Sunday, February 28, 2016

No-fail flowers

If you live in the middle of America like me, you probably know gardening can be a challenge.  With our unpredictable weather, high winds, and hard clay soil, you never quite know what a year will bring!  But after gardening for a few years, I thought I'd share my favorite flowers that have done well in years of drought and years of steady rain.

Bulbs-
     Daffodils... Every spring I am so thankful I took the time and effort to plant daffodils!  They are the first flower to bloom after a long winter and they bring lots of joy as well as bouquets for Easter dinner!

     Tulips... They are the second flower to bloom and I just love them.  When we moved to our house I planted some red ones along the woods behind our house and they are so pretty and cheerful.

     Irises...  Irises just might be my favorite flower, or maybe roses, or lilacs, or peonies...  But yes, back to irises, they are so beautiful, and smell so sweet, and once you plant them they are good to go for many years.  We have irises growing in ditches around here with no house in sight.  The flowers lasted longer than the farm.

     Daylilies...  I'm talking about the old-fashioned orange ones.  They grow really well and are hard to kill.  We see these at old farmsteads around here as well, where they've been faithfully blooming for a hundred years.

Seeds-
     Zinnias...  These are my favorite flower to grow from seed.  They don't bloom till a little later in the summer, like July/August, so when the May flowers are a memory your garden is still beautiful and full of color.  Plus they attract butterflies, so that's fun.

     Marigolds...  These little cheerful flowers are easy to grow and give lots of color.  They are a little pungent, but are pretty if you don't get too close!

So there you have a few no-fail flowers for our part of the world.  Do you have any additional suggestions?  My flower beds are full so I might need to do some expanding this year! (:

I am joining No Place Like Home.







4 comments:

  1. Carmen, what a beautiful sight your flowers are! That little flower in the dress looks right at home among them. The only flowers I have are tulips which I won't see until May. We used to have a wonderful garden but the crows destroyed it so we just enjoy our tulips while they last and of course the shrubbery. What a pretty place you have to enjoy. I enjoyed your post and hearing about your flowers and those that grow unattended on those farms no longer standing. Thank you for sharing and have a beautiful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  2. I do agree that the bulb flowers are the best! Unfortunately our dog likes to eat the bulbs, and this year I've got to find a place to plant them that aren't within his reach. What a cutie standing there in front of the flowers too! Visiting you from Sandi's linkup today :) Have a great day!

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  3. Carmen, I am featuring your post at No Place Like Home this week. Have a lovely day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for sharing these tips...we have terrible soil and very hot weather here in southern CA, so gardening is always a challenge! Visiting you from No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage.

    ReplyDelete

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