Capture Summer with This Cut Flower Marigold

When we consider what garden flowers to cut for the indoors, marigolds typically don't immediately come to mind. But marigolds make an excellent home cut flower, especially the African types. Keys to a good cut flower marigold are appropriate height, a nice size flower head, and many flowers. Garland Orange brings you all those attributes, and more. Featuring plenty of large 3½ to 4½" fully double dark orange blooms, it reaches 28 to 48", giving you ample stem length to cut and arrange in a diversity of vase sizes.

Another fun tidbit: Garland Orange makes a fun and fragrant garland necklace- a great activity for children! I used to make marigold garlands for family and friends when I was a kid. They gamely played along and got into the spirit of the fun. If you're looking for a summer activity to do with your family, have your children sow their own marigold seed, transplant and tend them in the garden, watch them grow, cut them and ultimately fashion them into garlands!

Best yet, all African marigolds are fragrant, and Garland Orange is no exception - it exudes the fragrance of summer!

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Posted by Harris Seeds Ornamentals at 11:00 AM

Proud Mari Marigolds

In a world of limited choices for high performance African marigolds, new Proud Mari is a refreshing addition to the species. Large fully double flowers bloom uniformly across the series, with dwarf compact plants that need little to no plant growth regulators (PGR's). Thick sturdy stems provide extra support for the large blooms that carry them from the greenhouse to the retail bench, and the plants continue to hold up beautifully both for retail displays and in gardens and containers. Try growing Proud Mari yellow, orange and mixture this season along with your other African marigolds and you make the choice. You won't be disappointed! Height: 10-12", 10-12" spread. 

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Posted by Harris Seeds Ornamentals at 10:00 AM

Growing Flowers of Hope

I woke up on Tuesday to the news of Joplin, Missouri, and the devastation they’ve recently endured. Joplin is just the latest in a string of debilitating weather this spring that has impacted vast portions of the mid-west, deep-south and south eastern parts of the U.S.

We’ve had record rainfall here in Rochester, NY, and I confess, we’ve been sighing and bemoaning the fact we can’t get our trial beds worked up or our plants put into the ground yet. Well the hand wringing stops now – because the poor spring weather we’ve experienced is inconsequential compared to the magnitude that people have endured in other parts of our country.

Recently I’ve been struggling with how to write about pretty flowers on this blog when all this devastation is going on around us. Then it occurred to me: Some of you are re-building your lives so you can’t even begin to think about flower gardening right now. But those of us who’ve been less impacted might be able to send a little cheer your way with flowers. If you know of someone who has been hurt by any of the debilitating weather this year, please consider growing them some flowers of hope this summer. It may be something as simple as growing them a few bouquets of zinnias or sunflowers. Or perhaps we can help them replant some of their gardens and include some flowers as a counter-offensive frontline of cheer.

Providing flowers for encouragement is only one of many opportunities to help. For those of us who are also vegetable gardeners, maybe we can grow a few extra vegetables to share with those who will be recouping their losses this summer. These are just a few thoughts that come to mind, I’m sure there’s lots more.

For any of my readers who’ve been hurt by this seasons destructive weather, please know my thoughts and prayers are with you. My hope is that having flowers in our lives helps to remind us all of nature’s beauty instead of its destructive power, and that life is a circle. Seeds germinate, plants grow, flowers bloom, and then new seeds are born. From every ending arises a new beginning, and with it - hope.

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Posted by Harris Seeds Ornamentals at 3:42 PM