The "Last" Day of Summer

Tomorrow if officially the last day of Summer. Once again, how fast it has gone!

For me, certain flowers really represent summertime. Among those are Zinnias and Sunflowers. Happily I have both of these plants growing in my garden and as Fall quickly approaches, they are just beginning to bloom.

My two long rows of "Persian Carpet" Zinnias are really starting to look good. Almost of the plants are in the process of opening their first bud. Soon, they will all branch and the row will be a sea of color. This variety is so easy start from seed. For an investment of only $5-6 dollars, you can get a 20+ foot row of brilliant color that will last until the first frost. The more you cut, the more they bloom.

My July sowing of "Bright Bandolier" sunflowers is also beginning to pay off. About 1/2 of the flowers are now in bloom and I have a nice mix of yellow and deep red blooms. It is interesting how much taller the red sunflowers are then the yellow ones. I love how the three rows look this time of the year, back-lit by the late afternoon sunshine.