Lime, I think that sounds great. Maybe even list your email on the slip, asking them to report the color results they get. Many may not do so, but you could share the results with everyone who participates.

--Tina

That's a good idea!

I was thinking about doing one of these slips with petunia seeds, too, but I'm not finding any seedpods on any petunias except one kind, Dolce Flambissima or something like that from Park's Seeds. I guess the rest of what I grow is sterile hybrids or something.

I wish I knew more about this -- which seed I can save becuase it will come more or less true and which I can't. I think I had a Dolche petunia reseed this year and bloom from that reseeding. (It bloomed in March and reseeded in April-May and that seedling has bloomed -- all in one season)

The resultant flower is white with splotchy stripes of the same color as its mother. Not unattractive, but not too terribly attractive either, especially if it didn't have the mother as a complement nearby. :)

The whole thing is such a mystry and nobody puts enough information on their seed packs. :)))

Lime

Lime that is an interesting idea. I've always wondered about my favorite colors from mixes.
Last year I got some zinnia 'White Profusion' seeds in a swap, only 1 flower is coming up white, the others are a strange yellow-orange color...wonder if I isolated that flower it would produced white children? Worth a try I suppose.

Yes, and Yes... White is probably not the dominant color in Profusions. I think the Zinnias they are bred from come in Orange, Yellow, Pink and white and the color dominance is probably in that order. I think there is a reason they have Profusion Apricot and profusion Dark Apricot and Profusion Fire (dark dark dark apricot or orange) LOL!

If you stripped the current flowers off the white one (because they might already have been pollinated), and isolated it, the seedlings should be all-white. Butterflies can fly a far ways, tho, and I'm not sure how you'd isolate it. Is it 500 feet or 500 yards or something? Now I forget.

I pulled a white one and put it around the corner as far as I could, not that far away, but more hidden. It will be interesting to see what the seedlings would be. Lots of record keeping on this type of thing, tho.

Lime

For the records, which could get complicated, a system something like this could be helpful:

ZN (for zinnia - not many Zs, but for other lettered flowers 2 or 3 letters is a good idea)

WS (for "white search", or code for another trait like Sh for short)

1 (for the first try, 2, 3, 4)

A (for a subseries - from additional plants in closer locations to other zinnias, etc)

"ZN-WH-1A"
Tag the plant, and code the index card (or the line in an excell spreadsheet).

This should make it logical when you are looking for the information on a particular series of experiments. Otherwise you'll have to read a whole description in all of your records to find the set you're looking for.

This is modified from the library cataloging system, if you're curious :) Haven't used it, but it seems applicable.

--Tina