Growing flowers

I LOVE flowers. It makes me so happy to have them around me year round. In the winter, I buy bunches of flowers until around January, when I start buying potted bulbs to let bloom indoors. I then take those and plant them outside for blooms in subsequent springs.

When we lived in New York, I had flowers growing from February to November, sometimes even early December. This was OUTSIDE, which is somewhat surprising for so far north. But I had crocuses which bloomed quite early, and then an array of bulbs would bloom.

I had roses that began producing flowers around the time the bulbs stopped, and a few varieties would keep going even after it would freeze, so I often had roses until nearly Christmas.

I had a delightful hydrangea that I miss terribly, and a lilac bush that vigorously produced the fluffiest, most fragrant bunches of flowers every spring.

I only planted flowers one or maybe two years there since the perennials did so well and my children were small and I just didn’t know what to do. I think Johnny jump ups and marigolds were all I ever put in.

When we moved to Arizona, it was such a different climate that I wasn’t sure what to do there. I didn’t bother to plant in summer but put out pansies in the fall and they kept going until the heat withered them in April.

Now I am back north in Ohio and we just moved last fall into a house with NOTHING that blooms. At some point there were daffodils, but someone covered them with landscape fabric and rocks, which I had to painstakingly remove.

By my husband’s request, I put in a bank of zinnias near the sidewalk. They aren’t very pretty until they bloom in mid-July, but then they are glorious. The whole neighborhood gets to enjoy them, and I’ve had so many people see them and tell me they’re doing the same thing next year.

I planted a rainbow row right in front of my house. Those are annuals as well. I put in one hydrangea, but I don’t think it’s in a great spot. Planning my flowerbeds from scratch isn’t easy for me, but I definitely want to have some easy care perennials.

I put in grape hyacinth (a favorite of mine) and some other bulbs from my winter stash for the inside of my house. And there are two tick seed plants and a Russian sage and another purple spiky one I can’t remember the name of.

I also added a bleeding heart that bloomed all summer long and just recently faded away. That thing is very impressive.

I love a cottage garden look, with overgrown things and constant blooms. Surprisingly, my husband also enjoys this, so that makes it nice.

What are some of your favorite flowers? Are you more about a tailored look, or is a secret garden style more your vibe?