OK, so maybe it's a bit early in the season to be announcing my favorite annual of the year but I'm going to do it anyway!
I'd have to say that 'Persian Carpet' mix Zinnias wins the contest hands down. The attached photos are just some of the color combinations that came in this seed mix and they are absolutely a delight.
The plants were really easy to grow and have a mounding growth habit. Most plants are about a foot tall but the flowers rise above that. The blossoms range from 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" in diameter and last a really long time. I like that in a flowering plant because I don't always have time to deadhead the spent flowers. Be sure to click on each photo if you'd like to view a larger, more detailed image.
You can find seeds for these zinnias very easily. I bought mine at Johnny's Select Seeds but a quick web search shows that you can also find them at Park Seed, Botanical Interest, Seeds of Change and Territorial Seeds. You'll find links to each of these online companies on my "Links" page. If you live in the Spokane area, you should be able to locate them at Northwest Seed & Pet as well.
So tell me what you think of this annual -- do you like what you see? Write a comment on this post or drop me an email at inthegarden@live.com.
