Last year I wrote about Thalassa Cruso, the Julia
Child of horticulture, and how she and her mother theorized that the Garden of
Eden had only purple or mauve flowers because that’s what most red and pink
hybrids reverted to if you let them come back from seeds. I also mourned that I had never been
able to locate any of her videos.
Well, someone has. Google “Thalassa Cruso videos” and you will see that someone has managed to dig up
two separate episodes from her Boston programs. She really was a distinct personality but, just like Julia,
she’s an acquired taste.
Here are some of the colorful zennias I grew last summer.
This spring I did not plant hybrid seeds. Instead, I waited to see what would
volunteer. Just as Thalassa predicted,
not a single clear yellow or red flower emerged. Just these.
They’re pretty, (and the butterflies love them) but they’re neither red nor yellow….sigh.
Nevertheless, hope your late summer garden is full
of color.
