Natives with Zinnias-Goshawker Photo

18 years ago

From Goshawker:

"There are seven Native flowers in this vase with a

few Zinnias. Granted I'm no flower arranger, I just made this vase up for my wife to take to her office. Make sure to let people know I have no clue about making arrangements,I just wanted people to see some of the natives in a vase together."

{{gwi:624880}}
I think they look great Steve. The prairie in bloom must be a sight to behold.

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Comments (16)

donn_
18 years ago
I love that yellow Ox-Eye! What's the specific flavor?
Noni Morrison
18 years ago
YOU ARE A NATURAL born arranger! LOve what you have done,,,perfect for a p
rairie flower arrangement! See, the spike of white is just the finishing touch on it! I also love your colors together. Beautiful, soul touching flowers!
Liza
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Thanks to all for your nice comments. If anybody wants seed e-mail me at goshawk@redwing.net. The rattlesnake master takes 3 years to get a bloom, it doesn't smell bad and if you cut it off at the base it will re-grow another stem in about a month. I sell the two kinds of Asclepias to the florists, Tuberosa(butterfly-orange)and Incarnata(Swamp-pink). I sold 600 stems of the orange before we left but it was too far into flower to cut when we got back so the rest will be for seed. The Incarnata is just starting to bloom now. The cream Indigo is just for seed. I use Blue and white for cuts and seed. I've got Baptisia Spherocarpe and Tictoria (large yellow and small yeallow) that are just for seed but once I have a 1/2 acre of each of those they will be used for cuts too(about 4 more years). I haven't used leadplant but I think it could be used. I just don't have enough to sacrifice the seed for the flowers at this point, Ive got 1/4 acre in production but it is just as slow as the Baptisia's, about 5 years to maturity. Compared to some, my ground is flat. It's actually gently rolling and hasnice drainage, except where I planted my Zinnias. Josh, Read a book called "Where the sky began". It's a great natural history of what the pioneers experienced as they ventured out of the woods of the eastern U.S. and tried to tame the Prairie. I'll send a few more pics to Pooch tonight. TIme to go use the neighbors pool, it's 92 degrees, 85% humidity and a 67 dewpoint, too sticky to work, oh darn. Steve
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Hi Bob, " But the reason for my coming aboard is this. I wonder if any of you have any seeds of these unusual types that I could purchase. " I think that many of my "breeder" zinnias do go beyond what you can buy commercially. And I think that some gardeners would enjoy growing some of these "new look" zinnias. However, I think that the best way to make these new strains available to gardeners in general would be for some seed company to acquire some of my selected seed stocks, increase their quantities in commercial fields, and offer them commercially. There is past precedent for following that path. If some seed company were to contact me about acquiring some of my seed stocks, they probably would want to have an exclusive on any strain or strains that they might acquire, and they wouldn't want to hear that I had already been selling or otherwise distributing them. So, much as I would like to share some of my new zinnias, I think the best way to do that would be through a commercial release by an existing seed company. However, none of my new zinnias are in stabilized strains yet, and I don't anticipate that will happen in the near future. I am still crossing and recombining genetic factors to see what new things can come out of that. I am creating new zinnias for the fun of it. Actually, I am not creating new zinnias, I am coaxing the zinnias to show me new things they can do. I have said it before, zinnias are full of surprises. But I am not sharing or trading or selling zinnia seeds, because I hope to develop seed stocks that would be suitable for acquisition by a seed company. And I very much enjoy the process of working toward that goal. However, my primary goal is still to have fun breeding my own zinnias. And to help other gardeners experience the fun of developing their own new zinnias. " I've done the 'scabiosa' for about 5 years now and have a strain that produces a lot of those types. " We would love to see pictures and/or descriptions of some of your scabiosa types. If you can, post pictures of them. " But I love some the other unusual ones as well. " As I have suggested to others, the Whirligig strain of zinnias contains a lot of new genetic factors, because it was derived from an interspecific zinnia cross. I think that Whirligigs from Stokes Seeds are the "secret sauce" in some of my new zinnias. You are already familiar with the power of numbers in plant breeding. 11,000 daylilies is a lot of plants. So, if you can apply that same numbers principle to zinnias, you can enjoy some real "zinnia surprises". Welcome aboard, Bob. ZM
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Well, I have missed a bit, I see. Firstly, let me address Sayuri's statement: I assumed most of you guys to be well off retirees. Chuckle, snicker, SNORT! You can definitely leave me out of that assessment - ha! Well, yes, I'm semi-retired, if one can call it that, but far from being well off. Certainly not living in the manner to which I wish I'd become accustomed. But we manage to keep the cats (and ourselves) fed. And I'm a very accomplished scrounger. :) Now, secondly, I don't have a cat walking across my keyboard as I did earlier, but I can't find the pic I'd been thinking about of the newly made beds. Instead, here's a somewhat later photo which shows the raised beds already planted. As you can see, Sayuri, I don't have sides to my beds - I've just shoveled the loose dirt from the paths (after tilling) onto the bed areas, raising them up somewhat. The looser the dirt, the easier it is to scoop it up and pile on the beds. And this area was soft and clear of grass and weeds because it had been under tarps for about a year and a half. I've done this in other areas, but none have worked as well as this, probably because the other spots had poorer, less loamy soil to begin with. You're in a hurry, though, so I get the idea of the herbicide, even if, personally, I can't bring myself to trust a chemical that supposedly kills some plants, but not others. History has proven me wrong, but I still have a problem with the concept. Oh well - whatever. My point is, you can make raised beds without the bother of being fancy about it. I do it every year, though I've been working on this area in particular, using straw mulch, to make it so I never have to till again, or rebuild the beds. I don't have a shot from 2017 corresponding to this exact location, but here's one from July 2017 in a couple of beds that would be to the left of these pictured: You can't really tell, but the beds are still slightly higher than the paths, even after a couple of years. It's because, once built, they never get walked on. They'll be even higher this year because I intend to dump a load of composted manure on them. That may cost a bit, but it will be worth it. Ninecrow - that is one audacious, bodacious snail!!! Wow - have never seen one like it. Cool. Go Gatchaman! Namaste, Alex
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flowers4u
18 years ago
Steve - wow again! What is the pink spike? It looks like a version of verbascum...??? I'd hire you to do my arrangements!!
Wendy
goshawker
18 years ago
Here's what's in there. The yellow ones with the yellow centers are the Ox-eyes(Heliopsis helianthoides), the skinnier purplish pink spike is Hoary vervain(Verbena stricta), the fatter purple spike near the center is purple prairie clover(Dalea purpurea),the orange clusters are the butterfly milkweed(Asclepias tuberosa), the Black Eyed Susan is the native rudbeckia, the little strawberry looking white flower in a cluster of green unopened flowers is Prairie cinquifoil(Potentilla arguta), the white spike in the middle is White indigo(Baptisia luecantha), and of course the rest are Zinnias.

Steve
Poochella
Original Author
18 years ago
They are gorgeous Steve! Thanks for posting the names too. I particularly-- well I like them all really- but I wanted to know the ID of the two lavender spiky ones for sure. Am kicking myself as I let seeds go of my mom's heliopsis and didn't get it in the ground. Maybe next year.
Continued happy growing and arranging. I think you've got the talent and touch too.
Josh
18 years ago
Love the glowing sunny colors...the essence of summer in a vase...very nice! josh
Fundybayfarm
18 years ago
Steve,
There's nothing wrong with your flower arranging abilities! I think it looks great, and so would any florist in town. I remember when my zinnias looked like that last year. Good job.
Cheryl
sharonsgarden
18 years ago
I am growing more and more natives in my yard and I love them. There are a lot of wonderful flowers that are available and provide wonderful bouquets as you demonstrated very nicely.

I think your bouquet looks absolutely wonderful and I am sure that your wife received lots of compliments.

Sharon
Jeanne_in_Idaho
18 years ago
I wish I had that much arranging instinct! You're way better than I was before I started to concentrate on learning how to arrange. Nice combination of flowers, too.

What is the bloom timing on the helianthus? I'm sort of considering planting some but already have lots of double and single rudbeckia, which are happy and hardy here and keep producing for 2-4 years. If the helianthus blooms before rudbeckia (does it??), or is a longer-lasting perennial (how long does it last?) I can really use some. I've seen lots of sources.

Jeanne
goshawker
18 years ago
Jeanne,

Mine starts to bloom about the 4th of July and then, because I have so many, blooms for about 6 weeks. The stems remain stiff even after they are dead. I've gotten 3 weeks vase life if you cut right after it opens but before it starts to get pollentated by the bees, conditioned as well.. You can expect 2 weeks if you cut any time. My field is now 6 years old and still is going strong. If you planted a 10x10 plot and kept it mowed to about 12 inches your first year the next year you will have blooms.

Send me your address privately and I'll send you some Rattlesnake Master, Heliopsis, and butterfly milkweed seed after the harvest.

Steve
FlowerPower_NC
18 years ago
Gorgeous! I love your use of complementary colors, and your sense of space--

Valerie
Miss EFF
18 years ago
Steve --- The flowers are beautiful........but lets' talk about your house and barn, plus those beautiful chairs!!!

I take it -- it's a 1890's Queen Anne farmhouse?? With southern yellow pine trim??? How is my guessing??

We are currently (constantly) in the restoration stage of a similiar house. Another good PBS show to catch or book to read --is "Death of a Dream" It is about the farmhouses of the upper Midwest. I think it would suit your taste.

Love the white Indigo! What is its bloom time??

Cathy
rubyb
18 years ago
I agree with everyone - I like your arrangement also! I am partial to natives myself. I have the Heliopsis helianthoides in my garden, but my flowers are not nearly as big--maybe a slightly different gene or ? here in Missouri...Mine are probably 2" at the max.
Poochella
Original Author
18 years ago
Clink you big teaser! I want to hear about the house and barn too! There was a photography link at the another forum who had absolutley haunting photos of rural life or fading rural life, with a few stories to expound on some of the photos.
If I can dig it up, I'll post it here. Not sure how many flowers were involved, but if it's OT, I'll label it as such. I love a good barn myself.
goshawker
18 years ago
Cathy,

We have been in a constant sate of renovation for 15 years. It was actually built in 1874. It's a two story with a huge attic which is going to be my guy's room someday(I have three daughters). It has and old limestone foundation, so the basement is good for nothing but the furnace and such. We could really use some storage space. It's 2300 sq. ft. but only has two closets in the whole house. Once the attic is finished that will add anohter 600 sq. ft. but I'm sure half of "my" room will become storage. All of the trim work was painted when we moved in and the hardwood floors were carpeted. We have stripped all of the trim and pulled up the carpet.

Our large barn is in dire need of a new roof and foundation. My wife has been like a dog on a bone lately to start fixing it up. The other two barns are in good shape and I use them for my machinery and to clean my prairie seeds.

I have seen that PBS special, very good!! The White Indigo blooms from early June to late June. That stem was regrowth on a plant I cut earlier, I'm trying to find out if you can cut more than once and still have the plant make it back the next year.

I think I'm cathing up to you, it has now been nearly 4 weeks without rain. By the time sunday gets here we will have had 90+ degrees for 9 consecutive days, that hasn't happend since 1988. I have been watering my shrubs with soaker hoses and my annuals with a sprikler 24/7 for a week now. I've been concentrating on the shrubs because I have large finacial investmetn in them. My suns and Zinns look o.k. but they are definately stressed.

Well, I'm off to do my rain dance in the moonlight.

Steve
buckster
18 years ago
Yo Steve,

Looks great.I like the white indigo.

Tim

Natives with Zinnias-Goshawker Photo

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