We finally bloomed, our very first year of flowers!
Mother Nature was a beast this season.
Between all the rain, endless cloudy days, and me naively thinking the rabbits wouldn’t eat my garden… well, let’s just say I was very wrong.
Lesson learned!
We'll be putting up poultry wire fence for next year and adding lighting in the greenhouse.
In my first garden post, I promised I’d share an update on the flowers I planted this year once the flowers started blooming, along with a little will I plant them next year update, so here it is.
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Dahlias
Every single one of my dahlias was grown from seed (yep, a seed and not a tuber!).
With dahlia seeds, you never quite know what you’ll get, and that’s been the fun part.
Some turned out a little wonky, but I’ve had some absolute beauties too.
These will definitely have a spot in my garden again next year, both tubers and seeds.
Zinnias
Oh, the zinnias.
My favorite flower in the garden!
I planted several different varieties and even experimented with transplanting them.
I was nervous since zinnias supposedly hate having their roots disturbed, but it worked just fine.
The butterflies love them so much too!
Varieties I planted included: Oklahoma, Tetra, Queeny, Forecast, Ballerina, and Benary's Giant.
Cosmos
Cosmos are just magic in the garden.
They fill up space so gracefully, and I loved watching them wave in the breeze.
This year I grew three varieties: Afternoon White, Double Click, and Bright Lights.
All three will be planted again, plus I have my eye on a few other ones to try for next year.
Celosia
This one is still up for debate.
Celosia is gorgeous and unique, but it was tricky for me.
They really need strong light early on, and I just didn’t get them off to the best start.
I haven’t decided yet if they’ll make the cut for next year’s lineup.
Sunflowers
I planted a mixed variety pack of sunflowers, so I’m not exactly sure what all came up, but the surprise was half the fun!
My absolute favorite was the fluffy Teddy Bear sunflower that I was so excited to have bloom from this pack.
They’re so cheerful and fun, and I’ll definitely be saving seeds to try again next year and expanding an entire section just for sunflowers.
Scabiosa
I lost a lot of my scabiosa.
I think the spot I planted them in just didn’t get enough sun, maybe the tree was blocking more light than I realized.
Whatever the reason, they just didn’t do well for me.
Honestly, I’ll probably skip scabiosa next year.
Too many other beauties out there to take up that space.
I’ll definitely give this one another try next year.
It really wanted to bloom, but my huge rabbit population had other plans.
If I can get a good fence up, I think it will finally have a chance to grow in nicely it just has to make it past those pesky bunnies!
All I can even share for a photo is my munched on clumps.
Grrrrr.....rabbits.
Statice
Probably skipping this one next year. It never bloomed for me, and most of the plants didn’t survive after transplanting out of the greenhouse.
Cinnamon Basil
Yes! I used this in some bouquets, and it smelled amazing.
I’ll absolutely use it again as a filler.
Strawflower
Another yes.
I didn’t get a ton of blooms this season, but the ones I did were so unique and fun.
I’ll definitely plant it again next year, and I want to learn how to dry them.
So, that’s the quick run-through of this year’s flower patch!
It’s been a mix of trial, error, and a whole lot of joy.
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @farmdustandpaint.
XOXO
Emily
You might also enjoy these related posts:
How I Transplanted Zinnias, the Varieties I Planted and A Few Things I Learned Growing Zinnias
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