All the Dirt on Gardening

Several flowering plants are into their second go round for the summer. These are the ones that bloom in the spring from seeds left on the ground over the winter and then re-seed and return for a mid-August bloom. This white one is nicotiana or flowering tobacco. The link will take you to "2009 Year of Nicotiana " at the National Garden Bureau's site. After the first bloom fades and the plants look worn out, I pull them up and leave the seed heads on the bed. The seeds germinate in the mid-summer heat, come up and bloom late summer. Zinnias, tithonia (Mexican Sunflowers), Verbena bonariensis (photo below), Marigolds, Red Russian Kale, and cleome all perform this way in my garden if the weather is right. Some gardeners consider any plant that behaves this way to be a weed. What do you think? Do you enjoy this about some of your plants or does it interfere with your garden design plans?