Each sunflower has thousands of little flowers - just look1 They are all part of the big plan. The yellow petals that surround the middle are called rays - they kind of remind me of rays of sunshine, don't they? They all sit on top of what they call a head. So each flower is designated as a head. Convenient, isn't it? So easy to remember the parts. This is one of my sunflowers. We planted them by seed and the packet cost $1.99 plus tax. I got dozens of plants for my money. It took 120 days from planting to bloom. It was fun watching the growth. I planted them where they could spread out and take up the room. These are annual plants, so when they die, they will not come back next year. But, they are affordable and I get to start with fresh stock next year! Have you ever tried to plant sunflowers?

I have spent a fair amount of time planting my gardens and wandering the garden centers, looking for the right flowers that would fit in the space I have designated as a garden. There are several gardens in different parts of the property. I have lived here for a few years now and that is the key, I have been in this same house for a while. The first year, I planted annual flowers. You buy them, plant them and they grow to maturity in the same season as you plant them. They, they die and you have to do it again the very next year. Pictured above: petunias. An annual flower. When I bought them at the beginning of the season, they were $7.99 for the pot of them. There were four in the pot and they have grown a lot! I felt a little cheated when I bought them because they were tiny, but, they were a worthy investment. They were actually still expensive, but, in the big scheme of things, they were more than I bargained for because they will not come back next year. So, they will have to be replaced. My question to you is, do you buy flowers that are only good for a season, or do you buy perennial flowers? Perennials come back the next season.

I always plant Phlox, wherever I am transferred to. So far, so good. I have always lived in places that have been agreeable to their nature. They like the full sun and will do fine if you have a little shade. I have to say that the flower has a pleasant perfume. Soft and almost sweet. I close my eyes and take it in, and I know why I like it... It smells reminiscent of the summer when I was a child. Childhood is such a wonderful time in most of our lives, so paired up with coming back again, you only have to pay one time for these beautiful flowers. I paid $14.99 for each individual color. To be honest, I buy one a year and let it go at that. I will say that the flowers were $7.99 before Covid and now now, almost twice the price. The bonus is that they will be up again next year, so in a sense, we are saving money.

Admittedly, these Black-eyed Susans are some of my favorite flowers! They are obnoxiously happy and come up every year, which makes it a perennial. They last all summer long, cheerful as the day is long. What can you say about a flower that never whines or dies off to spite you? I bought these a couple of years ago, it was a scrawny plant but look at it now. Its beauty is abundant! They just give and give. These were another plant that was bought a couple of years ago, I am not sure what I paid for them, as they were much smaller, it was most likely under @7.00 and the rest is history. I have half a garden's worth and they keep spreading and I keep dividing the plant and giving some away. This is a perennial and will keep giving a new plant to me, every year.

And just like that, this post is done. I hope you had a good time and learned a little something new. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit, and just remember, #MarketFriday loves you! As always, there must be flowers to color my world. #alwaysaflower*