I put in an order for some stuff from Seed Savers Exchange yesterday! I received several different seed catalogs, but I decided to go with Seed Savers because I want to support their mission of passing along heirloom seeds. Also, they're in Decorah, Iowa which is where my grandmother was born. Chances are good that I'm related to the fine folks running the main farm there. Not that it should make a difference in the grand scheme of things. But I still felt some affection for them, seeing they were in Decorah. So...yeah. Moving on.
I bought seeds for a few different varieties of flowers. I love flowers and our yard is sorely lacking in the color department, especially since my beloved Paraguay Nightshade (aka Potato Vine) was taken out by my in-laws during the Extreme Yard Makeover. So here are a few of the flower packets I purchased:
First, these Valentine sunflowers. My oldest son has wanted to grow sunflowers ever since we moved into our house. I think it's because at the end of my father's life, he always wanted a vase of fresh flowers in the house and sunflowers were some of his favorites. In fact, at the luncheon after his funeral my mom had sunflowers as the centerpieces. Anyway, sunflowers make us all think of my dad, so we'd like to grow some. I really liked this variety because of the pale, lemony yellow petals and also because they're on the smaller side. Valentine sunflowers are supposed to be really good for cutting and putting in a vase.
Next are these Seashell Cosmos. Daisies are my favorite flower, and cosmos, being so tall and colorful are one of my favorite varieties. Wait...cosmos are a variety of daisy, right? I'm actually not sure about that. Well, whatever, they look enough like daisies to me! These Seashell ones really appeal to me because I love the tubular petals! These flowers grow to be four or five feet tall, so I'm expecting them to be really impressive in the garden. The description in the seed catalog says they're really easy to grow from seed, so I'm really hoping that's true!
I also bought a packet of these Benary's Giant zinnias. When I was growing up, my babysitter Effie used to grow zinnias in a flower bed near her front door. They were a really tall flower. Probably just as tall as the cosmos I talked about in the last paragraph. They're beautiful and very colorful, and they make me think of Effie. They're also drought tolerant and resilient, which will be good for our climate. These are also supposed to be really good as cut flowers in a vase. Pretty!
These flowers are called Sweet Alyssum. I didn't even realize these flowers were cultivated until I was an adult. I thought they were a wildflower, because bunches of them volunteer and grow every year in my parents' backyard. I also thought they were always white, until a few purple ones sprouted one year. I was delighted to see this mix, with all different colors of flowers. I think they're lovely and sweet looking, and they remind me of childhood. So I bought some. In fact, I bought a package of 1000 seeds. I know, I know - it's a lot. But I plan to grow some at home, and then plant some at my parents' house, too.
Finally, I bought seeds for these Johnny-Jump-Ups. This is what I thought violets look like, but apparently these are violas. (Don't ask me the difference). Violas, according to the seed catalog, can be used as an edible garnish. That's a fun fact I'll tuck away. These flowers are tiny, but really colorful and pretty. They make me happy. I'm planning to grow these in containers, most likely. Maybe in a big hanging basket by my front door. I'm not sure.
So, those are my flower garden plans for this year! Tomorrow: vegetables!
I bought seeds for a few different varieties of flowers. I love flowers and our yard is sorely lacking in the color department, especially since my beloved Paraguay Nightshade (aka Potato Vine) was taken out by my in-laws during the Extreme Yard Makeover. So here are a few of the flower packets I purchased:
First, these Valentine sunflowers. My oldest son has wanted to grow sunflowers ever since we moved into our house. I think it's because at the end of my father's life, he always wanted a vase of fresh flowers in the house and sunflowers were some of his favorites. In fact, at the luncheon after his funeral my mom had sunflowers as the centerpieces. Anyway, sunflowers make us all think of my dad, so we'd like to grow some. I really liked this variety because of the pale, lemony yellow petals and also because they're on the smaller side. Valentine sunflowers are supposed to be really good for cutting and putting in a vase. 
Next are these Seashell Cosmos. Daisies are my favorite flower, and cosmos, being so tall and colorful are one of my favorite varieties. Wait...cosmos are a variety of daisy, right? I'm actually not sure about that. Well, whatever, they look enough like daisies to me! These Seashell ones really appeal to me because I love the tubular petals! These flowers grow to be four or five feet tall, so I'm expecting them to be really impressive in the garden. The description in the seed catalog says they're really easy to grow from seed, so I'm really hoping that's true!
I also bought a packet of these Benary's Giant zinnias. When I was growing up, my babysitter Effie used to grow zinnias in a flower bed near her front door. They were a really tall flower. Probably just as tall as the cosmos I talked about in the last paragraph. They're beautiful and very colorful, and they make me think of Effie. They're also drought tolerant and resilient, which will be good for our climate. These are also supposed to be really good as cut flowers in a vase. Pretty!
These flowers are called Sweet Alyssum. I didn't even realize these flowers were cultivated until I was an adult. I thought they were a wildflower, because bunches of them volunteer and grow every year in my parents' backyard. I also thought they were always white, until a few purple ones sprouted one year. I was delighted to see this mix, with all different colors of flowers. I think they're lovely and sweet looking, and they remind me of childhood. So I bought some. In fact, I bought a package of 1000 seeds. I know, I know - it's a lot. But I plan to grow some at home, and then plant some at my parents' house, too. 
Finally, I bought seeds for these Johnny-Jump-Ups. This is what I thought violets look like, but apparently these are violas. (Don't ask me the difference). Violas, according to the seed catalog, can be used as an edible garnish. That's a fun fact I'll tuck away. These flowers are tiny, but really colorful and pretty. They make me happy. I'm planning to grow these in containers, most likely. Maybe in a big hanging basket by my front door. I'm not sure. So, those are my flower garden plans for this year! Tomorrow: vegetables!
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