I really liked having zinnias this year, for cutting. I have this dream that I'll have a garden at the new house. As much as I think or wish I want to have a vegetable garden, I really don't. Maybe some pumpkins for decoration, or some zucchini (so easy)- but not a full vegetable garden.
However, I would like to try a flower garden. I love having fresh flowers in the house, yet I hesitate ever buying them. The zinnias in my garden boxes (thanks Dave) have been so fun this summer! Other than my garden boxes, I don't have a lot of space for flowers- we have a lot of shade, and a very small yard (which has a basketball court). Plus, for most of our time here, many children have ran, jumped and rolled through the yard, throwing balls and riding bikes- not conducive to fragile stem growth.
This spring though, I'm going to try dahlias! It will be a good experiment to see if I enjoy flower gardening on a small scale, and I'm excited to give it a go. I'll section off the tiny side yard, which gets the most sun, and *hopefully* with a bit of protective fencing, they won't get totally destroyed. I ordered all my tubers for spring delivery from Swan Island Dahlias, right here in Canby, Oregon. I'll put photos of the varieties I ordered. I chose all heirloom varieties, introduced before 1970.
All of these varieties and photos are © Swan Island Dahlias. Love supporting local farms!