We have had so much rain this year that our backyard has looked very swampy at times! It really is mind-blowing that all the water drains and everything returns to normal. Iv’e been reading this Winter is predicted to be a rough one, guess we will find out soon enough!

Rain sure brings beautiful, blooming flowers. I think mine have been showing off lately! Living in the part of the country where Winter can seem to last forever, it makes you grateful for sunshine! 🍁

This is the first time I have grown Friendship Sage (Salvia Amistad) and man! It has been phenomenal! The hummingbirds have been swarming it so much I wish I planted more. The branches are so strong that it’s almost more shrub-like in appearance. This salvia gives off beautiful, violet colored blooms but I would recommend staking the branches as it grows. It can get a little top-heavy. I’ll be growing this again!

Mystic Illusion Dahlia‘s chocolate foliage and yellow blooms was a plant I was super excited to try. Although the mounding habit was impressive, it didn’t bloom as much as I thought it would. Next year I will choose a spot with more sun as I think it received too much shade here. Still a very pretty plant that I have loved growing.

Rose Glow Lantana has surprised me this year! It was one of those plants I neglected for the first half of the Summer and it seemed to prefer that. It is super striking… I can see the colors all the way from my kitchen. I think it should be renamed Strawberry Banana Lantana!

These are the plants I’m looking forward to growing next year:

Mammoth Dill

Supertunia Vista Snow Drift

Echinacea

Hydrangea

Zinnia

Coco Marigold

Bluebonnet

What do you like to grow? Do you prefer growing from seed or buying flowers at the garden center?

Blessings, Jolie 🌼