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
