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It's late July and I found the first seed pod that forms after flowers. It's still green, so I will watch for it to brown over the next month, When it's dry, I'll collect seeds to trade in a seed swap here on garden.org. There are still lots of flower clusters as it's a summer/fall bloomer starting about mid May here in south Louisiana, zone 9.

My 'Pink Panther' is blooming now, July 2018. I have several varieties with red blooms and another with a peachy pink, but this is the hottest pink and looks so pretty against the dark marked leaves. It's growing indoors where it gets 4 hours of filtered east morning sun, then 8 hours of light from my SunBlaster over head. I love Episcias more than African violets, so I'm always open for a trade of a variety I don't have.

I have tried these from seeds I've gotten in seed trades for several years and they never bloom true white. In my research I found that the traders all grew other varieties close by, so cross pollination may be the reason. I will have to buy a plant and then test to see whether it comes true from seed growing in my mixed environment. I think root divisions are my best way of propagating this pretty color. I'm in south Louisiana and all echinaceas do well here and are a mainstay in attracting butterflies to my yard.

I have this very fragrant bubblegum-pink variety. I started it from seeds I got in a trade with another gardener in summer 2016. Here in zone 9 it has performed as a true perennial, returning and blooming well for 2 years now in a pot on my patio. It's multiplied, so I will plant it out in a flower bed this fall. It's the most fragrant I grow and it can be smelled from 4 feet around the plant. I love it and will collect seeds this fall to share in a trade here on garden.org.

My 'Alice's Aussie' Episcia is blooming its red flowers now, July 2018. I ordered it as a small 3" plant in a 2" pot in spring 2017. It has grown well on a shelf against an east window with a mini blind to adjust and filter the morning sun. I have a SunBlaster light hanging 20" over my Episcias & African violets on 2 shelves there. After 4 hours of nice morning filtered sun, the light is set to come on for another 8 hours of light. Everything thrives and blooms well there. I rotate the blooming ones to various spots in my house to enjoy the blooms about 1 month before returning them to that perfect spot.

I bought a plant of this in May 2018 after wanting it for years so that I could use the large fragrant leaves as bookmarks and potpourri. It has grown well in a pot on my patio in sun for 3/4 of the day. I do water it every other day as it seems to prefer a slightly moist soil. The leaves grow to 7 inches and are as fragrant as I'd always heard. I read it will make small flowers in the fall, so I'll try to collect seeds to share.

I got seeds for these in a Nov. 2017 seed swap here on garden.org. I'm in zone 9 and I sowed them indoors March 1, 2018. All of them germinated, so I had many plants to give away. I kept 2 and planted them out in my garden on May 15th. They are now 4 feet tall and wide and are supported. The 1st ripe one was picked on the 4th of July. Now we pick about 8 a day. These are lemon yellow when ready to pick. At 1 1/2", they are just the right size for snacking or in salads. They have a mild taste but are nutritious to add to your diet. I will grow them again next year.

I planted a rooted piece of this 5 years ago in a part-sun flowerbed that gets moisture from the drip line of the roof and saturation when it rains. It has thrived and sent runners to now cover the 8' bed, to the point that I now have to trim it to keep it in bounds.. It is in bloom now, July 2018. I'm in zone 9 and it goes dormant in winter. It took the unusual 21-degree lowest temp of 2017/2018. It stays low and neat, and the pink wand flowers are a sight to see when in full bloom. Children and adults love this curiosity plant.

My beautiful flower has bloomed for a month but is now on its way down. I got lovely pictures I'll post later. It grows on my south-facing porch, where it gets very bright light all day but no direct sun. At 4 years old it started as a 3 inch pup and is now 18 inches wide and tall. I love the silvery-green shades of the leaves, but watch out for the shark teeth on the edges. I read to watch for tiny pups to form after the flower finishes.

It's July 18, 2018, and one of my plants has its first flower and 3 buds here in zone 9. On March 1st I sowed the seeds I got in the Nov. 2017 seed swap here on garden.org. The plant is 24 inches tall and 12 inches across. It grows in a large pot in morning through midday sun. I have another just like it that is the same size and has 3 buds that should open in a couple of days. The pretty flower seems to have triple layers and is the palest yellow. I'm delighted!

I'm in zone 9 and the 1st flowers of 2018 opened June 24. I knew it before seeing the pretty flowers because the fragrance caught me off guard all the way to my patio 10 feet away from the plants.

My 'Carlotta' daylilies make proliferation plants. This July 2018 I cut four 6" plants off stems that still had flowers. I put them in water for 3 days, which makes them send out nice roots, then on day 4 I put them in potting soil. I've read they are actually clones of the plant they form on.

It's July in south Louisiana and I have flowers opening on my 1-year-old vine I started from seeds I got in a big swap in Jan. 2017. The plants stayed small and didn't flower last summer. This spring I put the plant that made it through unseasonable 21* temps here in zone 9 in a hanging basket. It got spider mites, so I cut it back to the soil and sprayed the area. It sent out pretty new leaves in June and got 12" long. Was I ever surprised to find a flower this morning and 3 other buds! The leaves are very ornate and the flower is small and quite mysterious looking.

I have small plants of this I started in 2016 from seeds that came from Arizona. They sprouted easily and grew slowly the 1st year as they developed a taproot. Last year they were still small, so I put them in their own 4" pots. This spring, 2018, I put a few in a good-sized pot to grow as a clump like my large mature red ones. I've read they make a pink flower that blooms at night and attracts giant moths. From seeds, it takes about 5 years to flowers, so we'll see. They are growing in cactus/succulent potting soil in full sun.

I started mine 2 years ago from seeds from someone in Arizona. They sprouted easily and grew well but stayed small as they produce a taproot the 1st year. Last spring, 2017, they went into their own 4" pots and the narrow pine-needle-like foliage grew to 6" long. In the fall I put several together in large pots, similar to the way I grow my red variety and they've thrived and grown. They are still too young to bloom as that takes about 5 years from seeds, from my experience with the red ones. They are planted in cactus/succulent potting soil and can take drier conditions, but get watered regularly since they are in pots and not in the ground. I think the yellow flowers will look nice next to the red ones.

I started mine from seeds I collected in Texas about 12 years ago. The 3 plants have grown together as one in a large pot on my patio. They aren't affected much by our low winter temps in the mid 20's. I just throw a towel over the pot for protection when a frost or freeze is expected, which is minimal here in south Louisiana. Each spring they send up a few flower stalks that grow about 5 feet tall and produce the pretty red flowers. It's mid-June and they are full of blooms at this time. I have collected seeds over the years and traded them in seeds swaps and with local gardeners.

I've grown this dwarf variety for years. They are perennial here in zone 9 and are propagated by root stock and seeds. It's mid June and they are starting to bloom and will continue into fall. Mine have never exceeded 6" tall and wide. The cute snow-white flowers are about 2" across.

I grew this last year for the 1st time having never even heard of it. I got the seeds in the seed swap here, Jan.2017. It grew very well here in south Louisiana, forming a whopping 3'x3' bush at the end of a garden row. I saved a few seeds, but wouldn't have had to as it was perennial here in zone 9 and returned from the roots in spring 2018. I also found a few volunteer plants from seeds that fell. I love the smell and taste, so I add a little to meat dishes as well as a variety of beans I cook. I never tried it as tea, though. It could be quite a strong taste.

These are the easiest white scallops I've ever grown. The extra thickness makes for more bulk when cooked per fruit. I got seeds in a swap Jan. 2017 here from Thomas, who was very generous with the seeds. I grew them last year with a bumper crop. I still had seeds enough to plant some more this spring 2018. They are producing now and we are enjoying them almost daily.

I got seeds of these in the Nov. 2017 seed swap here. It's mid June and they are 15 inches tall and are growing well in my garden. They have their 1st flowers, so I'm watching for fruit to start soon. The name and picture are what made me want to try these to see how they do in my south Louisiana heat and humidity. So far, so good!