Zinnias and daisies

Last fall, after my zinnias and pot marigolds and daisies were finished blooming, I had the critters help me break off the stems, pull them up and we dumbed them on the other side of the fence. Our back yard is bordered by a steep canal bank and then there's the canal. I can't really garden it, but there is some sage brush and the sprinkler hits it, so I though we'd just throw the dead plants (full of lots of seeds!) over the edge. They started growing this spring, and it turned into a very colorful border. This fall I'm going to do it again and toss them farther down the ditch bank. Some clover did grow up with it, but it added a nice lush green to the pretty colors, and choked the weeds back; no more cheat grass and milk weeds! We have enjoyed the beautiful colors and have even picked some for arrangements in the house.

The flowers also acted as a bit of a barrier to keep lemur from venturing down to the canal. He has been really good about staying away from it. Of course, he is never outside alone and we always keep a really close eye on him when we're out working or playing. Thank goodness it isn't a 12 foot deep canal, only an irrigation ditch, but still... water is water!