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an old stand by. In Europe, balconies and window boxes are often filled with ivy geraniums. They are easy to grow by seed, are well suited to containers, window boxes, pots or even hanging baskets. To encourage more flower production, pinch off the dead flowers. To prevent plants from growing too leggy, pinch back foliage. This will keep them shorter.

Nasturtiums are easy to grow from seed. Bright color, edible flowers, a low growing habit and a smell known to rebel rabbits makes this a nice choice for the home gardener. They grow well in containers. The Alaska variety of nasturtiums is characterized by variegated foliage.

Marigolds are also easy to grow, whether from seed or as store bought plants. There are giant marigolds, French marigolds and other varieties. Marigolds are most commonly seen in shades of orange, yellow and red.

The giant marigolds are great for planting in beds while smaller marigolds are well suited to containers. They are also an ideal companion plant for tomatoes. Marigolds and nasturtiums repel destructive insects and pests while luring beneficial ones to tomato plants.

Gazania, one of my all time favorite flowers is a beautiful flower with daisy like petals. It is very easy to grow from seed, and if the gardener allows some of the dead flowers to remain on the stems, the dead flower will produce seeds that can be planted in subsequent years.

Gazania comes in solid colors and striped varieties. There are also varieties that are mixed. Because gazania doesn't grow terribly tall, it can be used in or near borders or in containers. The leaves are long and elegant and very dark green.

Cosmos is one of the hardiest and easiest to grow annuals. It will grow in the poorest soil conditions and survive in heat and drought. It is very easy to grow from seed and once sprouted will grow quite quickly. Different varieties of cosmos grow to different heights, but it comes in a huge array of colors.

To encourage constant blooms, remove the dead flowers. Cosmos is one of the easiest annuals from which to harvest seeds, and it produces them very reliably. If you want to harvest seeds from your cosmos, don't remove the dead flowers. The best time to do this, however is towards the end of the growing season.

Zinnias are always great annuals to grow. They make wonderful cut flowers, come in a variety of flower head sizes and colors and grow to different heights. A newer variety known as "profusion" was created to grow in hot and dryer conditions. Zinnias are

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