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February 6th 2014

GIVEAWAY!!!

Written by
Floret

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Remember that monster Celosia trial we conducted here last summer!? The one that included fifty nine varieties?

Well, a few weeks ago I sat down and compiled all of my notes, photos and findings into two whopping articles which can be found in the latest issues of Growing For Market magazine. I dished the good, the bad and the “I’ll never grow that again”, plus shared my favorite fifteen of the bunch.

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The first issue in the series arrived in my mailbox today and I thought it would be a fun little treat to do a giveaway. I have seven copies to share and if you’d like to win one, enter below by telling me your favorite high summer flower. Winners will be chosen Sunday night and announced bright and early Monday morning. Good luck!

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**p.s. my apologies on the blog silence this past week. Two sick kiddos, a major writing deadline and life stuff got in the way of well laid plans. I’ll be back tomorrow with the low down on Snapdragons so stay tuned.

106 Comments

  1. Marguerite on

    They aren’t fancy, but I am partial to the Black Eyed Susans that come up voluntarily in our fields.

    Reply
  2. Full Bloom Flower Farm on

    This year was my first growing celosia and I have to admit I romantically fell in love with the flower. It is my favorite along with limelight salvia.

    Reply
  3. Betsy on

    Zinnias, calla lilies, Love lies bleeding :-)

    Reply
  4. Jennie on

    Zinnias and Daisies! Love how they smile at the sun.

    Reply
  5. Carrie on

    Last year was our first year growing cut flowers for market . I was in love with all the flowers we grew, but I loved the giant, colorful zinnias which always delighted onlookers and we’re long lasting in bouquets. Thank you for being a true inspiration to us new flower growers in Nasville, Tennessee! We’ll keep the summer flowers dreaming!

    Reply
  6. Signa Curry on

    So many to choose from but the one that comes to mind first is Cosmos. It’s my father’s favorite and was my grandmother’s as well. She often said it reminded her of “home” (Sweden). I love the array of colors, the way they turn their faces towards the sun, and the way they dance in the breeze. I filled a too difficult to mow hill by the road with handfuls of seeds and had the prettiest front yard on the street!

    Reply
  7. Ellen on

    I love snapdragons, of all heights. I pinch them when I first plant them to encourage more blossoms. They group well with larkspur and lavendar and they are the last flowers I pick in Autumn here in Wisconsin for my traditional mini bouquets all over the house, in celebration of the passing summer.

    Reply
  8. Jen on

    My life long favorite summer flower is black eyed susan… they remind me of my mama.

    Reply
  9. Hedgerow Rose on

    Ooh! Count me in on this one.
    My favorite high-summer annual is probably the zinnia. I like to experiment with different varieties and blends each season but I think the best is still Cut & Come Again.

    Reply
  10. Lydia on

    Very hard to choose a fav, but probably Dahlias for summer… If my baby had been a girl, Dahlia would have been her name, had a boy instead though!

    Reply
  11. Nicole on

    Really…this is so hard to pick…I love lavender, gomphrenia…because they just fill in space so great in an arrangement, and maybe I am crazy but plain and simple QAL. I love being able to walk outside and find the lovely lady growing just about everywhere here in PA, a big handfull can really bring life to a room.

    Reply
  12. Jennifer Logan on

    I will say zinnias, but I am equally excited when my Limelight hydrangeas and garden phlox start blooming…and coneflowers and agastache, rudbekia and Veronica…can’t pick only one!

    Reply
  13. Amy Miller on

    I have a sprawling peachy-pink quartered heirloom rose by my front door that just goes gangbusters in mid to late June and lasts for weeks. It is something that I look forward to seeing all year long and it often surprises me with a second flush of blooms in the fall. It smells like Meyer lemons – a definite bonus to an already gorgeous bloom!

    Reply
  14. Zoe on

    I love a bright stand of strawflower, crispy and dry like my California summers. Like little buttons when they’re closed, and I love their fuzzy centers when they open up!

    Reply
  15. Heather on

    In my northern climate, I am lucky to get lavender to survive year to year. When it does, and I am rewarded with flowers, nothing smells sweeter.

    Reply
  16. Amy on

    Roses and more roses. . . oh, you meant something else. Okay, Gladiolus, then.

    Reply
  17. Robin Lensi on

    Without a double I love Snapdragons! Thank you for your blog! Love your posts and pictures.

    Reply
  18. Barbara Schneider on

    Love your blog- Hard to choose a favorite- it would be between zinnias and dahlias!

    Reply
  19. webb on

    Lilies, of course. Not so easy to arrange, so dahlias get the second vote.

    Reply
  20. corinne on

    favorite peak summer flower, celosia of corse!

    Reply
  21. Chelsey on

    My favorite is Celosia! I never saw such incredible varieties like the ones in your picture in 8 years in a flower shop!

    Reply
  22. Lindsay on

    Picking one favorite flower is like asking me which one of my kids is my favorite!!! But if you are forcing me, I will pick dahlias. Thank you :)

    Reply
  23. Yelena Shumakova on

    Hydrangeas, delphinium, and for flower baskets – petunias!

    Reply
  24. Laura F. on

    Day lillies! My momma’s favorite, so I will always have them in my garden.

    Reply
  25. kim Smith on

    Cosmos, and Hydrangeas,and Delphiniums,,,oh my!

    Reply
  26. Barbara on

    Peonies, Peonies, Peonies! I actually have peonies from my great grandmother’s garden and my mother’s wedding bouquet were from those same plants…..Such a wonderfully warm connection to such beautiful plants!

    Reply
  27. Emma on

    Dahlias! There is a dahlia farm nearby to us and we love going there and running through the rows of colour and coming away with armfuls of blooms

    Reply
  28. Shelley on

    I can’t pick just one.

    Reply
  29. Janet on

    Love roses, but always amazed by dahlias..

    Reply
  30. Karina on

    The Bee Balm in my garden puts on a lovely, fragrant show. I’m constantly amazed by their form and color.

    Reply
  31. Mary anne on

    Any dahlias! Love their no fuss, plant and watch them grow!
    Love that they come in different colors, heights, sizes and shape. The non-stop produce of happines from summer to early fall. Who would not love dahlias?

    Reply
  32. Rondi Anderson on

    Lily of the Valley, hands down. It reminds me of my mother!

    Reply
  33. Joanne on

    Hard to choose. I love them all. They all have good and bad characteristics. If having to choose would say Foxglove. They are so complicated yet so simple.

    Reply
  34. Marlys on

    I can’t get enough Cosmos!

    Reply
  35. Annette on

    It’s such a hard choice but cosmos were the first that sprung to mind.

    Reply
  36. Evee M on

    I love the Ruffled California Poppies, they are like pieces of the sunset that fell to the ground.

    Reply
  37. Michael Wells on

    Big fan of Amazon Dianthus, love that it will actually produce in the heat. Loving your blog, and very excited to hear about our Celosia trial.

    Reply
  38. TANIS on

    Too many favorites, but my new favorite and fun cut is the Amaranth ‘dreadlocks’…very cool

    Reply
  39. Bethany Karn on

    Dahlias, dahling! Lemon Tart, Jitterbug and Boogey Nights are sweet, but then they all are. thanks for another fun give-away!

    Reply
  40. Jessie Herdes on

    My high summer favorite would have to be David Phlox…the white one. It grows tall and blooms in late July early August and has the sweetest scent and glows in the moonlight, wonderful in arangements too. :-)

    Reply
  41. Kari on

    Hollyhocks remind me of summers at my grandmas house!

    Reply
  42. sarah on

    How beautiful all the celosia!! They are one of my favorites along with zinnias. Both do great in the heat of summer down in Virginia.

    Reply
  43. Erin on

    I love so many, but if I had to choose it would be garden roses and dahlia and foxglove. Oh and snapdragons, delphiniums, sunflowers, and clematis. I love them all! Can’t choose!

    Reply
  44. Lauren on

    Sweet, happy zinnias are the first thing that popped into my brain! I immediately taste lemonade, feel the heat of sun, and smell sweet grass. Pure and simple, the face of summertime.

    Reply
  45. Theresa on

    I absolutely love cockscombs! My favorite are the pale green ones. Every summer I get some giant praying mantises living in them, so I know they love ’em too!

    Reply
  46. Amy on

    I Love a cottage garden…Delphinium or Lupine are my favorites!

    Reply
  47. Flowers By Chloe on

    Gooseneck lysimachia grown by R + J of Bindweed in ID. I try to use it in everything. I can’t get enough of it.

    Reply
  48. Sajina sunil on

    As a child my Amma(mama) taught to draw smiley sunflower=Happiness. Though I love all flowers ,my mind always voted sunflower as the queen of all flowers.
    Sunflower+vase= cheers.

    Reply
  49. Stephanie Leonard on

    I would have to say Cosmos. One of the first flowers I started planting from seed in the beginning of my gardening journey. Years later I still save room for them in my garden. The are virtually indestructible and tolerate some serious fluctuations that Illinois weather can sometimes bring. They bloom forever too and are oh so simple and beautiful.

    Reply
  50. Elizabeth blecha on

    Favorite summer flower? So many favorites, but peonies are on the top of my list!

    Reply
  51. Jonathan Leiss on

    I’m in love with tithonia but find it difficult to work with because the stems break. I’d have to say tuberose — not as much to look at but the scent says it all.

    Reply
  52. Emily on

    Cosmos! But I always love the humble marigold and nasturtium.

    Reply
  53. Sharon on

    In recent years, my favorite high summer flower has been the deep maroon, almost black hollyhock nigra. The bees love them. Any tips on cutting/conditioning hollyhocks for bouquets? Mine wilt almost immediately.

    Reply
  54. Kim Thomas on

    I would have to say.. Oriental lilies

    Reply
  55. Lisa on

    Hands down Zinnias. I love them all, but Zins are my favorite Summer flower.

    Reply
  56. Laurie Pye on

    My new favourite is a toss up between crocosmia and sea holly. Choosing a favourite is like picking up leaves in the fall, I think I have my favourite in my hand until I stroll along and see yet another ;)

    Reply
  57. Gina Spinks on

    I would have to say zinnias — even over my heirloom roses.

    Reply
  58. Emily on

    Lavender and peonies are my favorites, and I still have a lot to learn about all the other beautiful flowers out there!

    Reply
  59. Alexandra Jusino on

    Hands down….. Dahlias! We grow zinnias but in my garden in the summer, it’s dahlias all the way! Til the first hard frost.

    Reply
  60. Andrea Clemens on

    I can’t lie, crested celosias are my favorite summer bloom! The bright, brilliant colors pull me in every time. Not to mention how long-lasting they are. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise with us!

    Reply
  61. Natalie on

    Peonies! (or maybe irises.) :)

    Reply
  62. Diane Miller on

    It is toss up being obsessed between the showy garden rose and the big showy Annabelle hydrangea

    Reply
  63. Lisa on

    Little button box zinnias. They’re adorable!

    Reply
  64. Martha Farner on

    My favorite summer flowers are Sunflowers and Bright Pink Zinnias.

    Reply
  65. Krishnabai on

    Anything and everything colorful! but I had a dream about dahlias last night – so I must be missing those the most!

    Reply
  66. Carole on

    Love my sunflowers in high summer, but if I had to pick, it would be Benary’s Giant Lime Green. Beautiful!

    Reply
  67. Danielle on

    Gomphrenas of all varieties are my summer favorite because they just keep on blooming. And flame acanthus, Anisacanthus quadrifidus, because it attracts the humming birds!

    Reply
  68. Joshua Blades on

    Definitely Sunflowers! They symbolize summer so perfectly and they are such a great cut flower, they are such a show stopper to. As well they are a food plant for us and the birds (our chickens included) They really do provide well. They are always worth the effort, and there are always fun new varieties to try out!

    Reply
  69. sandyharsh on

    Love reading everyone’s favorites! I’ll have to look some of them up. My favorite is blue hydrangeas. They remind me of my Dad’s garden.

    Reply
  70. Morgan on

    Foxgloves hands down! The photos in this article are GORGE!

    Reply
  71. Kerri on

    Delphiniums. And/or monkshood.

    Reply
  72. Susan McBride on

    I love Knautia….but I’m just growing Celosia for the first time and would love to read your article!

    Reply
  73. Kathy Hirdler on

    The lilies are definitely my favorites, all of them. They have such impact in the garden and in a bouquet.

    Reply
  74. Ashleigh vk on

    My favorite is the Dahlia and Zinna. I am hoping to grow more variety in my garden this year. Hope I win!!!

    Reply
  75. Alek Parkinson on

    I love love love pink and orange scented echinacea, hot pink bee balm, the rainbow array of yarrow, curling gooseneck loosestrife, pineapple salvia, and so many more in high summer. What’s not to love about any flower in high summer, unless it stings haha. Celosia is definitely a lovely one as well, with so many colors, shapes, and sizes, it keeps things interesting in my bouquets all the way into October!

    Reply
  76. Jenn Henry on

    Hydrangea Preziosa – I look forward to it every summer because it changes through the season from July to September starting out in pale pink morphing to purples and blues and by fall becomes a maroon. Makes it quite versatile for arranging with all of summers other stunners – Zinns, dahlias, and sweet garden roses.

    Reply
  77. elizabeyta on

    I have a heritage rose that blooms all summer long. That scent!

    Reply
  78. elizabeyta on

    I have heritage roses that bloom all summer. Their scent! But sometimes it is just what is happiest at the moment.

    Reply
  79. Tian on

    It’s hard to decide, but I particularly like hydrangeas and columbine!

    Reply
  80. Yara on

    I love dahlias and the endless variety they offer.
    Chocolate cosmos are a very close second.

    Reply
  81. Steve DuBois on

    Hmmm too many to choose from – I’ll have to go with a hoophouse FULL of Lisianthus. Or maybe the Cosmos and Gomphrena….wait make it the waves of Zinnias and Brown eyed Susans. Nah I’ll stick with the Lizzies! That’s my final answer until I change my mind………

    Reply
  82. LeeAnn on

    My favorite summer flower is the humble zinnia, in particular, a unknown variety which I collected seeds from a friends garden a few years ago. It’s a baby pink color with large +3” blooms with a hundred petals in each blossom. It grows tall with sturdy stems. I call it Baby Girl. It comes back true to form every year!

    Reply
  83. Jesi on

    I am originally from southwest Florida, so for me, it is gardenias. I love them so much and miss them! Any tips on growing them here in the Seattle area, or is it a lost cause?

    Thank you for the giveaway!

    Reply
  84. Jody on

    Sunflowers, Celosia and Coneflowers,Phlox,. I love them all really!

    Reply
  85. Penelope R on

    Well, given that I just found you and you helped me with my very first ever growing effort….I am going to say…the sweetpeas that I *am* going to be successful at growing this summer!!! Close seconds, a tie with hydrangeas and black-eyed susans.

    Reply
  86. redbrickbuilding on

    At the very height of summer, it’s lilies all the way for me – the more deeply fragrant, the better.

    Reply
  87. Robert on

    Love-Lies-Bleeding. I am a small flower farmer.This would be an awesome surprise if I were chosen.

    Reply
  88. shanon on

    Errrrm, it’s really hard to narrow down and as soon as I think I’ve done so something else will pop into my head! Always zinnias. But I also really love delphinium and phlox. Well, and a million other flowers… But I’ll go with those today. :)

    Reply
  89. Kelly Mendenhall on

    It has to be the locally grown lavender for me here in CO…

    Reply
  90. Kelly on

    So exciting!! I really want to give celosia a try this year-my favorite really is hydrangeas and crocosmia ‘lucifer’!! They really add something to an arrangement!

    Reply
  91. Ashley Malcolm on

    Celosias are a favorite, as well as zinnias. They produce so many blossoms of beautiful color all summer, its hard not to enjoy them. I just have a hard time picking them enough!

    Reply
  92. Leanne on

    Maybe it’s cheesy but I’d have to say sunflowers. They’re a sure sign of the heat!

    Reply
  93. Beth S on

    It’s hard to pick a favorite, but in high summer I can’t keep my eyes off of the sunflowers. Dahlias are a very close second. Mmmm, that kind of summer color feels far away with the snow outside right now! Before we know it…

    Reply
  94. Lindsey M on

    Love peonies and hydrangea! We have a lot of family memories with peonies and the hydrangrea is always in bloom around my birthday! I also love to make arrangements incorporating our hydrangea and other garden foilage to give away as gifts to our friends!

    Reply
  95. Jessica Douglass on

    I love the red torch mexican sunflower from Baker Creek Seeds. I had success last year even after a huge rain knocked them down!

    Reply
  96. Martin Bakker on

    My favorite high summer flower? Tough choice as there are so many! Erm… it is a close call between Cosmos and Sweet peas but I think Sweet peas will have to be the winner! Just can’t beat that scent can you? And some of the colours are just out of this world! Sweet peas it is! x

    Reply
  97. Stacy on

    Hard to choose.
    I love dahlia’s but zinnia’s are right up there. So much color and fun petals!

    Reply

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