The Winter Solstice passed last week, days are slowly getting longer and more sunshine is on the way. I thought I should share some Florida sunshine with a brightly colored mix from my garden. I have noticed the wildflowers in my garden germinate late in the year – which should have given me a clue years ago about when to grow cut flowers. I am guilty of reading and following directions on seed packages….again. South Florida reigns peculiar over American horticulture.
It is difficult to find a sunnier group of flowers. All were grown from seed started in September (some named and some in a cutting garden mix) and currently flourishing (with the exception of Nigella, not sure about that) in containers. I am wondering how long the Zinnias will last. Here is a photo of a seedling from the cutting mix I cannot identify.
Any thoughts? It is not a Hollyhock. That was not included in the mix.
Some closer views:
Yellow Sunflowers are ‘Dwarf Sunspot’. Green Zinnias are ‘Green Envy’; purple tubes are from Mona Lavendar Plectranthus. Pink Zinnia is from an Etsy purchase ‘Cactus Mix’. Here is a close up of the Zinnia, I love the stamens (I think?)
The other side:
Pink Zinnia and the very different green one are from the ‘Cactus Mix’. The African Marigolds are from the cutting seed mix with the mystery seedling. The big leaf forming the wave hugging the flowers is a big ‘Java White’ Copperleaf (Acalphya wilkesiana). The leaf is 6 inches long and across. It rolled over naturally.
As always, thank you to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting In a Vase on Monday. To see more posts, follow the link.
Happy Monday!
The Shrub Queen 
That is a sunny bouquet. I never got around to putting in winter annuals or seeds. Did you have a warm Christmas? We were in the low 80’s.
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Oh well, there is always next year. My arugula is not doing well, is yours? Our weather is about the same as yours, maybe that is why?
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My arugula did well, but the other greens did not. The problem here is that we get freezes. We are having 80’s and high 70’s, but hitting freezing Sunday night. It’s a crazy ride weather wise here.
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That is a crazy ride. Atlanta could be like that, I grew parsley and kale in winter and dianthus and pansies, all got frost burn sometimes.. This is slo bolt arugula? Rocket may be better.
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A bright sunny mix to cheer on this rather gray and dull day. I’m looking forward to brighter days ahead! I’d say that mystery plant is definitely in the Malva family… I pull tons of their seedlings every year as they self-sow prolifically. Time will tell!
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Thanks, Eliza there is a tree mallow in the mix, so that must be it!
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An all together cheery vase, and I like the way the purple and deep pink, although minor, make the yellows pop. Best wishes for the new year….
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Thank you, Noelle. Happy New Year to you.
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What a cheerful arrangement, Amy! I hope your Christmas was lovely! We drank lots of sorrel, with more to come. (I forget what you call it.)
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Hey Cynthia, great to hear from you, happy holidays!! Christmas was lovely – I made Roselle (sorrel) apple nut relish to go with the turkey. I would love to know the sorrel drink recipe, though I am out of sorrel.. I thought the relish needed ginger and brandy.
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My relatives make it with spices. If I forget to ask them, pls. remind me!
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thanks..spices and rum?
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Cheerful and beautiful. Very nice design Amy!
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Thanks, Susie.
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I think I grew Dwarf Sunspot too and must check back. What a bright and sunny vase this is, shining like a beacon in what has been a very grey month. How you are loving your zinnias!!
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I am loving all the zinnias and plotting the next planting, also more sunflowers, I think someone had an Indian Summer that I loved..
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There are so many to choose from, especially zinnias – I am trying a different zinnia mix for 2022, along with some individual varieties
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I’m basking in the warmth of your sunflowers! I always wonder about how much credence I can put in the instructions on seed packets too but, while SoCal may be a little off, South Florida deserves your description as “peculiar.” I currently have several packets of sunflower seeds and, having already concluded that I planted mine too late in 2021, now I’m wondering if I should plant some now. It’s not helpful to be told to sow “after the last freeze date” when that event occurred many decades ago or in actual fact, well before I was born.
Best wishes for a happy new year, Amelia!
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Last freeze!LOL, 2010 here, I think. Plant thee seeds! Happy New Year.
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Love all the bright, bold colors mixed together. So very Florida. 😊
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Thanks, getting in touch with my (ha) inner Floridian.
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I love your brilliant and very sunshiny vase. So much beautiful color! I’ve been feeling confused about when to plant sunflowers here as I keep noticing a very wild one still in full bloom along the road into Tucson. I think it’s been flowering since August. Still, we may get some frost here, so I suppose I should wait a bit…
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Thank you, do you grow Tagetes lemmoni? I have been trying to.
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I’ve just bought some seeds for it, so fingers crossed I’ll be growing it this next year… In my earlier garden I grew T. “Gold Medal” which was either a hybrid or just a selection from T. lemmonii — I can’t remember which. It could take the heat in Phoenix, which is saying a lot.
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I just bought seed too! I bought some seed last year and tried 2 or 3 times and it never germinated. Decided to get new seed. Fingers crossed here. Impressed it lived in Phoenix.
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Well, it looked like hollyhock to me. What else looks like hollyhock? Is Plectranthus more of a foliar plant? It sounds familiar, but I can not remember if I saw it here earlier. It must have been here. The only ones I know here are feral houseplants.
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I think its a tree mallow. I believe they call coleus plectranthus now, the Mona Lavendar is grown primarily for flowers.
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Tree mallow in a seed mix? That seems less likely than hollyhock; although I do not know what the seed mix was.
I forgot about coleus. To me, they are still a species of Coleus. Now that you mention it though, that may be why I remember the name.
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Lovely sunny vase Amy. How wonderful to have zinnias in bloom. Yes, it’s certainly a malva.
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Thank you, Liz. I believe it is a tree mallow – seed company says they are the rage in the UK?
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It grows wild in coastal areas here.
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Thank you..maybe it will grow in the garden..
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Thanks for the sunshine! I can almost feel the warmth of your garden through your vase. Love your zinnias. I was going to say Hollyhock for that leaf…. how about Lavatera? Oh, I see in the comment above Chloris has identified it as Malva, which is the same I think!
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Thanks! the zinnias are going crazy. I think it is a Lavatera, I like that name better!
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