Description
Not every bed on the farm is for eating. A few are just for looking at, and these three are the ones we come back to every year: Sunflowers, Marigolds, and Zinnias. Between the three of them you get height, color, and pollinators covered from early summer clear through the first frost.
Sunflowers give you the big dramatic stalks kids love to measure themselves against. Marigolds are the workhorse, planted along the edges of our vegetable beds because they hold up in heat and are said to help keep some pests off nearby crops. Zinnias are our cut-flower favorite, the more you cut them the more they bloom, which makes them one of the few flowers that reward you for picking them.
Getting started
- All three are warm-season, direct-sow after your last frost once the soil has warmed.
- Full sun gets you the best blooms on all three, aim for at least six hours a day.
- Zinnias and marigolds germinate quickly, often within a week in warm soil. Sunflowers are close behind.
- Deadhead zinnias and marigolds regularly and they will keep blooming for months instead of setting seed and quitting on you.
Good to know: Seeds are lightweight and ship anywhere in the country.
