Monday on Twitter I came across this blog share from one of my #foodie friends who blogs at The Adirondack Chick.
The first bloom that came to mind while retweeting her link was the majestic dahlia blooms that took over my landscape last summer just outside my greenhouse. I quickly clicked over to her blog to find some fabulous shares from other Foodie / gardeners and just had to share this with you on my blog. Be sure to follow Michelle on Twitter at @theadkchick And I hope you will share a comment over on her blog with what your favorite flower is.
My Obsession with Dahlia’s
This year I’m trying very hard to not go crazy with too many different colors in my greenhouse landscape / garden area. My theme this year is Yellow, Orange and Hot Pink so I was delighted to see this dinner plate Dahlia at my local garden center.
Last year starting the Dahlia root in March / April provided me a perfect head start with blooms early on in summer. The image above shows the dahlia’s each planted in 1 gallon containers in my Ohio greenhouse.
How can you not LOVE the dahlia after seeing the image above?
I will admit that after the heavy rain in late July when this dinner plate sized dahlia was found laying on the mulch in the garden I was sure to ‘tear’ up. Fortunately, the blooms were continuous with low maintenance so there were plenty more that stood tall in the garden.
Hand full of dahlia in my 2011 Ohio garden…. I totally tweeted that one!
I totally can’t wait to see the dahlia blooms for 2012 and I hope I’ve inspired you to give a dahlia a try in your garden. They are super easy to grow and they love to be left alone even on the hot days of late summer.
That image of the huge dalia above is labeled tequila. I was delighted to find it again this year at Aldi for $1.69 each : I picked up 3 to grow in my landscape this year. I hope you will share with me what your favorite flowers are and maybe I will try and grow some in my Ohio garden if I don’t already! Happy Growing ……
I got a nice shout out on Twitter from my friend Kim who is a total foodie and loves to garden simple just like me. I posting a #Bloom_Tuesday after her sweet tweet!
Click Image to See My Tweets BIG!
Happy Spring Everyone … please share with me a link to your favorite bloom today!
Cineraria Senecio (Pericallis) x hybroida that are perfect for this part sun area only after all danger of frost as passed my zone 5 garden.
Yes I really did ‘plant’ these out in my partial shade garden around the bird bath this snowing 39*f day in March. HOWEVER, this is not a recommend planting for this time of year. We can all dream right?!
The sunshine is out and I’m thinking of spring color as I share a few planting ideas and decorating tips that will help you keep it simple and colorful using these dazzling cineraria annuals by Costa Farms.
video
It maybe too soon to plant but we can start planning all the wonderful color we are going to introduce in our landscapes this planting season.
I reused my hanging basket from the winter planting to think spring.
***Please note the cineraria is not a hardy plant and should be grown as an annual. The images I provided were only for visual entertainment and not the proper season to grow the cineraria in my zone 5b. This plant will add instant striking color that will brighten any landscape and garden. The cineraria is perfect for container gardens because they are a rounded plant that grows up to 24″ tall. Low maintenance will make this variety a quick favorite for any gardener.
I’m a big fan of Costa Farms and was honored to chat candidly with their Communications Manager Melissa Arteaga Marti. Check out one of my first podcast with Melissa at the link below.
Surrounded by thoughts of sowing some seeds it is important for me to reflect on images from gardens past. The sunflowers that artfully dance in the image above are from my 20o8 veggie & bloom garden. The variety is theLemon Queen by Burpee Seed and I’ve been growing these in my country garden for about four years now. These are a must have in my garden because they are not only fun to dance with in the garden, they also make a wonderful addition to my cut bouquets. This variety had been easy to find including in the basic Burpee Seed displays in most stores that carry any planting supplies.
The view of the Cardinal Climber Vine late in the summer.
Another must have in my veggie & bloom garden is the Cardinal Climber Vine because I love the way it blooms all summer long and grows comfortably up a trellis with my cucumbers. When the cucumber is done for the summer the beautiful bloom on this tropical looking flower continues to attract butterflies. It is an easy seed to start early but you can also sow it right into the soil in the garden.
I think the Nasturtium is on every gardeners must have list. I started growing these from seed over 12 years ago after being introduced to them by my sister in law who was a avid gardener. This seed was introduced to my garden in late June and I had a striking border in my yard in the city by the end of August. As I learned more about my garden I quickly became a fan of using the blooms in salads as well as enjoying the climbing variety in container plantings.
These were a few of my MUST HAVE seeds each year. I hope you share with me on my post a few of your seeds that you must grow each year.
I’ve never had an Amaryllis bloom this short. This is the bulb I shared back on December 10 on this blog. It is a discount treasure I found at one of my favorite markets. The steam on this Holiday beauty is only 6 ” long.
Monday on Twitter I came across this blog share from one of my #foodie friends who blogs at The Adirondack Chick. 
Surrounded by thoughts of sowing some seeds it is important for me to reflect on images from gardens past. The sunflowers that artfully dance in the image above are from my 20o8 veggie & bloom garden. The variety is the 
I’ve never had an Amaryllis bloom this short. This is the bulb I shared back on December 10 on this blog. It is a discount treasure I found at one of my favorite markets. The steam on this Holiday beauty is only 6 ” long.
