The Wait for Dianthus

And a bug too!

So many colors so much beauty

Last year I planted seeds from a bag that I gathered the fall before. I had orange mini zinnias and yellow marigolds and basil.

Where did the coral come from?

making a cone of color

making a cone of green

when the plants started coming up I didn't recognize the leaf but moved the seedling around in the garden anyway. All summer I watched them grow into a clump of green spiky leaves. As winter came and things began to freeze back I was still uncertain as to what or where I got those seeds.

As the ground began to warm the green popped back out. Clumps of something I don't know what it. I decided to not till the garden. I would instead work around the returning plants and bulb planted last year and fill in with annual seeds gathered from last year.

The First bloom

.

This is what starting appearing after the last frost. I thought maybe a cone of some kind. I already knew it was a hardy plant because the frost that bit back everything else didn't seem to bother this plant at all.

Finally a bloom appears!! I've seen this before. Dianthus. how did I get those seeds? Little did I know I was about to see an explosion of beauty and color.