Hi newgardeninggirl -- your flowers are really beautiful! I have grown many similar flowers - I also love cosmos (Purity and Double Click Cranberries are my favourites), I've also grown didiscus, rudbeckia (Marmalade) and cerinthe for the first time this year and they were lovely.
Nigella 'African Bride' is one of my favourites and I've been growing it for several years - it self seeds in the gravel garden in a most appealing manner. My zinnia have also been good (Benary's Giant Scarlet and Benary's Giant Lime).
Are you after dwarf annual sunflowers or perennials?
You must be so pleased with the results of your growing this year ?
Ha ha I didn't actually know you could get perennial sunflowers?!! That's interesting, I would probably have annuals in the cutting patch, as I do change my mind about things often...
I am very pleased with the results, I have far too many flowers to cope with though.... everyone who visits gets a bucket full plus I work in hospitals so I regularly bring them in for the reception. I have found lots of nice buckets and vases in the local pound shop which have been a godsend!
Its quite a responsibility cutting daily and deadheading etc do you find this??... My poor borders have been neglected far too much, but I do love having cut fresh flowers in the house!
Yes it is time consuming and with a family to look after I don't always manage to give as much time to the garden as I'd like - but it's still worth it! What a lovely thing to take flowers into the hospital - fresh flowers are such an uplifting presence bringing the outside in ?
I'd definitely suggest sunflower Vanilla Ice as suggested higher up this thread - a really lovely lemon colour... ? ? ?
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I too have started my first garden this year and included a raised cutting bed ... I have found my faves to be:
cosmos picotee
cosmos sensation
ammi majus
blue cornflowers
nigella african bride
Didiscus blue lace
cerinthe
rudbeckia (thought I would hate these but love them!)
guara (good for adding height to arrangements)
Clary sage
Soooo many sweet peas!!
Ones I might not go for again:
Cosmos bright lights (these didn't grow???)
zinnias (fab but didn't get toomany flowers)
Poppy pink peony (fab but lost petals far too quickly and makes a mess)
dahlias from seed (some quite ugly flowers)
next year I would like to grow some small sunflowers, more types of cosmos, scabious, any other suggestions please!!!
I also snuck a few flowers from my borders which I thought looked good, a pound shop spirea was my favourite fluffy pink cone flower!!!
Hi newgardeninggirl -- your flowers are really beautiful! I have grown many similar flowers - I also love cosmos (Purity and Double Click Cranberries are my favourites), I've also grown didiscus, rudbeckia (Marmalade) and cerinthe for the first time this year and they were lovely.
Nigella 'African Bride' is one of my favourites and I've been growing it for several years - it self seeds in the gravel garden in a most appealing manner. My zinnia have also been good (Benary's Giant Scarlet and Benary's Giant Lime).
Are you after dwarf annual sunflowers or perennials?
You must be so pleased with the results of your growing this year ?
Ha ha I didn't actually know you could get perennial sunflowers?!! That's interesting, I would probably have annuals in the cutting patch, as I do change my mind about things often...
I am very pleased with the results, I have far too many flowers to cope with though.... everyone who visits gets a bucket full plus I work in hospitals so I regularly bring them in for the reception. I have found lots of nice buckets and vases in the local pound shop which have been a godsend!
Its quite a responsibility cutting daily and deadheading etc do you find this??... My poor borders have been neglected far too much, but I do love having cut fresh flowers in the house!
Yes it is time consuming and with a family to look after I don't always manage to give as much time to the garden as I'd like - but it's still worth it! What a lovely thing to take flowers into the hospital - fresh flowers are such an uplifting presence bringing the outside in ?
I'd definitely suggest sunflower Vanilla Ice as suggested higher up this thread - a really lovely lemon colour... ? ? ?