Tithonia: My Surprising New Love (And a SEED GIVEAWAY!)
Have you ever experimented with a plant that you were pretty sure you weren’t going to like–but ended up loving it? This is how I feel about Tithonia!
See, I’m very fussy about colors that enter my garden: If it’s red, I prefer it to be rich and dark, if it’s yellow, it can only be in tiny amounts like in patches of Bidens. With a few exceptions, I avoid magenta–I’ll allow it in rugosas but otherwise–ick. Now orange. Orange is tricky. Besides pumpkins…. ?
That’s why I was so surprised that I fell in love with Tithonia, and truth is, I only sowed the seeds on a whim, probably because I kept seeing it on Gardener’s World and if it’s good enough for Monty Don…
The seeds germinated lickety-split but then I got nervous because up came these massive leaves, and the plant just got taller and taller but no flowers.
Suddenly, they were in bloom. And, just as suddenly, it seemed every bumblebee and butterfly in the county was in my garden. The flowers were unapologetically vibrant, and surprisingly soft like the velvet on a horse’s nose. They were just the cheerfulness I needed last summer when everything about our house sale and move felt so stressful.
Tithonia (aka Mexican Sunflower) are so carefree because I did nothing but sow the seeds, really, and then walked away but they kept blooming and blooming and the garden was buzzing and fluttering for the rest of the summer because of them. I was in love.
GIVEAWAY TIME (U.S. residents only): I have an extra packet of Tithonia seeds for this spring so I will be giving those away in addition to a generous packet of poppy seeds I collected from my garden! To enter giveaway, simply leave a comment to tell me of a plant in your garden that happily surprised you, too! I’ll randomly choose a winner by March 1. GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED….Congratulations, Kate!
I’m always surprised by how prolific my cosmos produce flowers! The more you cut, the more they produce!!!
Last year I grew dwarf sunflowers… well one of them in the packet grew 8 feet tall and branched with about a dozen flowers, so much fun!
My zinnias surprised me last year with how long they lasted (first time I ever had planted them)
My daughter bought a house with a huge garden with great shrubs. But we love more flowers and are always in need for seed – we wouldbe delighted because poppies are our most liked flowers ( after roses for me) 😃😃😍💚💚
My sister gave me a Dublin Elaine daylily a few years ago. In my garden, it is a very late bloomer. It has grown so well and the bloom is so prolific, I forgive it’s barely pink, mostly apricot coloring and enjoy the sweet memory of her gift.
Last year I planted some lemon thyme as an herb. Not my favorite taste, so I let it bloom. Happy to say the bees and pollinators loved it, and it added beauty to our little veggie bed all summer and even into fall!
It would be Lantana for me. In the Himalayan foothills where I grew up, they grew wild and untamed everywhere, I didn’t ever think it was ‘garden’ material. But I did plant it in my Baltimore garden for a taste of ‘home’ and it has been lovely. I will get more this year, I’m sure.
Two or three years ago, when I was just starting to create more of a garden space where I’m currently (temporarily) at, I sowed some pretty buttercream California poppy seeds over heavy clay soil. I wasn’t sure how they would do in that area, but was hoping they might adapt as they do. I was more than surprised with prolific growth and pretty blooms all summer long the past few years, bringing lots of fat bumblebees (which my young daughter loves to watch). I suppose I don’t need to be surprised because they can adapt, but it proved to me you never know how well plants can, and do, adapt and how resilient they can be. I know they are invasive for some, but so far they aren’t taking over, just filling out their patch of soil every year!
I don’t have a garden.. YET. My plan is to get a spot picked out and going soon. I tried to grow some rhubarb, roses from my grams garden, bee balm.. nothing took. I was extremely discouraged.
Surprise…my rose plants are all in pots…with no sunflowers anywhere in sight or in any garden for miles, a sunflower was suddenly growing in each of 2 pots. Made and kept me happy all last summer…
I’m still creating a yard out of neglected weedy, blackberry covered chaos. Sooo many blackberry brambles! It’s only this spring that I am ready to start planting something on purpose. One plant that popped up on its own last year had these pretty little delicate yellow and black flowers so I left it alone to see what it was and what it would do. It turned out to be ground cherry (like a little tomatillo). I was quite surprised that it randomly appeared and delighted to learn of a new vegetable. I’ll be purposefully planing it when I get the garden in.
I have such a terrible black thumb, but somehow, magically, delphinium grow so wonderfully for me and with such ease. I have those giant beasts all over my garden now and greet them like old friends every summer! I’ll have to give Tithonia a try and see if the seeds will be “easy” for me as well. Thanks for the suggestion.
I have been happy with how my lavender has grown and multiplied.
Thank you all for leaving comments and sharing your garden surprises! I loved hearing from you and so appreciate this community of gardeners.
Kate, you’re the winner of the seeds, congratulations! I’ll be in touch for your address…. 🙂
~Laurie