I was looking at Heirloom seeds so I guess there might be a problem. I cant get the Zinneas I saw in the village ,out of my mind shoot I cant find pix.

Were they the cactus type? I've grown them but wind and rain makes them look quite unhappy...more like wet "dishrags".

http://garden.org/reviews/view...

@J0Ann, I've grown Zinnia's a lot and never had trouble with them flopping or had mildew problems even though we are very humid in the summer. My favorites are the Benary's Giant's and the Queen Red Lime for the tall ones but I've had good luck with many other varieties. I love having them peek out among the other flowers.

Thanks Suzie. I'll check those out.
WOW the Queen Red Lime is fabooooo.definatly going to have it.
I see Territorial Seed has both.

You're welcome!

Tomorrow I will order Zinnias.

LOL Arlene, it is true the older I get the more I like brighter colors. You remember those blinged out, satiny outfits that were popular in the late 80s, that sort of looked like jogging outfits? I recall them being popular among....ladies of "a certain age" (a lady I worked with at the time told me "when I turn 50, I'm going to start wearing those!"). I think I'm like that with my flower choices these days, LOL. I think my favorite thing about aging is I care less and less what others think, but I'm still my own harshest critic.

Eremerus are tricky to move, which is why that eyesore is still there. I have moved some with some success, but the roots are like big spiders, and very brittle and easy to damage. I think senility is part of my problem- it was one that I moved, from another spot in that same bed, thinking it was the white one! Stupid me- moved all the white ones out of that bed thinking they were those!

Jo Ann, have you checked out Swallowtail Garden Seeds? They have a wonderful selection of Zinnias. Benary's Giants are fully double, which I love. I don't recall having much problem with them flopping, they seem to bush out enough to give them good balance. If you want some shorter ones, with classic, big, double blooms, the Magellan series is wonderful, and start blooming early.

I'm feeling a bit guilty talking zinnias on the Perennial forum.
I have a thread on Annuals
The thread "Zinnia question" in Annuals forum

Something wonderful happens to allow us to have fun, like a child, with colors and I'm so glad of it. Not that I'll put opposing colors together but I will give myself a break more often and try to be less rigid.

While trying to dig up a Beauty Berry (Callicarpa) my husband unknowingly dug up all the emerus in one area. He recovered in record time!

If Lilliput zinnias are still sold (I'm really dating myself) they were small - maybe 8 or 10" and bloomed constantly, did not require deadheading. So joyful!

For anyone needing a bit of inspiration, try looking here:
http://www.mischelsgreenhouses...

Thanks Pirl,Michels is always inspiring.
I just ordered zinnias from Bakers. They have Button Box mix as well as Lilliputs

Arlene those are beautiful and inspirational! I'm sure hoping they have some of the new varieties of petunias at our local nurseries. They are so pretty but I hate paying shipping on annuals.

Julie just posted this link on the Happy Thread - very interesting.

Jo Ann - it was too easy to figure out you're the Artist in the article!

Glad you ordered the zinnias. They are best when they don't have to be moved.

Susie - I'm like you in that I hope to find annuals locally but some are just too tempting. Ordering from Mischel's is like having Christmas arrive in May.

Here's the link I forgot to add in the above post - sorry!

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks...

Very nice.

pirl said:Jo Ann - many zinnias are subject to mildew but State Farm (varied colors - no cactus that I've seen in the mix) are the most resistant, don't flop, and provide a nice color punch in the garden. Most nurseries carry them in May - June.

http://barkingfrogfarm.com/?p=...

I responded to this thread back when you had the neighbor who was sour grapes! (forgot to hit finish) LOL. I forgot what I said but I'm sure it wasn't too good. I am like Gemini_Sage I care less and less about what people think and lord only knows what I would have said to her. LOL.

I am getting ready to order some Petunias from Swallowtailgardenseeds. I wanted something I saw pirl posting.

Someone on perennials said these turn all green when it gets hot outside. Have you had any problems with this?

JoAnn brought up the subject of Zinnas...well I just had to look. I feel like I have enough tall stuff right now so I was looking at the border plants which are only 10 inches tall and they are called MASTER ELITE SERIES.

[[quote ''These compact 10 inch mounding dwarf zinnias thrive in many climates, but are bred for extreme heat tolerance, including testing grounds in scorching Saudi Arabia! Master Elite zinnias have also shown excellent disease resistance. Double 4 inch flowers in a bold range of colors will add punch to your sunny borders and pots.'']] (these look like small dahlias)

My problem is that I like the ones that look like little daisy's but they are 12-18 inches tall. If you prune them will they stay short, kinda like a mum?

They never changed color with the sun. Neither did the white edged purple petunia from last year but they had more blooms of solid purple by the end of the season. They never bleached out at all.


I don't know if you can clip them to keep zinnias short.

Check this information from stokes

http://www.stokeseeds.com/prod...

I planted this petunia when it first came out. For me it was an unstable flower pattern. Maybe the company has improved on this over the years.

The link does not work because I do not allow third party cookies. This is the first time that has happened. (STOKES).. is having some sort of problem.

.....I have never been denied access to a website because of my cookie settings!!

Julia, is it a long article?? Maybe you could copy and paste it into a tree-mail. They are funny here about copy and paste. LOL. you know copyrights and all that. I will do a Google search for more information.