Show your Summer Annual Blooms

What is that called, date_a_gardener?

King Red Zinnia and a dinner guest...

Red celosia and dahlias

Here is one of two containers I have of wax (fibrous) begonias on my front porch -- the only annuals I have.

Vesey's Zig Zag zinnia...

Hi guys! I'm new here but this year I've become a zinnia lover too...here are some I grew from seed.
Rob

These are a few of my summer flowers. I love them all, no favorites right now...

Anybody like Black Eyed Susans? BEV

Still going strong in mid October.
Black Pearl

Tried a closeup,but I chopped its poor head off.Sorry for the awful picture.I'm practicing.

This message was edited Oct 25, 2008 2:55 PM

The season isn't over yet here either, Ibrabec

Dale,
Not fair...teasing.^_^ Your season lasts all year!!!

Lynn

On a serious note,how cold does it get in Tampa? Do you have to bring tender plants in for the winter?

Lynn

Last year, in January we had a frost, it lasted about 45 minutes. It got down to 30. First frost at my house since 1999. I am 1 1/2 blocks from the bay. My front step is 10' above mean sea level.

I love your pictures as always.So it looks like most anything but tropicals will live outside for you.Sigh......
Lynn

Tropicals do great outside here>

Ibrabec: I, too, get a case of zone envy when I see the beautiful flowers in Florida. But remember, we have some advantages like lack of months on end of oppressive heat and humidity. Then add hurricaines, flooding, droughts, wildfires...not to mention those roaches the size of aircraft carriers... and northern climates buried in snow for a couple of months a year look better and better. Works perfectly for me and my wintersowing anyway ;-) Sometimes, you just have to search for that proverbial silver lining.

Karen

You're right Karen.If I lived in Florida I'd probably be envying people in tropical rain forests.LOL

Lynn

Karen, did you know those roaches can fly? We call them Wood Roaches, beause they usually hide out in the woods, but, any pile of leaves will do.

ugh! Gives me goosebumps to think about those things!

The only thing that gives me goosebumps is my ex....

Ha!

Gorgeous coleus dale.

I started a few from cuttings in fall. Doubt they'll make it through winter though because there's just no good light available. Well, that and the fact that our house is cold and dry all winter.

Karen

Oh,Dale,You are entertaining me again.
For someone who loves plants,I hate bugs.Even the best ones,like bees (gasp) spiders and wasps, sometimes get to me,especially if there are more than 2 or 3 on a plant.
No thanks to flying roaches or palmetto bugs.June bugs are bad enough!!

My son,who now lives in San Antonio,loves to torment me with pictures and tales of scorpions,black widow spiders,and centipedes.He has been stung by scorpions a couple of times.When he was in Saudi Arabia,all I heard about were camel spiders that are huge and jump.He even sent me a huge scorpion,dead and enclosed in a glass case.Now,one of the TV channels keeps advertising a show about spiders big enough to attack dogs.Help......!! Lynn

Moths are harmless>

Moths produce caterpillars. Some caterpillars are good, like monarchs. Some produce plant-destroying cats.

I've come to coexist peacefully with most bugs in my garden. I like my bees, and butterflies, I tolerate spiders and many others. I try to stay organic and don't use pesticides. Milkweed bugs still gross me out though, probably because they arrive by the gazillions. And they destroy my butterfly weed seeds.

Bugs in my house are another matter.

Karen