Susan, Lauray's is slow and has very tiny plants but at least the plants are as ordered. This was the first year I ordered from them and thought they had closed down because I never got a confirmation. Finally 2 months or better went by before the package arrived (all the other places I had ordered from at the same time had been delivered anywhere from a week after the order was placed to 4 weeks, but not 2 months). I was disappointed that 2 out of 10 plants were not shipped. Not even an explantation as to why. Maybe I will find those 2 somewhere else later on. I don't know Mr. Kartuz but they do take their time filling an order. They have some begonias that no one else offers. I just placed an order with them a week or two ago so hopefully I will get a delivery by the end of July. I'll keep my fingers crossed. GHW is very questionable but their mistakes or substitutions (I think it is more mistakes) usually turn out to be nice additions (just wish I knew what they are but then they probably would like to know as well). One day I would like to visit their greenhouses. They seem to have a lot to offer but their mail order and web site needs a lot of work. I ordered about 10 begonias from them and 3 ('Cleopatra', 'Tamo', and 'Earl-ee-bee') look like mistakes but 2 of those ('Cleopatra' and 'Earl-ee-bee') look like nice plants. I also got two freebies and one substitution. Logees is one of the more expensive places to order from but usually they are quick to deliver and the plants usually grow fast (usually). Palm Hammock is usually slow and they make mistakes as well when doing mail order. I'd like to order from them now, but am very reluctant to. I have had to call them back after several weeks went by to see if they lost my order (a few years ago). Of course I got an excuse that they were just filling the order and lost my address or something like that. I just visited them the end of April. There is nothing like visiting in person. Bigger plants for the same money. More selections than the web site and you pick them out. Very nice place to vist. I have not bought any begonias off eBay but continue to look. I hate bidding because I refuse to pay more than what you can buy at one of the stores above. The shipping costs on one begonia is not a bargain either. I usually look at the "Buy Now" ones but haven't bought any yet. I did buy an agave that was a "Buy Now" though. There are lots of places in Florida if you only knew where they are. I stopped at a small nursery on one of the Keys a few years ago. Beautiful begonias at a good price but you need a truck! I also picked up 2 different begonias in a 3 gallon pot on the same trip at the Key West nursery for $4. Of course that is a long way to go to pick up begonias. I don't know what is in your area, but there are several nurseries in my area (suburbs of Atlanta) that have sporadic shipments of begonias. I have had luck at several small nurseries and even the big building supplies including of all places - Ace Hardware (at least one with an attached greenhouse and this has been one of the best sources locally). It is hit or miss so I try to stop by at least every two weeks. I have a feeling a truck out of Florida swings by some of these stores every 4 to 6 weeks. Now if I only knew when they deliver I would try and be there on that date. First come - first serve. Butch

I'm guessing here but... the darker color is probably closer to the true color since you've removed it from commercial low-light, high fertilizer premises into a private container garden. Lower, yellowing leaf-drop has many reasons. Could be spider mites which leave dry, rusty-colored leaves with some webbing activity. These little stinkers can defoliate a mini in quick time. Best control during heat is spraying the undersides of the leaves with a water wand set to 'jet' 3 times a week during the summer. Spraying a miticide when it's over 80-90F can cause more damage to both you and the bush. Oft-times a containered rose will have multiple plants so it's a 'bush' when you buy it. These root zones compete for water, soil and nutrients and will battle to the finish. Even a larger container will only delay the inevitable. The first sign of struggle are the older, bottom leaves. Would be too easy if the canes started wrapping around and choking each other... you'll have to dig the plant back out to see if this is the problem. When was a the last time you fed it and what did you use? If you have this plant in full summer sunlight and your prolonged heat index is 90F or above, you need to use far less fertilizer and more water until the weather cools down. Roses have to have good drainage. Does this container have enough unclogged holes in order to let the water run out? If you have a saucer underneath the container, are you dumping out the excess water? It's best not to have a saucer underneath at all but they can also improve the humidity level in dry, arid climates like mine. How often are you watering? If you're watering an already wet plant, the leaves are going to turn yellow and the canes will die. Allow the soil to dry out a little before you water again. What type soil did you plant the rose in? Standard ol' potting soil is usually every thing but 'dirt' and roses like a little clay in there. I use a mix of potting soil, compost and garden dirt or a rose planting mix in my containers. Local rosarians also tout using cactus potting mix instead of the garden dirt portion as it's still heavier than the other two. Did you add any amendments to the soil when you transplanted the rose? Some triple super phosphate or bone meal, along with a little slow-release rose food really helps strengthen the plant as it matures. The phosphate has to be in the soil in the rootzone in order to be available to the bush as phosphorus doesn't move through the soil with water. A little chelated iron is also a necessity. I use it three times a year. A containered rose goes through nutrients much faster than an inground plant so it needs less product, more often.

Thank you, Val for your prompt reply, which answer all my questions. Yes, I would love to see pics. of roses in Florida. Khalid will be gone for 22 days in world-tour, so it's nice to see pics. from a warm climate like Florida. Jess in South Africa ... her roses are going in winter-dormancy. Our roses in zone 5a are just leafing out. I admire your nursery for not spraying with chemicals. Thanks Sam for clearing things up, I understand that you went through the same discussion with folks in Rose forum. I went through that too, and people won't understand the pine-issue unless they have bad experience with that. It's great at first, but after years of using pine bark, the soil pH will drop in heavy rain climate. Pine Straw is the same as Pine needle .. when I tested my 1-year old white-pine needles, I soaked in less than 5 min, and it registered neutral. But someone else tested it, and here's his result: http://www.pinestrawdirect.com/PineStrawMulchAcidity-SeparatingFactFromFictionThroughAnalyticalTesting.pdf "From this round of tests, it is clear that the fresh green needles leachate was initially acidic at 4.5, but following several simulations of rain and drying cycles over a few weeks time, the solution (the terms leachate and solution are used interchangeably here) was at the equivalent of rainwater pH. Over a period of 46 days, the needles were no longer acidic, with the pH being that of distilled water. My fifth test utilized decomposed pieces of needles that were approximately one year old and obtained from the topmost layer of pine straw in a sunny and very dry area of my garden. After 30 minutes of soak time, the pH of the pine straw was 6.9, which was followed by a 24 hour soak test resulting in a pH of 6.0." by Scott Jacobs

Hello javiwa, " ...how does a layperson determine whether a flower/plant is a F1 or non-F1 hybrid? " If it is seeds, that is usually printed on the packet, because F1 hybrids (F1) cost considerably more than open pollinated (OP). If it is plants, that should be also on the little tag that comes with the plant. Also, you can ask here. " Profusion and Short Stuff appear to be the recommended zinnias that aren't susceptible to fungal diseases. " All zinnias are susceptible to fungal diseases !!! The Profusions, Zaharas, and Pinwheels (Zinnia marylandicas) are immune to Powdery Mildew, but not to other fungal diseases, bacterial diseases, viral diseases, phytoplasma diseases, nematodes, or what-have-you. Powdery Mildew is species specific (Lilacs, Phlox, Zinnia elegans, etc, have their own species of Powdery Mildew, and the Zinnia marylandicas are a new man-made species with 46 chromosomes, and don't have their own species of Powdery Mildew yet. So they are immune to PM. It is just a matter of time until Powdery Mildew mutates and the Marylandicas won't be immune to it any more. But that might take a very long time (centuries or more) until that happens. Or it could happen tomorrow. Wait and see on that. " I'm afraid I don't have the time to cross and hybridize zinnias, as my focus is on raising butterflies. " Crossing zinnias to create your own hybrids can take as little time as you wish. You can transfer a lot of pollen in a few minutes. Ot it can take a lot of time, like in my case, where it has become a year-round hobby. Zinnias differ a lot in how much nectar they produce, so there is such a thing as "butterfly-friendly" zinnias, that produce a lot more nectar-containing pollen florets than average. You could grow butterfly-friendly zinnias by simply buying and growing butterfly-friendly varieties. ZM