Lovely Zinnias which I have noticed got a lot of attention from hummingbirds this year and where also very hardy through the extreme heat & dryness we experienced. Because of those qualities, I'm definitely planning on planting them again next year.
Ok, so this is really a weed but I was curious how it would grow & so I left it. It started out looking like it might be a sunflower, until the buds developed & obviously it is velvet leaf. The leaves are large & very soft; an ideal candidate for outhouse planting. Believe it or not, this plant isn't native to the US, but was brought by colonists in hopes that it could be a fiber crop. Apparently, like flax, the fibers in the stalk of the plant can be harvested & spun (of course, I will be trying this after the frost.) The seeds of the plant are also edible and can be ground into a flour. It's been fun watching the little birds perching in the branches & pecking at the seed pods. The seed pods are very nifty looking and were reportedly once used to prick pretty patterns into pastries.
-Jayne
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