Hi Kristen - I planted Velvet Queen from Park Seed this year. They all looked the same except for one plant which had smaller black flowers - not even a hint of any color. After the sun faded them in a few days, they looked more like a dark dark burgundy. Going to save some seeds from both since this sunflower did very well for me. The birds liked them too - in fact, I'm not sure they're getting a chance to dry enough to harvest the seeds. The birds are eating the seeds before the petals are dry so I've been waiting until the seed heads are half gone, then I break the flower off before the birds get the rest. I'm letting them dry in my garage. Do you think they'll germinate? Anyway - I can share some if you want to try them. Velvet Queen must be variable because some pictures of it that I saw on the web are reddish, and mine look just like the ones on Parks website except for the black sheep. Here is a link that might be useful: Sunflower Velvet Queen - Park Seed

Here is my list of what I can bring: stinky star (stapelia gigantea aka stapelia noblis) cuttings over-the-pot succulent Hen+chicks, noid queen of the night kaktus(selenicereus grandiflorus) cuttings 1 red swamp mallow, seedling 1 Rosella, cutting rooted 2 Mex. Sunflower trees, rooted cuttings 1 white orchid tree seedling in pot violets, devisions, rooted Gloxinia, divisions rooted Blue eyed Grass, divisions Yellow Bulbine, rooted Mimosa (ground cover), rooted and cuttings basket plant (Callisia) Boston fern black elephant ear lemon scented geranium (pelargonium citrosum) 2 potted seedlings, and cuttings 1 Angel trumpet, seedling, noId Salvia black+blue, 2 rooted, and cuttings cuphea candy corn, 2 seedlings mex. petunia (ruellia), tall and mini dancing girl ginger, seedlings water lettuce water hyazinth apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) 1 rooted plant and cuttings garlic chives (allium tuberosum) devisions pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) - 3 potted seedlings Ysop (anise hyssop), 4 rooted Passiflora 'Amethyst' 1 seedling Blackeyed Susan vine, 1 perennial morning glory vine, 2 rooted cuttings Blue Pea vine, 1 seedling, seeds annual Moonflower, seeds For orchid trading: Maxillaria tenuifolia, 2 cuttings with 3 bulbs each Den. aphyllum kikis Den. loddigesii kikis Evelyn Here is a link that might be useful: pictures

"cycadjungle - is that one being affected by the Asian scale?" If this were a species that got Asian scale, I would never had mentioned it, because the scale is a serious problem for everyone in Florida. There are many cycads we can grow very well in central Florida that don't get the scale. Even though it gets way more technical, anything in the genus "cycas" (not to be confused with the word "cycad") can very easily get the Asian scale. The scale came from China and all they have in that whole area, cycad wise, are various cycas species. There is no other genus of cycad from Asia. There is a genus made up of one species, Stangeria eriopus, that also gets the scale real bad, maybe even worse than the sagos, like Cycas revoluta and Cycas taitungensis, but that is very rare and comes from South Africa. Its a nice plant though and looks like a big 6 foot fern. Anyway, anything in the genus "dioon" is known in the cycad community in general as being one of the most pest free genus of cycads and Dioon edule is the very best for being cold hardy, drought tolerant, and even salt tolerant. There are even quite a few forms of Dioon edule where some cluster and some do not. Some have the typical green emergent leaves, but some have reddish, almost purple, and lighter blue emergent leaves. They grow slow but larger plants are readily available from nurseries who specilaize more in cycads.

I must admit- I came home with more than I had planned to..... But less than what I came with! I still have many hours of home-work looking up information and germination requirements... I thought I was doing well with the two portable file containers I bought to store seeds in this year- one for swapping and one for sowing- but It is a bit of a mess still- shuffeling through all the "d's" for the right digitalis or datura or what ever- and I keep seeing a picture from a post where the gardener had purchased one of those plastic roll-away multi drawer systems. A drawer for sowing, with homemade dividers, all alpha filed- the bit larger drawer for swapping- and the big bottom drawer for seed cleaning, packaging, labeling tools, bubble mailers, postage and germinating info....... All in a single unit that can be easily tucked away when not in use- and organized and tidy when in use! Oh to be so organized!! I swear- every time I pull out the seeds- it is like an explosion throughout the whole area and then some! I do wonder what others do with the seed storage/swapping systems...... I have found a good software sysem for computer filing for seeds and things garden related and what have you- It is called NoteBook from Circus Ponies- It does work well for me- and maybe you too! Julie