Zinnias are such a perfect plant for our scorching Texas summers. They are so good about tolerating the heat, and I love the variety of colors. They have the oddest hollow stems. They seem kind of old-fashioned, which I love.
I love tulips. They are such tidy, clean-looking flowers. When I paint red tulips, I use so many reds and pinks. Carmine, Geranium, Madder Lake, and some orange mixed in. Red is a tricky color in watercolor, I think. There are so many other colors that seem to clash with red, so paintings with red need to be kept simple. Course I can already think of one very special exception, Shirley Trevena. She can put red with any other color and make it look great.