Infill plants round out late August garden

    

This is the 'Sunbuzz' sunflower to replace a dead Zinnia.
The purple Celosia is a bee magnet.

    The garden in front of our house -- arguably the most visible one -- looked a little scraggly.

    A giant Zinnia had died in the center of the space and there was an opening at one end. 

    I sought to in-fill the emptiness with two annuals bought on sale: A Celosia, which blooms into the Autumn, and a small, "Sunbuzz" sunflower. Both were inexpensive: One was featured at Green Thumbers and one at Menard's, both in Davenport.

    The sunflower is as cute as a button; it is advertised as a "tidy little plant, with long-lasting color," and is expected to grow about 20 inches tall, which is perfect center-of-the-garden size. It could be used in a planter, but I have it in the sunny mid-garden space. It's fun to watch the little sunflower heads follow the sunshine and it's alluring to pollinators.

    Speaking of pollinators, that's also the case with the Celosia. It also likes full sunlight and may grow 18 inches high. This plant attracted butterflies and bees even before I got it in the ground.

    Our home garden design is a riot of flowers in tropical colors. I am influenced by trips to the south, including the Caribbean, where many of our summer flowers can be seen in the wild.

    It does bother me to have wide spaces without plants so I try to find something, such as another plant or a garden decoration. 

    Infill plants like the purple Celosia and yellow sunflowers add color, texture, and interest to the overall effect. 

    There's room for all these annuals. Why not plant them?


    

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