It's too bad that you cant go just a tad bit shorter than 2 to 3 feet, I had lots of suggestions for you that stays with the same one plant, but with color varations. One suggestions was to go with the Cosmic cosmos--all three colors red, orange and yellow which are totally stunning and vibrant mixed together. And incredibly easy to grow from seed! Another suggestion was Magellan zinnias, which will grow like dwarf hydrangea shrubs smothered with handsized blooms that last for months. I had blooms that did not need be removed for 4 months, I kid you not! And there is just about every color available, coral, ivory, yellow, pink, scarlet, cherry, orange, salmon. I am growing over 400 of these this year. Another suggestion was a mixture of Celosia 'Fresh Look' colors in red, orange,and yellow. Most people hate celosia because they have never had good luck with keeping them going, but the Fresh Looks are very stunning, lush, healthy plants that get just under 2 foot tall, if I remember correctly. Another suggestion was to do Gomphrena, in a mixture of colors. Gomphrena, if plants are kept together and properly spaced will grow to a 2 foot tall airy "shrub" that stands up to rain, drought, etc. I grow the "All Around Purple', 'Strawberry Fields', and other colors from Park Seed, including white, rose and bicolor rose. Dont underestimate those small colored balls! They can REALLY make a huge standout, if they are grown correctly. I second the idea of using Profusion zinnias. These are like the perfect daisy like flower! Also, the blooms did not need removed for 4 months, available in colors: cherry, white, orange, Fire (reddish orange) and Apricot (my favorite). Very easy to grow from seed. You may want to check into the Tidal wave Petunias. If you space them about 2 foot apart, they will spread out like you wouldnt believe and grow to about 2 foot tall. I have never seen a petunia grow like this before last year! Though, the silver would blend right into your house color, but they do make a purple, hot pink, and cherry color that I will be doing this year. Tidals have a massive branching system to them. Do a search on gardenweb and you will find lots of pictures and ideas for them.

Beautiful double-flowered Kalanchoe blossfeldiana hybrid.

mayhem69 - I'm no expert but I have good luck with photobucket.com. Download your picture to Photobucket (it's free), then when you click on your picture you will see a number of boxes underneath it. Click on the one that says HTML code and Copy the text exactly. Paste that into your message on Gardenweb and when you preview your message you should be able to see your picture. If you do not see your picture - it didn't work so don't hit the submit button yet. It helps to have 2 windows open at the same time - one Gardenweb and one Photobucket so that you can be sure to get the photo you want. Hope this helps.

Hi Marty, thanks for the link. So probably it is some kind of new cultivar, not some well known classic... And it does look similar to some of those Swan Island pics. I will definetely use it for my next year`s color scheme (pink, pastel yallow, lime green). THe plant performed well till the end, healthy foliage and all. And I cant imagine that the lady I got it from would have tolerated a degrading Dahlia, rather culled it. Well thanks, it was worth a try, bye, Lin