Hi Jack,

" The yellow marigold-like bloom reminds me of Play-Doh spaghetti noodles! "

There is a resemblance. This is another currently blooming yellow.

It is also a bit unconventional in its flower form. I need to do a lot of repotting. Working inside is going to be enjoyable, because the cold weather has returned here. I also need to start thinking about doing some cross pollinating. Maybe cross those two yellows.

ZM

I like it. :)

The more I look at the scabiosa flowered varieties the less I care for them. I have only one packet of them and from my initial planting of 10 seeds only 3 sprouted so I think this weekend I am going to take the rest of them and plant them.

That way, if one of them is "good" I can self the seeds and plant them this spring with a bigger chance of having "true to form" flowers.

Hi Jack,

"...and from my initial planting of 10 seeds only 3 sprouted so I think this weekend I am going to take the rest of them and plant them. "

That's a good idea. It is quite possible that none of your existing 3 scabiosa seedlings is "on type". However, commercial seeds are supposed to be germination tested for 80% or higher, so you should have gotten more than 3 sprouts out of your 10 planted seeds. I guess it is a "your mileage may vary" situation.

ZM

Been creeping this thread for a few days now, so I figured it was time to sign up. The time to sow zinnia seeds outdoors here in Zone 8 is still a ways away, so I was trying to satiate my zinnialust with buying seeds/google image searches when I came across this forum. Truly fascinating, the photos are unbelievable. Didn't think I could be any more excited about zinnias than I already was, now I can't wait to see more of your photos and search for weird ones once mine get going. Does anyone have plans to create varieties that could be sold? I sure wouldn't mind having my own herd of shaggy dogs someday! Thought I had a good starting variety, but might have to add some scabiosa types now. Thanks for all the great information!

Welcome! :)

I don't ever sell plants or seeds. I find selling them to feel dirty. I would rather give them away. That said, none of mine are even worthy of giving away at the moment. lol

Be careful with those candycane type zinnias. The splotching of color can show up in later generations and ruin otherwise beautiful flowers. This is a personal bias of mine, but I hate it. lol

Jai_Ganesha said:Be careful with those candycane type zinnias. The splotching of color can show up in later generations and ruin otherwise beautiful flowers. This is a personal bias of mine, but I hate it. lol

Those are probably my least favorite of the ones I've got, but I think I would like them better if the splotching was larger.

On the topic of personal preference, the single row of thin tubes don't do much for me (it's probably that I am too inexperienced to imagine future possibilities). I'll have to go back and find the photos, but you and zen_man have posted zinnias loaded with toothy petals that look almost peony-like. Peonies don't grow well here in southern Louisiana, so that flower shape would be extra special here.

I don't think I have. You may be thinking of rosealice (jackier_gardener on another website) whose initials are JG (the same as mine in real life).

I've been to Louisiana (for a dog show) and...yikes was it muggy and humid. lol

Jai_Ganesha said:I don't think I have. You may be thinking of rosealice (jackier_gardener on another website) whose initials are JG (the same as mine in real life).

Yeah, you're right. Can't seem to find them now that I'm looking. I'm originally from Iowa (zone 5b), so it's been a big change in both climate and soil. And THE BUGS. Planting dates for this zone (right on the line of 8 and 9) have been very confusing with lots of contradictory information between books, seed packets, and online sources. Half of these seeds I don't know whether to sow in March or November. It's one of the reasons I'm loading up on Zinnias- at least I might stand a chance.

I'm originally from Kentucky and now live in Pennsylvania. I know the struggle!

Hi Lizzie,
Welcome to the National Gardening Association and this Annuals forum.

" Been creeping this thread for a few days now, so I figured it was time to sign up. "

Actually, I think the term usually used is "lurking" instead of "creeping". "Lurking" refers to just reading, but not participating. Glad to have you participating, and any of you other "lurkers" out there are invited to join in.

" ...so I was trying to satiate my zinnialust with buying seeds/google image searches when I came across this forum. Truly fascinating, the photos are unbelievable. "

There is also a longer running series of It can be fun to breed your own zinnias over at GardenWeb (now part of Houz). It was actually the original, and this and the thread in Hybridizers over at Dave's Garden are what you might call "spin offs". Each venue has its advantages, particularly in how photos are incorporated in messages. I don't like the scheme at Dave's Garden and most prefer the scheme at GardenWeb. The photos here are actually large square thumbnails. At least you can incorporate two thumbnails side-by-side here, or singly if you wish. The intent of the square thumbnails is that you can click on them to see the full big picture, which may not be square.

" Does anyone have plans to create varieties that could be sold? I sure wouldn't mind having my own herd of shaggy dogs someday! "

I may negotiate with a seed company a few years in the future, when I have stable selected strains. I would sell them some seed stock that they could multiply to commercial quantities. I understand that sort of thing has happened in the past with other amateur zinnia growers -- the Aztec Sunset strain of zinnias for example. I am working on several unique strains. And my zinnias keep showing me new things that "they can do", so my zinnia project becomes more complex with each passing year.

Jack's caution about the Candy-Cane-type Peppermint-type striped zinnias is appropriate. Early on I wanted to cross stripes with spider flowered zinnias, because I thought the stripes might look "neat" on long thin down-rolled petals. But then one of my scabiosa recombinants showed up with stripes and spots, and I was a bit horrified because it was almost like some kind of disease threatening to take over my zinnia project.

I think it may be partially psychological on my part. Those spots look sort of like some kind of childhood disease "pox".

" Thought I had a good starting variety, but might have to add some scabiosa types now. "

The scabiosa types can create some interesting hybrids. Just be prepared to find a lot of off-type specimens in them. Culling your zinnias is good practice, regardless of what varieties you are growing. Your growing space is always limited, so it just makes good sense to use it for the best specimens.

I look forward to your continued participation. Now that you are a member, "lurking" is no longer required. (grin)

ZM

Hi again, Lizzie,

" On the topic of personal preference, the single row of thin tubes don't do much for me (it's probably that I am too inexperienced to imagine future possibilities). "

Is this the zinnia you are referring to?

I totally concede that different people have different tastes, including in zinnias. That is the advantage of being your own zinnia breeder -- you can cater to your own preferences. I mostly don't like singles either, although there are exceptions, like this one.

That one reminded me of a water lily. On the subject of tubes for petals, I have been kind of overboard for them, partly because they do represent different possibilities for petal form. Some of the tubular-petaled zinnias have had a sort of artificial look to them.

On the other hand, I do like the starburst look that some of the very thin petal tubes can have.

The starburst zinnias are just one strain that I am working on.

ZM

The things that were covered exceed my ability to quote sections, so please forgive how this will all be smooshed together. I'll check out the original stuff over on Houzz, too. Aztec Sunset was made by an amateur grower? That so cool! Are there any others like that? Okay, you've scared me out of planting the stripes. Yeah, that is the single row of narrow petals I was talking about. The ones with many rows of straight or gently curving narrow tubes are a different story, though. Absolutely love those and would have snatched up some seed packets if they existed. They have a mum sparkler (because they're on a "stick") look to them that is really sophisticated compared to the typical daisy form. Can't wait to see how you progress with it. I saw photos posted of a reddish pigmentation at the base of zinnia leaves and have since noticed that same thing in a few of the commercial photos of Zowie.

I had not thought of chickenpox. To me they look like vomit.

I have one update. Of my five adult Zinnia haageana plants one looks much worse off than all the others. Its upper leaves are crinkled and brown which makes me think it has a calcium(?) deficiency but both orders that I placed for calcium nitrate were canceled because the vendor did not have any in so "small" a quantity.

I just was planning to destroy that plant because I am not sure that it is a calcium deficiency since all the other plants and all the other siblings are fine and I just never got around to destroying it. Lo and behold, it is the first one to start blooming.

I had just done a foliar feeding so don't mind the water everywhere.

Hi Jack,

Considering the condition of the plant, that bloom looks pretty good. Indoor zinnia nutrition is a bit tricky. It is odd that both of your orders for Calcium nitrate were cancelled. I have never had that experience, but in the past I have never ordered less than a pound. I am currently using soluble nutrients, including Calcium nitrate, rather fast. I will probably have to purchase some more in the next few weeks.

I was surprised by the width of the leaves on your blooming Haageana. I had always thought that the Haageana leaves were somewhat narrower than Violacea leaves. I have several zinnias in bloom, and will be doing some cross pollination later today. I have also been doing some culling of my indoor zinnias. My California Giant progeny have received the heaviest culling, but one specimen has the narrower uprolled petals that I am looking for.

I am hoping that it will produce some pollen so that I can self it, but if it doesn't, I will cross it with a variety of current breeder specimens.

I am not certain that your blooming Haageana is Calcium deficient, but in the absence of Calcium nitrate you might try crushing up a Tum or two and sprinkling the powder on the growing medium. Also, if you happen to have any Plaster of Paris on-hand, that is a de-hydrated form of gypsum, which is Calcium sulfate.

https://www.britannica.com/tec...

However, there are many sources of Calcium nitrate in "small quantities". I suggested a couple of possibilities back on Dec 30th. Did you consider either of those?

ZM

Yes. I forget which one it was. But it was also canceled. It seemed odd to me.

Another thing which seems odd is that the variation In leaf size of Z. haageana is so great ( just like the depth of color).

Hi Jack,

" Another thing which seems odd is that the variation In leaf size of Z. haageana is so great... "

That also seems odd to me. I think you mentioned that you got your Haageana seeds from some source other than a standard commercial seed company. Your seed stock may be unusual. A few years ago I grew some Aztec Sunset zinnias, which are a dwarf version of Persian Carpet, and they had much less wide leaves than your picture.

I have also grown Persian Carpets in previous years, and their leaves were also not wide. Your Haageana is the first one I have seen with wide leaves.

ZM

Yes, I got them from a person who has grown her own for years and saves seeds each year. They're about 10 years old from what I remember.

I guess it's possible that Z. violacea has hybridized with these? But I don't know how likely it is.

My gut instinct tells me that when both are grown in the same fields/gardens that it's more common than we might think. And most of the time, we wouldn't necessarily even know.

Hi Jack,

" And most of the time, we wouldn't necessarily even know. "

Well, it would be an interspecific hybrid, with F2 and F3 and so on generations from that hybrid, with presumably LOTS of genetic recombinations going on. Those should create new forms, equal to or more varied than the Whirligigs. So I would expect some very different looking blooms from some such an accidental cross, not just some extra wide leaves.

This is another of my current indoor recombinants.

Interesting center color. Well, I have a lot of re-potting to do. So, more later.

ZM