I planted some teeny little Profusion Zinnias way back in April. Got them at HD in one of those huge 24 packs. They took a LONG time to get goin' but man, have they taken off the last 2-3 weeks! I fertilized them with some of those slow release granules and it was like they got a shot of B-12 (sorry; old expression of my mom's!).
And here is a closeup. You can see one very faded-out zinnia that I should have dead-headed.
And here is a view the other direction...
My hopi red dye amaranth and mexican sunflower are growing an inch a day, I swear..
IT has only been in the past few weeks that they have been more than little seedlings..
This message was edited Jul 8, 2008 12:06 AM
Oh Connie, your Zinnias are absolutely stunning. I had a few coral colored ones the past summer, and can't wait for them to flower again. Would love to have some of the other colors... Your garden is really beautiful!
Elsa
Artemiss: I LOVE the amaranth! I don't know about it...wonder if it grows well here in our 100 degree weather? I absolutely love both purple and chartreuse foliage and flowers (mixed with orange too), so I would love to plant some of the amaranth. I'm learning about so many new plants here on DG I'm wondering if my brain can hold it all! Probably not!!
Elsa: Thanks so much! They stayed tiny and really ugly for so long I almost pulled them up! Hmmm...a lesson in patience, huh?
Connie..
It was grown by the Hopi Indians in the southwest, and seems to LOVE the heat, so I imagine it would do better for you than me even. It appears to be a prolific reseeder from what I have read, so I can send some seeds your way this fall if ya want.
Connie, I had the same inclination last year. I had these funny looking little stems with one small flower on each. Having never grown zinnias before, I thought they were the ugliest little things. Luckily one of the DG members told me to hang in there, and boy I'm glad I did. I'm growing them, and some other zinnias this year!
Sunflowers
jmorth: Talk about "taking off"-- wow. Those are fabulous! Do you cut some to bring inside? One year I grew sunflowers but I don't think mine got that large! Those are great for a tall vase!
Artemiss: I have not yet had real success with seeds. I think I'm too impatient and also I forget to water /tend when there are no indications of life there yet! I'd hate to waste your seeds when someone who is good with them could have fabulous plants from them!
Elsa: I'm curious as to what other kinds of zinnias you're trying. I used to grow taller ones for cutting but the bottoms would get leggy and the leaves burned! I couldn't stand to keep them, even though the flowers were pretty for cutting. Do you have a good named one I could try?
The sunflowers pictured are self-seeded descendants of Kong (sunflower variety). At nearly 12 ft. they're pretty tall even for a tall vase.
Connie,
I'll be growing "Envy", "Miss Willmot", some labeled "Bright Red/Orange", "Mixed" and oh yes, almost forgot, some profusion "scarlet/orange" all received through trades. That is apart from the coral profusions I had last year. I also have some seeds of a wild zinnia growing next to the road - it has orange/red flowers, and almost look as if it has a climbing habit (the plant was more than 6 feet high).
Will keep you updated on the performance. I found with the zinnias last year that they had some mildew later in the season, Will try to combat it this coming year as it tends to make the plants look "yukky".
Which ones do you have growing apart from the profusions? Any good ones that you think worth saving seeds of?
Elsa, how cool to have wild zinnias at your doorstep! Do they bloom year round there? 'Envy' is an heirloom varietiy, so I think you can save seed from those and they come true. I only saved seed from those with the most fully double blooms in hopes of perpetuating that trait, but they haven't started blooming yet so I don't know if it was worth the concern.
Connie, I love those Profusions! I saved seed from a friend's Cherry Profusion that has come true and is blooming nicely.
This plant is new to me this year, Convulvulus (bush morning glory or ensign morning glory). They've been very showy and easy to grow.
'Sonata' Cosmos are starting to get showy.
These Nigella and Snapdragons just keep getting better! Some Cleome is starting to crank out blooms in that bed too.
Gemini, let me know if you want some of the wild zinnia. No, they die down in early winter. A pity really, as the color would be nice - I suppose even they need a rest. LOL!
I tried some Ensign last year, and although they germinated, they didn't grow more than an inch - died down when the temp dropped. I would love to try them again as I just love their color...
Your cosmos are looking great. We have cosmos growing next to our roads (flowering in April) that really takes your breath away. I tried some "Double click" last spring, and they did great. I harvested a few seeds, and are hoping for them to come true.
I'll be trying the orange cosmos for the first time this year, but I think I will start all of them a bit later, or maybe I must sow the seeds where I want them, and let nature takes it's course... Maybe that is the easier route to go..
Here is a photo of the cosmos..
What a beautiful sight! I've had good luck with cosmos both ways, but it does seem they develop fastest when direct sown. Not sure if I just stumbled upon a good way to grow Convulvulus or if they just like it here. I started them indoors in March, and once they were all up moved them to a mini greenhouse on the deck. They seemed perfectly happy with the cool temps. I transplanted them directly into the garden in April (we still get some frost in April) in little clumps of 3 or 4 seedlings per hole. They grew steadily till warmer weather got here, then the blooms started. So for me, getting them started while it was still cool seemed to do the trick, but being my first attempt I'm not sure if they require that or not.
Do you know if the wild zinnias there are Z.angustifolia?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/255/
I ordered seed for white and orange forms of those this spring, but they've grown very slowly and I don't know if I'm going to see any blooms from them. If they don't give me any seed, or if the species you have growing wild is a different one, I would indeed love some seed! I think I should have direct sown them; I was concerned that the seedlings would be so small that competition would be an issue. So sweet of you to offer :-) Thanks!
Neal
Neal, if I remember correctly they were a more reddish orange, and the seed heads were actually very prickly! I had to handle them very carefully. They reminded me of thistles - the same type of "thorn", but definitely zinnias. Even the seeds look the same.
Will mail you some to try,
Elsa
Oh, how sweet of you Elsa! I'd be thrilled to try them :-) Seed collecting from my garden is about to commence; I'll dmail you a list of all I'm collecting. I'd love to reciprocate- I think its so wonderful to share seed from other parts of the world- having a little part of exotic places in the garden.
It is a pleasure, Neal. I love sharing seed, and the nicest part of it, is walking in your garden and seeing all these lovely flowers, knowing exactly who send the seeds etc. It makes gardening even more special.
My favorite annuals to bloom so far here are:
zinnias
Bachelor buttons
Poppies - they were started late
bigcityal, I just love poppies, but I seem to have bad luck with them. I sowed them outside last year as I read they don't like their roots disturbed, but only a handful germinated (about 3%) and of those only two plants ended up having nice flowers.
I purchased "Ooh la la" from T&M earlier this year, and want to give them a try. I always thought poppies need sun, but someone suggested that I try them in semi-shade. Don't want to waste my seed. Any ideas?
Mine are all annuals here so they aren't moved. They are a cooler liking plant so I'm not sure when you would start them - we can start them before danger of frost has passed here. Do you see anyone else with them there?
Elsa, I don't have any other zinnias. I do plan to have a cutting garden on the side of my house but haven't got the beds ready yet. THen I'll plant some of the taller ones!
Sage, that "vulvul" plant (can't remember all of the name!) is absolutely fabulous! I've never seen it here in Austin. Must get some!!!
bigcitygal: the flower pics are gorgeous! You must be into photography! That poppy pic looks like a contest winner! Is that the normal way they look? I didn't know the centers were so intricate. Thanks for sharing! I have not gotten into the seeds trading thing yet because I"m so impatient, but maybe next year....*grinning*
Connie, be warned, starting things from seed is absolutely addictive. I used to buy all my plants, that was until I discovered DG and the joy of growing things from seed. Now I have three of these smallish green houses filled with little plants, and another load of seeds waiting to be started...LOL!
Thanks Connie - yes I am. The poppy centers are always very detailed.
Elsa, I guess it's like "birthin' babies"!!! And now that you have said how addictive it is, ...don't know if I should start. I 'm KNOWN for getting onto something and going at it like it's going out of style!! :-)
Connie, do yourself a favor, and do! I enjoy every minute of it, and there is nothing like seeing your "babies" grow and reaching "adult hood". LOL!
What kind of bachelor button is that? All I've seen is solid colors.
I have a kind called Frosted Queen, I just took a set of pics that turned out bad from them - I'll try again tomorrow.
Connie, I'd never seen Convulvulus growing before starting these either. Since I've had them in the ground, I really haven't done anything to them- they seem happy fending for themselves. I'd say there's a good chance they'll perform well for you :-) Something else to entice you into seed starting is there are so many fun plants the greenhouses don't sell that you can easily start from seed. I like having stuff that's not very common in the area.
Elsa, I'm collecting loads of seed from my poppies; I'll be sure to put some aside for you, then you'll have plenty of seed to experiment with :-)
I used to buy seed packets offered at stores here and they apparently weren't for our area! Guess I need to carefully read the backs of the packets before buying.
Connie, I've found those directions on the back of the store seed packs to be too general. I've found much more info here just asking around.
I also found that the germination rate of bought packets can be as low as 0%. I've only had success with the traded seeds - I assume because they are fresh, and given with a good heart. :)
gemini_sage, thank you so much for thinking about me and my poppy dilemma. I just love them, and would be a very happy girl if and when I can get them to grow.
Gemini and Elsa....that must be the problem! I just tried once or twice and gave up with the bought ones. Next spring when I have more time (I was in the midst of remodeling this year) I'll try it again! :-)
Thanks...
Connie
Coleus love summer>
Pot of Pentas
Dale, what wonderful pics!! I see some pots peeking through the coleus. Do you have to water about 3x daily?!! Mine seem to slurp the water and they are in the ground! I've never grown pentas, but would like to try.
