Zinnias

I know, I know...these are such a common plant, but I really do love them.  I adore cut flowers and these always perform rain or shine.  Every spring my husband just sprinkles a few seeds in the garden and wa-la! How can I resist all these delicate differences in shape and color?

A Summer Beauty

I discovered Allium 'summer beauty' a few years ago and fell in love.  Strangely, it was the foliage that first struck me...long, narrow slightly twisted leaves (similar to daffodil foliage) compact and beautiful spring through fall.  The very light pink, almost white round flower clusters pop up in late July/early August.

It's not only beautiful but also drought tolerant (one of the few plants in my garden this year that still looks amazing...it's been hot and dry in Iowa), plus can be divided.  These were pretty rare a few years ago, so I had to buy one at an auction.  Every couple of years I gently divide it in hopes of having more beauty all summer.

Oh, and to top it off, I just found out that Midwest Groundcovers now has a smaller cultivar available called Allium summer peek-a-boo™. It only get's better!

A Sweet Little Allium

Sometimes it's a struggle finding a plant that always looks good, plus has the bonus of blooming at an odd time...like fall.  Allium senescens ssp. glaucum falls into that special category.

I found this plant while looking for another allium and it's been such a fabulous addition. I've been quite happy with its beautiful blue-gray twisted foliage, plus its sweet little purplish-pink flower.

I have it right in the front of my border, because the foliage stays small and tight (only about 6" tall).  The flowers start to pop out in August and stay as tight buds until September when they finally burst open.  It's now the start of October and they are still blooming (we've even had a couple of frosts already).  The flower heads are only about 1.5" wide and about 12" tall. Oh, and I live in central Iowa (zone 5a/4b) so you can compare to your own area.

The added bonus...they are easy to divide.  Eventually they can be spread along the front of a border to give a polka-dot like feel in the fall.

To find out more about this cute little plant visit Missouri Botanical Garden's Kemper Center For Home Gardening plant database.