Hi - would love to trade for both your daisies; could I send you my list? Doreen.

None of the ones listed are here yet but I'm prepping for them! But they all ship pretty promptly. So I'll sow the onions and arugula, everything from ST except amaranthus, and the monkshod the minute I get my dirty hands on it! Even the lupin (an annual kind) I'll WS that, too. Direct sowed some last year all flopped and died, it's an annual kind, and just curious about it. Petunias (blue wave) I sowed just one pkt prob too early. The cosmos, all other petunias, amaranthus (both kinds) will wait until the end of March or early May. Even though I've read the faq more than once and multiple posts, can't remember every detail how people were successful with what so just started sowing madly. Will know better next next time. The delphiniums I will winter sow two kinds this year I have from ST, but that special one, one seed per cup and might wait timing wise like I did successfully for my delphs last spring. Will sow all the pansies and violas ASAP except maybe hold 2 pkts back for next year, bought a lot of what I hope are blue because if all the different kinds I sowed grow and reseed, they will cross like you said. I want to keep the blue ones true if they turn out that way for me, don't want them to cross. Have already sowed lots of violas and have some Challon? pansies I don't particularly like (bonus), will sow when I get to it. The runner beans my inclination are to direct sow when frost past as I successfully grew some Scarlet ones years ago, didn't fuss too much about water even, just about every seed germinated, and they go pretty deep IIRC. But I thought my grandson might have fun sowing them in some of my cups (later then) and then planting somewhere himself and watch them grow. Saved your instructions, so appreciate the advice, wish I'd asked about some of the others sooner. Now one more teeny weeny question. Just mixed up a big batch of soil and have to burn some more drainage holes which seem to be much better than slits like I have done in the past in the BOTTOM. BUT should I put about 4 slits in the top of those lids to snap on the cups or burn a couple holes instead? I have been burning holes in the tops of most, and they're a good 1/4" diam and may let things get too drenched. You have your cups uncovered in the hoophouse; I have to cover mine, they're white and about the translucency of a milk jug only thinner. Well one more question. Do you plant your love lies bleeding in the soil or container? The seed photo showed a container high enough so they could hang. The other amaranthus looks quite different. A watched container never grows. Maybe that's why . . .I can't help the temptation to peek when it starts warming up, haven't looked at one thing out there yet. Thanks much; obviously you and some others have lots of experience.

I grew 'Indian Summer' one year - it was pretty neat, but it behaves as an annual. 'Goldstrum' should work well in SE Alabama - this is the widely available perennial Black-eyed Susan. I'm not sure about Shasta Daisies - there are plenty around here, but I believe they are mostly passalongs known to thrive in our climate and/or the cultivar, 'Becky.' From what I have read, many selections of Shasta Daisy don't care for our climate. 'Becky' does really well, though - I planted a couple of one gallon-size plants two years ago, and the clumps have increased substantially.

Lady bug pupae? That had crossed my mind but was only a fleeting hopeful hunch. We had bought a bag of lady bugs(My almost 6 yr old daughter calls them "ladies in red") 3 or 4 weeks ago and released them and I had seen alot of them hanging out in the daisy bush so I guess it doesn't surprise me to know that they are pupae. I'll get back to you about the "hair". Thanks for the reply.