Sunflower Power and Black Thumbs

Over the years, I have tried to grow many different kinds of plants.  Sadly, not many of them have lived to tell the tale.  Here and there, though, I’ve had some luck and I’ve made a mental note about which types of plants even I have a hard time killing.  Not surprisingly, those have become my favorites.

My first major gardening success was sunflowers.  They are incredibly robust so long as you give them enough sunshine and, in Colorado, that’s an easy order to fill.  My favorites are varieties that feature oranges and reds, and this year I may have gone a bit overboard.  Here’s what I planted in my garden: 

Given the amount of space, I know I overdid it, but the strongest survived and I can tell I’ll have a decent assortment.  A handful of the plants are getting close to the point of flowering and I’m impatient to see them bloom.  Here’s one of the big buds that I’ve been watching for the past few days.

The other plant I’ve had good success with is zinnias.  In the past couple of days, a few have started to bloom and I expect to have an explosion of color in no time at all.  

My husband doesn’t share my excitement about the flowers, but just wait, once those giant sunflowers open up, he’ll see.