It’s only February and I’ve already
broken my one New Year’s resolution:
Order fewer seeds this year. Once again,
I’ve been seduced by the luscious photos
and rave reviews in catalogues.
High on my list are three 2010 All-
America Selections (AAS) that Carla
Henry and I previewed last summer. All
were easy to grow from seed.
Zinnia ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ is a
small, but striking, rose-white bicolor
that visitors to my garden liked a lot.
The 14-inch plants bloomed brightly
from June to frost. ‘Starlight Rose’ is a
new Zahara-type zinnia bred to compete
with the fabulous Profusion zinnias in
size, flower power and disease
resistance. Flower petals are deep rose
with white tips. Plants in one bed did
suffer from mildew, but not until
September. Park Seed.
Snapdragon ‘Twinny Peach’ is a bushy
snap just 12 inches tall. Carla says the
plant was absolutely darling and the soft
peach color worked perfectly with the
peach and yellow flowers in her garden.
“It was a winner,” she says. “Everyone
who saw it loved it.” Park Seed.
Gaillardia “Mesa Yellow’ decorated
my herb garden with bright yellow,
daisy-like flowers from early July well
into fall. This F1 hybrid blanket flower
has a compact, 18-inch habit. I grew it as
an annual, starting seeds March 7, but
the plant is perennial in Zone 5. As a
typical Minnesota gardening optimist,
I’m hoping my plants may survive our
Zone 4 winter since we have lots of
snow cover. Park Seed.
I also recommend three other fab seedgrown
annuals I tried last summer:
Salvia farinacea ‘Fairy Queen.’
‘Victoria Blue’ and ‘Evolution’ mealycup
salvias are the best performing
annuals in my garden, so I was delighted
when their sister, ‘Fairy Queen,’ came
along. This blue-white bicolor salvia is a
sturdy, nonstop bloomer. Park Seed.
Calendulas are cool-weather lovers and
most varieties stop blooming in summer.
But Calendula ‘Bon-Bon Yellow’ is a
nonstop bloomer. My plants were still
blooming strongly when I pulled them
out on Nov. 26! They take a little care. I
staked, deadheaded regularly and cut
plants way back in August. Stokes Seed.
Dianthus chinensis ‘Ideal Violet’
makes a marvelous edger on a garden
path. This AAS Classic has vibrant pink
flowers that bloom to fall. Park Seed.
All-America Selections just added a
second batch of 2010 winners. I haven’t
yet grown these plants myself. Included
are two more zinnias in the Zahara
series, ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ and
‘Double Zahara Fire’. Others are an F1
African marigold, ‘Moonsong Deep
Orange’, an F1 hybrid watermelon,
‘Shiny Boy’ and a sweet, mildly hot red
pepper, ‘Cajun Belle’. There’s also a 24-
inch purple coneflower called ‘PowWow
Wild Berry’, a perennial that started this
spring will flower next year.
Previous Garden Sage Columns
December 2009
New Years' Resolutions for Gardeners
November 2009
Just When You Thought You Were All Done
October 2009
Digging & Storing Dahlia Tubers for Winter
September 2009
Gardening for Wildlife
June 2009
Frond of Ferns
May 2009
All American Selections
April 2009
The fine art of borrowing ideas
March 2009
Be Seed Smart
February 2009
Some Like Them Hot
February 2009
Some Like Them Hot
Dec 2008/Jan 2009
Feeding the Birds
November 2008
Winter Damage to Evergreens
October 2008
Putting Your Flower Bed to Bed
September 2008
The Return of the Tulips
July 2008
Oh Dear, Oh Deer
June 2008
DANGER IN THE GARDEN (ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN)
May 2008
Rainwater Gardens
April 2008
Growing Peaches in Minnesota
February 2008
Insects That Might Bug Us This Summer
January 2008
Avoiding Crying After Buying... Wise Mail Order Shopping
December 2007
On Comet! On Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen! On Garden Catalogs
November 2007
Latin is for Lovers ... of Plants
October 2007
Use Those Leaves!
September 2007
The Coneflower Explosion
