The walled garden at the Big House is mostly an area where we plant vegetables and flowers for cutting to go into the house. At this time of year, that means it's generally a lot of tomatoes, okra and basil. Some things have fried from the heat, while some of the others aren't blooming yet. Very little color is going on, except for these incredible zinnias!
Last year I planted just one color of Benary's Giant Zinnias (I got them from Johnny's Seeds, but most all of the seed companies have them), and this year I planted three packs. I can't say enough good about how this guys perform. Our weather has been just brutal for the past couple of weeks, with heat index numbers hovering around 100 to 105 degrees; that has been interspersed with ten minute bounds of TORRENTIAL rain that smashes everything else to the ground. Through it all, these babies have continued to shine, and without powdery mildew! (Even my shoes end up with powdery mildew in Georgia in August......)
Next year I'm buying the mixed pack of 500 seeds, and scattering them throughout the garden!
