Tiffy, that pic doesn't really do the cosmos diablo color justice. This pic was taken a few weeks ago with the sun shinning directly behind it. I wasn't intending to get the pic with light at this angle, just some pics, but this is what I got. A lot of times the cosmos diablo will have more of the lighter orange on it when it first blooms, then darken a few days later. This one is from last year just after it started to bloom I love both the cosmos diablo and sunset. The bloom early in the summer, by July 4th at the latest for me, and keep blooming till the frost gets them. My original seeds came from my grandparents farm just before they sold it, almost 40 years ago, and I've been growing them myself every year since. First in pots on an apartment balcony and finally 30 years ago, in my own beds at my home. They only grow 1--2 feet so they fit in the beds in a variety of locations and if you want to really keep them short, you can prune the plants to stay very short and they will still bloom beautifully. I will have tons and tons of seeds of both the diablo and sunset for trades and BEAP offers in a few weeks. Just getting things all together now. NORTHENER, the dahlia diablo, fireworks, and collarette dandy are dwarf dahlias that are easy to start from seed and bloom the first year. Lots of people just sow them as annuals and toss the entire plant out at the end of the season. the seed packets came in mixed colors, so what I have been growing where just the colors that I got from the seeds I originally WS. I've saved the tubers for the past 2 years because I liked the specific colors and combos of colors that bloomed and wanted to be sure that I had them the next year. I wasn't sure that the seeds would come true to the parent plant because they are open pollinated and I have a lot of the dwarf dahlias. As far as I know, the seeds that I collected last year and the year before did come true to the parent plant, at least for the friends that WS seeds that I collected from them, here in my town and a few towns away. The collarette dandy are new seeds that I WS this year and they where from mixed color seeds. I only sowed 2 seeds and wouldn't you know that both of them bloomed in the same colors but with different color combos, so they do look different. I should have seeds from them, including collarette dandy, diablo, fireworks and stargazer. NAN, My chinese forget me nots where WS in March and up within 3 weeks. I planted them in hunks with a lot of hunks together in big holes because they look so much better when they are clumped together. Yes they have bloomed all summer for me, even when I didn't dead head or collect seeds from them until now. They started blooming around the end of June and are still going strong. They are a real work horse in the garden, blooming even under the worst of conditions. They where some of the only things blooming in my beds last summer, when we had real cool temps and rain for 2 solid months in June, July and into part of August. This summer, they have been blooming without skipping a beat, with horrible heat and humidity, most of June, all of July and August and even into the first week of Sept. Add to the fact that we had no rain to speak of for 2 months, more than 7 inches below normal and I can only water every other day. They still chugged along, blooming their hearts out. Just not a plant I would every be without. Fran

Your MM is darker than mine have got so far lol- very pretty. My NOL usually turns as dark of orange as its gonna get by the third day. The first day sort of cream colored, the second-peach, the 3rd more orange. I have had a few deformed blooms on her when it is really hot or really rainy. She is my all time fav. brug!

I'm getting so worried. I hope they can handle 40 degree temps. These being my first brugs I am so paranoid. Now they have popped open at the bottom of the bud. Many of them, but its been raining all day today, supposed to rain all day tomorrow too. The forecast for the next 10 days: Highest 72, with some 57 and 60+ highs and nighttime lows 40-58 degrees. I'm just so nervous. One other question rather than starting a new thread. I have only one that I planted in the ground. I hate to cut anything back as I am so new to these. Since the one that's in the ground will remain there all winter, here in zone 8, do I have to cut it back. I mean if I don't how do I protect it. Should I just mulch really well around the base of the plant? I've seen some pictures where they were cut to the ground, mulched and covered with a pot or bucket. Should I do that? What should I do?

I'm hoping these thumbnails are small enough to load quickly Here are a few that made it to November in my yard... 1.Cyclamen hederifolia didn't last to the end of November 2. 3. Waterperry 4. Blue Prince Holly 5. Daphne 6. Strawflower 7. Abutilon 8. Black and Blue Salvia 9.Ok, I just bought these... 10. Knautia 11. Winter Jasmine opened a lot more since this picture was taken 12.So did Zephirine Drouhin 13.Volunteer Amaranthus 14.Lady bells 15.Hellebore Foetidus 16. Daphne hybrid 17. Red Cascade 18. Traviata won't beat the cold 19.Eden 20. Wild asters 21. One of many buds that won't have enough time to open. 22.Cyclamen coum is trying 23. White strawflower 24. Female skimmia - is this open? 25. Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis in bud 26. Male skimmia 27. La Marne 28. Gaillardia Oranges and Lemons wants to bloom 29. Heritage did well this fall 30. Heritage shattering 31.Dandelions are open around town, this one is in my yard 32. Ok, I bought the teaberry in bloom- $4.99 at Shop Rite 33. Ornamental Strawberry Plus I've seen a few cherry trees and forsythia in bloom...