Benary Giant Zinnia… and a free giant rock.
When we first moved in, we had this giant rock on our front lawn.
It was just one of the many unexplainable objects d’art collected by the previous owner.
Landscaping was low on our priority list, but the rock irritated me, so I put it on craigslist.
Anytime I give something away on craigslist, I am astounded by the tsunami of people who want the very thing I am getting rid of. The rock was no exception.
I wrote:
Free Rock. BIG, HEAVY – Approximately 800lbs of rock!
I don’t actually have any idea how heavy the rock was, but I figured 800lbs would be enough to deter anyone who wasn’t really serious.
Two guys came for it, and I asked what they would do with it?
One said—I don’t know. I just like rocks.
I was like, wow.
The guys brought a trailer, a crow bar, and a hand truck that had seen better days. And after heaving and grunting and pushing-back-of-hats and smoking. Bald guy told me that it didn’t look that heavy in the picture.
This is the exact photo I posted on craigslist. You can judge for yourself how heavy/not heavy it looks.
Also on craigslist: the dimensions of the rock at 36” across and 16” tall. Incase anyone wanted to try to calculate how heavy a rock that is roughly three feet wide would weigh.
Eventually, they were able to stand the rock up on one end. And get it on the hand-truck. Except that the hand-truck tires promptly deflated, and the bottom started to bend when they tried to tilt it back.
Then they unhitched the trailer from the SUV—the trailer needed to be closer to the rock, and they couldn’t back it up anymore with the car.
So they aligned the now un-hitched trailer with the rock… and voilà. They flopped the rock down into the trailer.
The (apparently unexpected) consequence of the flopping was that the hitch-end of the trailer flew up into the air and refused to be coaxed back down to be re-hitched. Even when both large men stood on the end.
My neighbor was out mowing his lawn. And came over to help. There was jumping, pushing, suggesting, whacking… all far better than I could have imagined for my free rock experience.
In the Rock’s vacancy, I planted some Shasta daisies and Galardia. At the time I thought it looked better than the rock, but looking at the photo now, I’m not too sure about that.
What I really wanted was to put a large flowerbed in the grass lengthwise, across the edge of the front lawn. If Paul would let me, I would rip up the entire lawn and plant flowers.
Actually, of course Paul will let me do anything I want. There is no letting. If I decide to go out and rip up all the grass—fine. No problem. But what I actually want is for him to rip up all the grass.
Why? Because if you have never tried to rip up Zoysia grass, you have no idea…and because any project Paul is not involved in is not a project I want to do.
This spring, Paul was itching to be outside, and my patience (badgering him) was rewarded… We staked out a bed.
Originally I wanted the front curved—we have another flowerbed at the front porch, and I thought it should mirror the shape of that one. But it looked strange, and then I decided that it was better if it matched the rectangular shape of the lawn.
Obviously I waited until after we had cut out the curve to decide that it didn’t look right.
About halfway through the project, I realized that I hated it and it looked like an ugly, random, inorganic place for a flowerbed. It was the kind of thing where you feel sick for starting something, which now cannot be reversed.
I didn’t tell Paul, since he’d just spent three nights after work sifting dirt and cutting out sod and re-leveling the area. For NO reason—other than I wanted yet another flower bed. I felt ill.
I’m not sure how obvious it is from the photos, but this was a HUGE amount of work. Most of which fell to Paul. His “work” setting is approximately eighteen times faster than mine. Me, at warp speed—is to him, agonizingly slow.
Add to that, we were using the grass we dug up as sod in the weedy, uneven area at the curb… So that meant more digging, more leveling, more ripping up of grass.
No, the photo is not blurry, Paul just works that fast. Now you know why I didn’t bother without him.
I got the plastic edging out of the trash on one of my yard-waste scouting expeditions. And we had some stones left over from the front-porch flower bed. So I made a rock wall. It’s harder than it seems—to pile rocks artfully.
I still regretted chopping up the lawn, but at this point, I hated it less. Mostly because it’s hard to hate digging in a wide expanse of fluffy dirt.
I divided Shasta daisies from other parts of the garden, and reused the Galardia. I also planted Benary Giant Zinnia, Lisianthus, and some Alyssum around the edges… The bed looked kind of sad and scraggily but it was still early in the season.
I start all my flowers from seed in the house, and last year, my favorite annual was Lisianthus. I grew it again this year, but it may have been surpassed by the Benary’s Giant Zinnia. Because? This flower is awesome.
- Huge.
- Amazing cut flower.
- Blooms last forever inside and out.
- Apparently loves the horrible 100 degree heat we’ve been having
- And it grows like CRAZY.
I went from disliking the new bed, to regretting we didn’t make it bigger. Lots bigger. I’m all the way back around to wanting to dig up ALL the grass.
I also planted them in the other new flowerbed I started this spring, in front of the vegetable garden. And I REALLY cannot recommend it enough. It makes a gorgeous cut flower. It lasts WAY longer than any other bloom I remember bringing in the house. And I have enough to cut for myself, and still have plenty to give to other people—I save any glass jars we have, and after you wash them and remove the label, they make a great disposable vase.
I will love you EVEN MORE… if you share me with your friends.
February 17, 2014 @ 6:42 pm
My hubby should definitely read your blog!He’s not interested in my latest, amazing,unique project, if he sees that there is more of “us” out there, it might convince him that the war is lost! You simly have to be interested in your wifes “latest, amazing,unique project”.It’s time to surrender and participate ! 😀
March 28, 2014 @ 4:06 pm
Hi Victoria,
I was searching for pictures of Zinnia gardens and your pictures are amazing! I read that you purchased your seeds from Johnnys Seeds, which is a great site. My question is, in your pictures it looks as if you have purples, pinks and whites, is this correct? I have grown zinnia mixes before but I have never came to love the orange colors. Also, you mentioned you started them from seed. It looks as if you have each plant spaced about 6″ apart. Is that correct? And they filled in like that at the end of the season?
March 29, 2014 @ 11:55 am
Yes to all these questions except spacing 6″… (what you are seeing in the front is Lisianthus which I had to move because Zinnia got so big.) I would say I spaced closer to a foot??
I grew the orange last year. I loved the blooms that came out lighter, but darker ones we’re not my favorite.
March 29, 2014 @ 12:12 pm
Thanks for that info. Wow, so you spaced them by a foot and they filled in like that? I went on Johnny Seeds and ordered a variety of all the pink/purple, a white and a yellow. In the front I’m going to try the smaller Zahara Starlight Rose and the Zahara Yellow to pick up the colors from the bigger Benarys. The back Ill do some daisys like you did also…I think it will all look great together – who knows though! For your colors, its hard to tell from the pic, but they are all very vibrant, do you happen to know which colors you ordered and used from Johnny Seeds in the pics?
March 29, 2014 @ 12:43 pm
Purple, pink, some two-tone rose that I forget the name of…
I’ve also used the Johnny’s variety (giant dahlia or something) and it’s just as good as the brand “benary” and cheaper.
April 8, 2014 @ 12:11 pm
Thanks for the laugh, I needed it! I read yesterday’s post, which led me to the giant rock post–I bet that was great fun watching them move the rock. lol We’ve determined that too many people are interested in things if they’re free. We like to charge a small fee, like $5, to weed out all of those people who call and say they’re coming and then never do.
Your garden is lovely–and I’m struck again at the resemblance of my John to your Paul. 😀 When I want a new flower bed, convincing John that it’s a good idea will then “make it so”. Plus, my thumb is brown–I can pick out plants, point where to inter them in the ground, but then I should never touch them!!
June 2, 2014 @ 9:52 am
Found your site while looking for ideas to plant around our big rock (about 4x larger than your lovely). Love your little garden and have decided to go with some Zinnia. Oh, and we choose to have a BA rock placed in our yard because we have had several auto accidents at the intersection that resulted in at least two cars almost in our house.
June 5, 2014 @ 2:41 pm
I tried this one year and it was wonderful… Graduated Zinnia sizes, Giant, Med. and dwarf zinnia. Adorable!
What’s not to love about zinnias and dahlias???
Thanks for being such a delirious, decorating diva!
Your blog warms my heart! 🙂
October 16, 2014 @ 10:59 am
Well, I have a long history of design hits & misses. In my humble opinion, the massive rock was a keeper. A quick visit to the southwest, (don’t miss the Aspen trees in the fall) would clarify the interplay of large, sculptural rocks, the hardscape, as it relates to the landscape. But, it’s okay & the garden is lovely.
April 23, 2015 @ 3:58 pm
Seeing the rock with the flat top and with it being near the street in front of an old home, I believe it might have been a step for people exiting a carriage. I have seen these stone in front of many Victorian houses.
November 8, 2015 @ 6:16 pm
Lucky you–you found what may be the three easiest flowers to grow. I found them by accident. I bought all kinds of seed every year and without fail, they failed to sprout. I wanted a garden for the peace and beauty of it, not to grow 45.00 tomatoes. Finally, I threw about 20 packages of 10 cent shasta daisy seeds, and they grew like gangbusters. So I experimented with inexpensive seeds: if they grew, good. If they never showed up, too bad. I live in the high desert of Arizona, so I don’t have much of a mildew problem. The easiest flowers have been Shasta daisy, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, zinnias, of course (which fought it out with the Susans to see who would take over the yard), and a friendly little flower called chocolate flower that smells like hot cocoa and looks like a pale yellow daisy. Include cosmos, hollyhock, calendula and marigold (if you can stand its smell) and throw in a few johnny-jump-ups. Notice almost all have the daisy configuration? Something else grows famously out here–roses!
September 23, 2016 @ 9:18 am
I’m really late to this party, but love, love love your work and your writing.
I don’t have a Paul, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), and really wish I did, but only for the digging, and heavy jobs, because they always take me forever, and never end up as professional looking as I really want them to!
I have just taken up the black edging material (also taken out of someones trash!), as it seemed to be lifting out of the soil – this after about three years of being there. I’ve replaced mine with rocks, (none so big as your BA rock however). I love that you (well Paul) were able to get the edging material so far into the ground that you could sit relatively flat rocks on top of it…..it looks completely amazing.
Are there more recent photos that I haven’t found yet? Did you extend this bed? If so, can you direct to me where the newer pics are please?
Best to you and keep up your great work.
August 16, 2017 @ 9:11 am
I loved your post! As an obsessed gardener I can totally relate. I got rid of my front lawn and turned it into a huge flower bed. My husband did the “mule work” as he calls it, rototilled
August 27, 2017 @ 8:35 am
As I read this early Sunday morning, while Hubby is sleeping, I am giggling away . You really should write a weekly column. I have a hosta bed across my front yard, also completein with big rocks. You have inspired me to try the zinnias–mine mildewed. They will certainly brighten my hostas. Look for my craigslist posting for free, you-dig plants hostas soon..