Zinnias

I started a few zinnias in the house this spring and they are starting to bloom in the garden. I think starting them inside gave them a good boost, and they are very sturdy plants now. They like the hot, sunny, dry weather we have been having, and the flowers colours are really vibrant.  I find zinnias are prone to disease and insect damage, but this year they are not being affected by either.

 

 Some of the pansies in pots are still doing well.  This plant started out as white with a dark purple splotch, but is now turning to a lovely lavender with dark purple.

 The dry weather is not bothering the rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert rose. In fact, it usually has little caterpillars that chew on the buds but this year I am not seeing them. This rose has an irregular plant shape that gets rather messy, but it has a lovely fragrance.

 The Chinese delphinium surprised me by coming up again. It's can be pretty floppy but the flowers are a lovely rich blue.
The weather is not so hot now, but we really need some good rainfalls. They are predicting some rain this week so here's hoping they are right.