I love garden volunteers.

No, not family and friends offering to help pull weeds, but the plant variety of volunteer that unexpectedly pops up in the garden. My summer borders are full of them.

Black-eyed Susans, cosmos, zinnias, lychnis, allysum, sunflowers – they all sprout up in unexpected places. Some need to be transplanted and some are allowed to grow and bloom where they are.

My borders are a riot of color in varying heights. The hot-pink of the lychnis, which readily reseeds, has given way to the golden flowers of summer.

Currently, the black-eyed Susans are taking center stage, with their long-stems so laden with flowers that they bend under the weight. At least four different varieties star in my garden. All descendents of a pack of seeds I sowed a few years ago.

Towering sunflowers, the kernals dropped by last summer’s nibbling birds, dominate the gardens in varying shades of yellow and orange. Cosmos in tall pinks, purples and whites, along with a shorter orange version, sprout throughout the yard. Zinneas in pink, orange and purple race them for flowerbed dominance.

Vining annuals such as morning glories, Chinese lanterns, black eyed Susan vines and cardinal climber twine around any vertical support to spread their color upwards.

I think the best part about the garden volunteers is the element of surprise. You don’t know until they bloom exactly which color or variety you’ll be seeing. They’re like dear friends popping in for a visit. They always make me smile.

Happy Gardening!