Sept. 19 Column: Annual Flowers that beat the heat

As most of you already know, it was a tough summer for most garden plants here in Spokane, Wash. Yet the big surprise for me was how well our annual flowers performed under such adverse conditions. That’s the topic for my garden column, which you can read in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Flowers that can stand the heat and flourish. (or you can read the text of my column underneath the below)

As a longtime Spokane County Master Gardener and writer, I’ve always felt my role is to share what I’ve learned. Since many gardeners enjoy growing flowers, I wanted to detail which annual flowers that survived rough conditions. Extreme heat (up to 114 degrees F.), exceptional drought conditions, and horrible wildfire smoke were all part of our summer.

In my column, you’ll find my variety recommendations for the types of flowers I’ve been so impressed with. Perhaps you’ll consider adding them to your garden next year.

Also, don’t miss this week’s video, which is below my column!

Annual flowers column:

Much of my vegetable garden really struggled through this summer’s heat and dry conditions. Yet there were many annual flowers that came through it like champs. Everywhere I looked, I was greeted with colorful plants that repeatedly reassured me, “we’ve got this.”

I started taking note of these “bombproof” flowers in our landscape. One reason was because I thought it would be nice to share the standouts with you. These plants survived and even excelled in the conditions that were thrown their way. That told me they deserved to be planted again and again. All of the following plants are annuals, meaning they grow, bloom, set seed and die in a single growing season.

Zinnias

I think the zinnias should be awarded first prize. They didn’t wilt in the heat and brightened their surroundings with nonstop blooms. I grew ‘Queeny Lime Orange’, ‘Green Envy’, ‘Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor’ and ‘Benary’s Giant’ from seed. They all were fantastic. Zinnias also make great cut flowers. That helped since I seemed to be stuck indoors a lot, while hiding out from the smoke and intense heat.

Gloriosa daisies

If you’re looking for really striking blossoms, consider growing Gloriosa daisies. I’ve grown ‘Cherokee Sunset’ and ‘Indian Summer’ in the past. ‘Sahara’ is my new go-to favorite. The flower colors range from buttery yellow and copper to dusty rose. As an added bonus, the plants are even deer resistant.

Cosmos

‘Cupcakes’ cosmos has been a favorite of mine for three years running. Despite their delicate foliage and blossoms, they didn’t suffer any ill effects.

Flowers for hummingbirds

This spring, I planted a large deck container with some hummingbird favorites. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how well they grew. I chose red-flowered plants that would draw in my favorite little bird friends. They definitely accomplished that purpose. A bright red canna lily (‘Cannova Bronze Scarlet’) is the centerpiece of the pot. It’s surrounded by ‘Americana Coral’ geraniums and ‘Vermillionaire’ firecracker plants (Cuphea). The hummingbirds visit each of these plants every few minutes. That tells me the flowers are providing them with plenty of nectar.

I should mention that the canna lily is actually a summer-flowering bulb that grows from a rhizome. It is very easy to overwinter the bulbs in a box indoors. Then you can plant them outside again after the danger of frost has passed. That’s a great way to enjoy them year after year.

Marigolds

‘Big Duck Yellow’ marigolds had a place of honor in our veggie garden. They are a large-flowered variety with lush foliage and grow about 15 inches tall. I’ve often heard marigolds will repel insects with their pungent scent and decided to put them to work.

The year of the sunflower

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the sunflowers that have been gracing our vegetable garden since mid-May. I planted ‘Red Sun’, ‘Mammoth Grey Stripe’ and ‘Italian White’. The National Garden Bureau proclaimed 2021 to be the “Year of the Sunflower.” I’m pretty sure my plants knew it. My goals for them were to add color to the garden, attract pollinators and provide seeds for the birds. It turns out the sunflowers took advantage of their elevated status this year by growing about 12 feet tall. They’ve brought a smile to my face every day. Well, that and occasionally some concern over whether they’re intending to take over the planet.

This week’s video:

In this week’s video, Bill harvested the first half of our sweet potato crop. That was pretty exciting! We garden in zone 5b so this is a big deal for us. The first harvest came in at 26 pounds. Bill just dug up the other bed of sweet potatoes, which was located in our little hoop house. We forgot to weigh them but it was about the same amount, so we now have over 50 pounds to savor over the coming months. Here’s the video from the first harvest: