Now this is a really, really hard decision. I absolutely love zinnias, and my garden is full of them. Marigolds are true workhorses, starting their bloom early, carrying on through the heat of summer, and still going even in the fall. When you come right down to it, it is just plain hard to go wrong with a flower--any flower at all.
I probably should've broken this class down further into perennials and maybe bulbs. But even if I did, as much as I love lilies (yes, my garden is full of them too; day lilies, orientals, Asiatics, trumpets, and hybrids like orien-pets), I think the end result would still be the same.
My choice for this category is the Italian White Sunflower. This is a true triple duty plant. It flowers well, attracts bees and butterflies, and really draws in the birds (particularly goldfinches) by the score. And boy does it flower. If you just counted number of blooms over a season, I don't think anything else would beat it. Hot or cold, wet or dry, it just doesn't matter--once these babies start blooming, they don't stop (do you notice a common theme here?)
The flowers themselves are quite pretty; about 3 inches in diameter, creamy white, often with a yellow ring at the center around black seed core. They are born on long stems that last a long time in the vase. And did I mention the finches love it?
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