreopsis here:

Maintain Coreopsis

Remove the spent blooms, this will encourage repeat flowers. 

Feed the plants in spring with water based fertilizer.  I use spray-n-grow and the plants will grow stronger and healthier.

Tips

1. Leave seed heads on the plants at the end of summer so songbirds have food.  
2. Cut back plants to the soil surface after a hard frost and then apply two to three inches of organic mulch; straw, wood chips or pine needle mulch.
3. Groundhogs and leafhoppers will eat the flowers, leaves and stems.  You can repel the groundhogs by putting up a fence or by enclosing your garden with chicken wire fencing.  Use natural insecticide Pyrethin which is formulated with chrysanthemums to get rid of leafhoppers, "brown grasshopper".
4. Coreopsis will multiple the following spring.  Divide to prevent overcrowding.
5. This bright yellow flower that will bloom from early summer to fall.  
6. Butterflies are attracted to the coreopsis flower and will forage from the nectar.  
7. Coreopsis seedheads provide forage for songbirds in the fall.