Tried and True Flower Varieties

At the time of this writing, I’ve tended to my garden for 5 years. Spring has sprung once more and it’s time to start the growing season. As I head into the 6th year in my garden, I’m reflecting on some of my favorite flower varieties.

I try new varieties every single year, but the ones listed here are my tried and trues.

A note on where to buy seeds: My favorite seed company is Baker Creek Heirloom. They ship for free, are semi-local to me, and they are just plain cool. They specialize in growing rare and hard to find seeds, which I think is so fun. All that to say, I check there first. If Baker Creek doesn’t have what I am looking for, I turn to Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Zinnias

Queen Lime

Big, bright green blooms! I love them for their long stems.

Polar Bear

Massive white blooms that come up easy and require little care

Benary’s Giant Series

A powdery mildew resistant series of colorful, large blooms

Oklahoma Series

Lovely small blooms with a ton of petals! I want to grow every color.

Basil

Lemon

A green basil that comes up easy (sometimes voluntarily!) and has long stems

Cinnamon

Long stemmed purple basil with a lovely smell

Persian

A more unique purple basil that I’ve fallen in love with. I’ve grown it for years!

Gomphrena

Strawberry Fields

Easy grower that produces red long stemmed gomphrena

Snow White

This variety is abundant and easy to grow. I only wish the stems were longer!