I love flowers. This year, as in past years – our driveway, front porch and back yard were packed with flowers – cosmos, zenias, miniature marigolds, medium size marigolds, sunflowers, geraniums, and impatiens.

 

The marigolds and the cosmos – orange, white, and pink, and the multi-colored zenias – were all grown from seed. I save the seeds at the end of the season and plant them in the spring.

 

I get the impatiens plants from Marcs at Kamms Corner. Years ago the local Marcs used to carry plants too – but then they stopped carrying them. So every spring – I take a walk – 1.5 hours each way – to pick up the plants.

 

The geraniums are perennials. During the winter months I keep them in our 2nd floor sun room – where the temperature generally stays above freezing. This year we got some cold days in early November – so I took all the geranium plants inside.

 

I grow my plants in pots – this gives me the flexibility to move them around.

 

I also plant sunflowers grown from seeds I buy at Marcs. I never get a chance to save the seeds -- every year the squirrels devour them as part of their daily meals.

 

Despite some of the cold nights, hail, and cold rain we have had in Cleveland, Ohio – in November -- some of our hardiest flowers including miniature marigolds and cosmos – -- orange, white, and pink -- growing in the open have survived as the photographs show.

 

 

 

 

The impatiens, growing in pots in our front porch (they have to be kept in the shade) have also survived.

 

The flowers were photographed on a cool 39 deg. F sunny day of November 18.

 

The miniature marigolds and some of the orange cosmos were still blooming on the evening of November 23rd.

 

I will keep a tab as to how long they last.

 

Enjoy the autumn – we still have nearly a month to go before winter arrives on December 21, 2020.