I’m up to my eyeballs in seed harvesting and drying! I thought I’d take a quick break to share some of my favorite flowers from this season. Here are my Delights of the 2025 Season:
Poppies ‘Falling in Love’
These blooms look like tiny ballerinas dancing across the field. While Shirley Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) don’t have the longest vase life, this variety is heavily branching, allowing you to harvest stems with one open flower and several at the cracked bud stage—creating a big visual impact. Designers in New York adored them, and they were a joy to see in the field.
Back in Philly, I tried the ‘Amazing Grey’ variety, but it was simply too hot—they only seemed to grow aphids! I’m excited to test more Shirley Poppy varieties in 2026. Do you have any favorites I should try?
Rudbeckia ‘Chimchiminee’
I’ve always loved and grown this variety! Rudbeckia tends to give off cozy fall vibes, which felt a bit out of place when it bloomed in June in Philadelphia. But here in Vermont, a spring planting blooms in August—just in time to herald in PSL (pumpkin spice latte) season. These are growing 3-4 feet for me here, so I bet you could time them for fall blooms in warmer climates and still get long enough stems. ‘Chimchiminee’ is a beautiful mix of yellow and bronze-rust shades, making it absolutely perfect for late summer and fall.
Calendula ‘Pacific Apricot’
Calendula is technically a spring flower, but its colors lean more autumnal, much like rudbeckia. ‘Pacific Apricot’ completely changed my opinion of calendula! The dreamy color makes me forget all about its sticky stems.
Calendula also seems to thrive in Vermont’s temperate climate, producing tall stems and enjoying a long bloom window. With careful succession planting next year, I'll able to harvest fall-colored varieties like ‘Strawberry Blonde’ and ‘Resina’ well into September.
Zinnia ‘Ballerina,’ ‘Aurora,’ and ‘Agave’
Johnny’s Seeds absolutely nailed it with their new zinnia introductions this year. The colors are stunning, and the fully double, gigantic blooms are incredible!
While I’m not focused on breeding new zinnia colors, I’m very excited about selecting for larger blooms. One of my ongoing projects is working with Zinnia Queen Lime to develop consistently bigger flowers. I’ve been diving into zinnia genetics and will share some of my findings in an upcoming newsletter.
Foxglove ‘Lutea’ and ‘Laevigata’
I planted these biennial foxgloves last season, labeling the field map “Digitalis laevigata.” What sprouted was a surprise mix of Digitalis laevigata (left) and Digitalis lutea (right)!
While they weren’t super prolific this year (just one stem per plant), they are so cool and have been a wonderful addition to my perennial section. I’m hopeful they’ll be more productive next season.
There you have it - a few of my delights this season. What's delighted you this growing season? Drop me a line and let me know!