abhege said:Chelle, do you think the monarda is Jacob Kline by chance? I think that's the red one I have...

It's Monarda 'Gardenview Scarlet'. It's a bit more compact than Jacob Cline, and it's not as susceptible to mildew. I'm even growing it in part shade and it does pretty well there, too.

I haven't heard of that one. Good to know! Thanks. My yarrow is doing swell!

for the yarrow, too!

Nasturtium
Veronica (Speedwell)
Nigella
Iceland Poppy
Pansy
Canterbury Bells (biennial)
Callendula
Marigold (Tagetes)
Cosmos
Sunflower

Vanessa,
what veronica are you growing?

It's a local native (Australian) one, possibly V. calycina or V. plebia. To be honest I don't grow it, it grows itself. I discovered how to get it to increase by providing the right microclimate, but it was always here, it's adorable, comes up over winter and flowers from mid winter through early spring. It is a small low growing herb with masses of tiny blue eyes that open when it's sunny and close in the evening. It likes moist shade ideally.

Nice little plants and I like the color of the flowers.
I have grown some similar creeping veronica , but the small plants get crowed out by the more robust after a couple years.

It seems to grow really well in the lawn amazingly, but in parts of the lawn with summer shade. I guess the grass is thinner there.

Not an annuals gardener and don't grow them from seed, but annuals are very useful in those areas within a perennial garden which are too small to get enough perennials in.
For a sunny location, I'm now relying on small and medium-sized dahlias and pelargoniums ( deadheaded once a week).
No longer use annuals like cleome and marigolds because of the reseeding.

The annuals can then be replaced by spring bulbs in late fall.

Picture Sept 9, 2013.

Roses_R_Red said:salvia patens Blue Angel
Thunbergia African Sunset

Hi!

I have a question about the African Sunset variety of Thunbergia. How is it different from the "Blushing Susie" variety? I've never seen them in person, and they look very similar in color, at least, in pictures. They're both gorgeous, but I'm looking for something as cool and pastel as possible. The regular yellow is kind of discordant, but so would be a really warm salmon. I bought the Alba, but now I'm reading that I'll probably need a few more vines to really make these look full--most suggest 3 trailing out of a basket or planted together.

Anyway, any advice? Thanks!

Hello all,

Well, my list is really short: Zinnias!

Growing and breeding zinnias is a hobby of mine. There are dozens of different varieties of zinnias, so the number of different crosses you can make with them is literally astronomical. This is one of my home-hybridized zinnias. I make hybrids between hybrids, somewhat willy nilly. I get some unusual results.

Botanically, any part of a plant that is capable of producing a seed is a "flower". So each petal of a zinnia bloom is botanically a "flower". (Each petal can produce a seed.) In that breeder zinnia the petals are tubular and they are somewhat reminiscent of being individual "flowers".

ZM

@anoukaimee
You might get more response if you ask your question in a new thread.

LorettaNJ said:@anoukaimee
You might get more response if you ask your question in a new thread.

Thanks. I dm'd the person who posted about it, but realized need to get started on this, so just went with more of the alba (white) that I had already bought--it's amazing what some ppl are charging for the African Sunset/Blushing Suzie.

Appreciate it, though--another year!

You guys and gals are just making my 7a NY heart bleed in envy, try to be nicer by describing your zone and outcome.

I love my annuals.
1. Zinnias
2. Nasturtiums
3. Poppies
4. Wishbone flower thing
5. Passionflowers
6. Stocks
7. Gerbera (SO fun to pronounce)
8. Basil
9. Hollyhocks
10. Random annual wildflower mixes and see what comes up