I was smitted with these pinwheel phlox blooms the moment I laid eyes on them.  This is their second year and they are doing very, very well.  They strike me as a very sweet and old-fashioned looking plant.

Gorgeous red lily, ain’t it?

This is close relative to the hollyhock, a French mallow.  Actually, we planted this plant the first spring we were in our house.  It bloomed profusely and then went to seed.  We thought nothing of it until the next year when mallow plants were absolutely everywhere!  We’ve been trying to get rid of them ever since.  But this hardy plant came from a seed two years old and we decided to let it grow.  Probably a mistake, but for now you must admit it’s lovely.

If you know me, you know that hollyhocks are amongst my most favorite flowers, and this double ruffled pink one is, well, just look at it will you?!