This hardy flower grows easily from seed and will reseed for a nice new crop next year. Or sprinkle seeds on a new patch of ground where they can have good soil contact, cover them with a little dirt or sand, keep them moist until they sprout, and you will be rewarded soon with a gift that keeps on giving. Not only will they reseed for next year, they will reseed this year giving you flowers until frost gets them.

My inlaws, Ralph and Opal Graham, used to have large beds of zinnias which were the talk of their community. People would drive by and stop to ask about them. The thickly sown beds grew a riot of colors and heights and were covered with butterflies, bluebirds and goldfinches. A joy to behold -- both Ralph and Opal AND their zinnias.

Zinnias are grown by organic gardeners too. Like squash used by the American Indians in a Three Sisters configuration with corn and beans, zinnias shade the ground enough to discourage unwanted plants from growing. This is why thickly sown zinnia flower beds don’t need weeding. Neither do gardens with thickly sown zinnias planted in the middle between the rows but not so close to the crops so as to shade them.

An additional benefit for veggie gardeners is that zinnias attract pollinators such as bees. Zinnias and sunflowers in your garden will attract both bees and birds, and the birds will not only eat seeds but will catch a fat bug or worm they spot fixing to munch on your peas or tomatoes.

I love tall zinnias in a rich assortment of colors, but I find three varieties especially lovely: the lime green “Envy," any of the multicolored dahlia-like ‘Swizzles,” and the “White Wedding.” This is probably because, like most gardeners, I enjoy the bragging rights of new and unusual plants.

Ain't God good?

Carl Wayne tells us about himself:
"I write gardening articles for the Collierville, Tennessee, Independent, the Southaven, Mississippi, Press, and Desoto Magazine, all from a Southern perspective. I point out the correct pronunciation of ants (aints) and peonies (peOnies) and advise always to plant hydrangeas on the north side of the house. I've been in software development forty years, the last twenty with a large overnight express delivery company. I have taught computer science as adjunct faculty at local universities over twenty-five years. We have a small farm in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, where we raise a large garden with my in-laws. My in-laws were there when the REA strung the first electric wires in that area. They were killing hogs. That night for supper they had liver and lights."


Write Hardeman at this e-mail address: E-MAIL CARL WAYNE

Read more of Carl Wayne's stories at USADS:
Southern Snakes
Me and Mimi in the Garden
Mississippi ~ the Soul of Dixie
Slide down my cellar door!
Green Landscaping ~ Eco-friendly gardening
Figs


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