Fellow revelers, help me out with the following question that was posed:
What types of flowers are the readers out there growing? I’ve almost ignored flowers since I started my renewed interest in the garden. I have a few calendulas (pot marigolds) growing in a small pot, and a handful of neglected bulbs in the ground along one fence which keep coming back year after year. Any ideas on some nice flowers to grow?
As for me, in the front yard I have my famous day lilies from Wisconsin alternating with the hostas (which bloom every year now that they’ve matured – this is one of the things that I very much love about hostas, which can otherwise seem kinda bland). Again behind the front row of flowers/hostas, I have some white small flowers whose name I cannot remember. I want to say nasturtium but I know that’s not it (anyone who can take a peek at my photo here, and help me out, please do). The native plant garden is just behind that, with a black-eyed susan that’s now giving me plenty of blooms. I love having this in my yard. It reminds me of the Replacements song, I Saw Susan Dancing in the Rain. I think next year I may grow daisies just b/c of Prince’s song that has the line in it: I’m blinded by the daisies in your yard…
Onto the steps, where I have zinnias, three pots for each of three of my favorite people. In the backyard I have begonias, and upstairs petunias so I can sing the song, “I’m a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, an onion patch, an onion patch…and all I do is cry .. boohoo boohoo.”
A few days ago I bought some bulbs at Home Depot because they were 75% off, and they looked pretty. Hard to resist. I’m planning on keeping them for next spring, though I’m not sure how well they keep (I’m assuming there will be no problem with them but have no experience to go on here). They’re gladiolas and dutch irises (LOVE the smell of these). A friend, many moons back, gave me crocus bulbs but it was in my pre-garden days and I never did get them in the ground. I may get some next year; these would be inspired by the Joni Mitchell song about having crocuses to bring to school tomorrow…
QUESTION: Has anyone else’s garden been inspired by a song? Any recommendations for any particular flowers? I used to keep marigolds around some of my vegetable plants but haven’t needed them this year.
revelgardener 
A few good flower ideas, thanks. I remember growing zinnias and four o’ clocks back in Brooklyn. I don’t think I ever heard of hostas before posting here. I’ll have to check them out. I am guessing it may be too late to start flowers from seeds now. Maybe I’ll see if I can find a few as plants.
I have saved bulbs inside for the following year. They started life in a flower pot, and end of season I dug them out of the soil. Mine kept just fine in the basement, dark, dry, and basement cool- same as seeds. I just stood them up in a paper dish. You may want to take a look at them once in a while, I recall one or two getting moldy. They probably weren’t dry enough when I put them away. If your bulbs are currently in dirt, you may find you have small bulbs growing off the large ones. I left mine intact until I was ready to replant them, then split them off and planted ’em- more free plants.
PS- Don’t forget The Beatles, Strawberry Fields (forever). I didn’t
put that together before the question was posed, but I do have strawberries and they keep coming back year after year.