pink flowers

Zinnias are among my favorite flowers. I just love their cheery blooms! They are one of the easiest flowers to grow—at least for me. They make lovely flower arrangements and once the plants start blooming they just keep right on blooming till cold weather.

Zinnias come in a variety of colors. Most of mine are different shades of pink and red. Someone shared some seeds with me that produced green blooms. I planted them back at the beginning of the summer, but a heavy rain washed them all away.

I replanted the area with other zinnia seeds sometime in late June. They are just now beginning to really bloom.

There’s a house over in Blairsville, GA that always has a long thick row of zinnias planted in their garden. I’ve noticed it for years and always marvel at how pretty and neat the flowers are.

Granny always grew zinnias and my grandmothers did too, but they called them old maids. For some reason I’ve never really called them by that name, but I think I’ll start doing just that.

Last night’s video: Cleaning Out the Snakey Flowerbed & Planting Onions.

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22 Comments

  1. Tipper, This year I have zinnias AND NASTURTIUMS. I tried my luck and they are beautiful! In one of your features you mentioned them and they sparked another good memory of when I was a little girl and my Mother gave me nasturtium seeds for my own little flower garden and they were such a delight! They are also a delight this year to this grown up older lady now. Pretty flowers never lose their charm and I just love them. The Butterflies love them too. It thrills my heart to see pretty flowers blooming and it feels like they are “talking” to me in a kind way saying “I’m here, look at my beauty, enjoy, for every good and perfect gift is from Above.” God is so Good to give us such love and beauty to enjoy. Flowers are pretty here but sometimes I just wonder how beautiful the flowers in Heaven must be like. What a mighty, wonderful God we serve! He has all kinds of beautiful creations for us here and in the Hereafter. I’m Praying for Granny, she’s another friend that I haven’t met but I still love. She has a beautiful singing voice. I just love to hear her sing. What a blessing. Love to you all always.

  2. I planted Zinnias for the first time this year. At first I wasn’t that impressed with them but then they really took off near the end of July and now they look amazing. Tipper, I really like the color of the one that you shared in the above photo. I ended up with white, yellow, and red Zinnias. The pollinators really enjoy them and I’m impressed with how they just keep on blooming. I had no idea that they were also called old maids! I continue to pray for Granny and your family. Thank you for continuing to share a little bit of Appalachia with all of us.

  3. To me, a flower is a flower I only know the names of a few, I do know a rose bush when I see one! I ran through/over one when I was a barefoot and shirtless boy chasing after a fly baseball. My mother and grandmother’s all had their yards full of flowers. My mother loved her her African violets the most.

  4. I think the previous generations were prone to calling them Old Maids. I know that my Grandma called them that and probably my mom too. I’m like you Tipper, I like Old Maids. Probably because they’re one of the few flowers that I know that I can recognize when I see them.

  5. GOOD MORNING MATT & TIPPER,
    YOUR FLOWER BED LOOKS GREAT, THE ZINNIAS, OLD MAIDS ARE BEAUTIFUL. I REALLY LOVE THEM, BOTH MY GRANDMAS GREW “OLD MAIDS”. I’VE CALLED THEM OLD MAIDS MOST OF MY LIFE. I THINK I JUST LOVE THE OLD FASHIONED FLOWERS BECAUSE I’M SO SENTIMENTAL. IN YOUR LAST BLIND PIG VIDEO, YOU AND MATT TALKED ABOUT MATT BEING CALLED FOR JURY DUTY. I WAS CALLED TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO, FEDERAL COURT, WHICH WAS IN MACON, GA. I HAD ALREADY PASSED 70 YEARS OLD AND IN GEORGIA YOU’RE NOT REQUIRED TO SERVE ON JURY DUTY AFTER THAT AGE. I THINK IT’S 70 YEARS OLD. SO THAT’S SOMETHING MATT MIGHT HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO. I DON’T KNOW THE RULES IN NORTH CAROLINA. BUT Y’ALL ARE STILL YOUNG AND IT’LL BE A WHILE BEFORE YOU GET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT RULE. I GOT THE INGREDIENTS YESTERDAY TO MAKE YOUR CARROT SALAD. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO EATING IT. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS.
    Near Athens, Georgia

  6. Yes they have beautiful colors and they do make a beautiful arrangement for your table. Have you any purple buttons. They are a beautiful bright purple button . I am getting me some seeds of these. I love em so much. I love flowers. Their are just a part if God’s beauty. Tell Granny hi and we’re still praying for her.

  7. The butterflies love the zinnias I planted. The joyful fluttering around the bright colors draw the eye away from the backdrop of green. Unfortunately the deer flutter around them also.

  8. My mother grew flowers. This morning’s post has got me trying to remember what she called them. So far I have,

    Old Maids

    Bachelor Buttons

    October Pinks

    Rooster Combs

    Touch-Me-Nots

    Black-eyed Susans

    Sweet Peas

    Sweet Williams

    Dallies

    Sultanas

    Asters

    African Violets

    It’s 10:30 AM now and that’s my list of her flowers so far. I’m sure I’ll think of more throughout the day. If you asked me to identify her flowers by name, I couldn’t! I remember the flowers, I remember the names she had for them but to match names to blooms, I couldn’t. The one I do remember isn’t by the bloom but by the root, dallie (dahlia?) taters. She dug the roots and stored them just like arsh and sweet taters.

  9. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard zinnias called old maids. They are my choice of flowers to plant in a large area that used to be a garden that I don’t want to mow. I mix the cactus zinnias with California Giants and they are such a sight to see. When a low-flying plane circled the farm several times last year, my sister said they are just looking at the flowers. I ordered close to 100,000 seeds in early spring and sowed them right before we had over a week of heavy rain. Needless to say they did not germinate. I miss the old maids this year!

  10. Zinnias are beautiful! So many varieties, so many colors! My Mom always had them in her flower gardens, too! I am praying for your Mom, the doctor’s wisdom, you guys, and most of all that God’s plan of action in healing your Mom is revealed to everyone.

    Donna. : )

  11. I too love zinnias because my momma would plant them in her flower row in the vegetable garden. Every time I smell one, it takes me back to those tender days as a young girl living in the country. I sure do miss my momma, and her flower row. I too have seen that row of zinnias over toward Blairsville, just beautiful. Praying for Granny. Tell her I pray she has a sweet day in her mountains.

  12. I am gradually becoming more of a flower gardener. One reason has been transplanting yard surprises to safety from the lawnmower. Another reason has been dealing with stump holes. And this year I planted marigolds in the cells in the concrete block ‘wall’ of my garden beds just trying to make use of the opportunity. I have (and will have?) marigolds all over the garden. And I planted sunflowers to which the gold finches always find and help seed. Years ago I planted morning glories and now I have an almost super- abundance of them. This year I had to dig up 4 o clocks, a ‘mystery’ rose and some iris I had planted some years ago. I have planted zinnias and need to again. I’ll have to remember.

  13. Zinnias have always been a favorite of mine. They are so beautiful and simple. Prayers for all! Take care and God bless ❣️

  14. We called zinnias old maid as well. It sometime is strange how labels continue on through the ages. Tell Granny we are praying and thinking about her. I do love to hear the stories you share with us about days gone my. God Bless you guys.

  15. My first raised bed I planted with a large variety of mixed zinnias. They grew at least 4 to 5 feet tall and had enormous flower heads. That bed was so beautiful and also provided me with cut flowers for indoors all summer and fall. The leaves always got some kind of mold and I was told to use a fungicide, which I never did because the mold had no effect on the flowers. They’ve always been one of my favorites, mold or not!

  16. Zinnias are beautiful! I grew some in my garden last year for the first time ever. They were stunning! Since we just did tubs this year I didn’t plant any, but I had a few volunteers to come up in between the tubs. How, I don’t know, but they did. They weren’t as big or as bright like last year, but they were still a joy to see. I love seeing your zinnias this year in your garden. They are just gorgeous! So bright, big blooms and the colors are just amazing. Thank you for sharing them with us on videos. Just seeing all the beauty of your garden this year was wonderful!

  17. My favorite too! For some reason the ones that come up from the previous years are only in orange. I make sure I plant new every year for the other colors. The birds love them and it’s fun to watch them and all the butterflies that come as well. Zinnias are a very important flower for the garden!

  18. I have first cousins who’s mother was accidentally killed by their daddy when they were small. All his life, the dad was a most righteous man and boy did he ever have the shakes-I guess from accidentally shooting his wife. Anyway, he NEVER took another wife and his OLD MAID sisters raised those kids. My granny never held it against him for she said he lived out the truth if there was ever a doubt it was non-intentional. But back to zinnias- they are beautiful and I like them a lot as I do all flowers! I don’t know why I don’t have any old maids, but I may need to get some along with nosturdium next year. I hope you and the Mr. are enjoying your time together. It’s freedom and joy. Is it not? Prayers continue for granny for Christ Jesus can do ANYTHING! Amen!

  19. With all this heat this week, my beautiful zinnias are struggling along with everything else! My momma called zinnias “old maids” also. Whatever their called they sure are easy to grow. My back yard needs a good cleaning like you and Matt did to yours. Hopefully the rose bush will flourish in remembrance of Miss Cindy.
    Everyone stay cool and hydrated today! Prayers for all the family.

  20. Zinnias are one of my favorites too. Always a row in the garden. Always enjoy your videos and your dedication to your goals. Thinking of your mom and all of you.

  21. God bless Granny with healing and health and love care and protection in Jesus name, God bless the old maids in the world, those that remain pure for God, God bless you friends of Appalachia!

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