Hi JG, That twin-headed scabious specimen might be worth saving seeds from, just to see what you get. One head seems to have white-on-the-outside florets, while the other one apparently doesn't. For commercial scabiosa flowered cultivars, 5 percent on-type is about what I usually get. Some of the early Candy Mix yielded about 10 percent on type. But I have some Candy Mix seeds that yield considerably less than 5%, maybe in the one-percent range. I won't be planting them again any time soon. I can live with 5-percent, because I normally cull in the 90-percent range anyway. "The flower I have that is furthest along is merely a scabious example, and not fully opened. You might say it has tubes ... of the scabious variety..." You might, indeed. I probably should put more emphasis on adding scabious genes to my gene pool, because getting away from the "fuzzy yellow starfish" look in pollen florets appeals to me. And I really need to try harder to get interactions between scabious and tubular flower forms. This recombinant hints at the advantages of scabious genes. This closeup shows the details of the florets a little better. It is just a crop from the original large image that comes from my camera. Those aren't true scabious florets, but they differ some from the usual "fuzzy yellow starfish", and make it easier for me to like what is actually a single zinnia. I know that my prejudice against single zinnias is unjustified, and someone is going to breed some stunning single zinnias, perhaps starting with the Parks strain of Whirligigs. I can't wait to see more of your extreme rolled zinnias. And other interesting zinnias that appear from your gene pool. A lot of your zinnias have "the right stuff". ZM

Hi, I live in Southern California, and have planted a row of about 30 ficus nitida plants (15 gallon) earlier in the summer. They grow like weeds out here, and were doing great for a while. Just recently, I noticed that about 6 of them, roughly grouped together, developed very dark brown leaves and dropped them, all within a few days. Notice I didn't say they turned yellow, dried out, and dropped them. They turned dark brown (while still maintaining the feel/wetness of a normal leaf) and then dropped off, very quickly. A couple of the trees are totally bald now. It's a mystery to me. Some specifics, and variables: 1. It was VERY hot at that time, for the week, over 100 degrees every day...which is unseasonable, and strange weather for us. But again not every tree effected, so not sure if there is a link. 2. I water on a timer for 7 minutes, 3 times a week. 3. I had fertilized all of the trees about 5 weeks earlier, with lawn fertilizer (high nitrogen). No trees saw any adverse effects in the following days/weeks. If anyone has any follow-up questions or answers, please let me know! Best, Tony George

Andrew, I'm sure there are others with better advice than me, but I live in an area where temps regularly hit 100+ in the summer - although it's usually very dry. My plumeria seem to do best in a location where they get morning sun and afternoon shade, or under a partial canopy, so they get a decent amount of filtered light. I also have them in "insulated" pots - I leave them in the black nursery pot, but place that pot inside a bigger pot (usually fired ceramic or fiberglass with drainage holes), and "pad" the space between the two pots (sides and bottom) with mulch. I haven't lost a plant yet (knock on wood), and they seem pretty happy.

Yes, my arilbreds did what you said your TBI did. I also lost about half my iris buds (both TB and Aril) due to a cold snap after the flowers stalked. And due to crazy weather, I had no crocus blooms (they froze mostly before emerging) due to sudden drop to single digits. I am unsure if some of my more zone experimental plants made it (though crinums have both come back), but passionflower and lantana are still missing, but could come up since it JUST turned warm last week. Everything grew fast and is now wilting in the breeze and 90F sun. Definitely an odd year and one I'm not really wishing to repeat. The only good thing is bulb foliage really liked the extended cold spring. I hope that means a good show next year.