Tag Archives: planting flowers

Zany Zinnia

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Sometimes you never know what’s going to thrive in your garden when seeds are sown, but this year’s zinnias have been spectacular. I’ll save all the seeds and try again since she’s really happy where I planted her near the front door.

This beauty brings so much joy! I especially love her little coronet of yellow flowers.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered these plants and brought them back to Europe in the 1700s.

The center of a zinnia is made up of disk florets, which are tiny flowers that form a cluster in the middle. These disc florets are surrounded by larger, petal-like structures called ray florets. 

The circle of yellow florets is where the nectar is located. It’s where bees pollinate as they collect nectar and pollen. The center of the flower will start to grow larger as the seeds start to form. YAY!

June Blooms

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Here’s a little sprinkle of alchemy from Mother Earth.

I grew these flowers: Forget-Me-Not, Zinnia, Calendula…with seeds collected from last season’s blooms. It’s a satisfying project to participate in the circle of life, almost like I gave birth to them, which in a way, I did.

It’s not just me: A query about saving one’s seeds reveals this:
Harvesting garden seeds offers a deep connection to the natural world, to become more self-sufficient, and to witness the unique adaptations plants make over time to their specific environment. It also provides a sense of continuity and independence from commercial seed companies. 

Yes! I do so love FREE things!

I try to save as many seeds as I can in the veggie garden, too. Cilantro and tomatoes perform well, as do certain types of lettuce. Cucumbers and members of the squash family won’t produce true to type if they’re hybrids, but it’s fun to experiment.

June is full of color around here. Soon enough, it’ll be too dry and everything will turn drab and brown, but the joy continues because I’ll salvage the seeds for next spring. It’s the circle of life all over again!