There’s something about summer that just begs for a perfect BLT—juicy garden tomatoes, crisp lettuce, smoky bacon, and good bread. Every year, we turn it into a celebration with our Summer Golf Buddy BLT Party, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite seasonal traditions.

If you love zinnias as much as I do, then this is your post! It's packed with pictures of the new varieties I planted this year and I'll share my honest opinions. This was an exciting year for zinnia lovers because this old fashioned flower has been getting a lot of attention. Roses have always been the darlings of breeders, and in recent decades both peonies and dahlias have received a lot of attention, but recently breeders have settled onto the humble zinnia. I have been following along like a fangirl and as a long time zinnia lover I found all this terribly exciting. This year I grew some of the newest varieties and I invite you to read on to find out what I loved and didn't love.