It's too bad that you cant go just a tad bit shorter than 2 to 3 feet, I had lots of suggestions for you that stays with the same one plant, but with color varations. One suggestions was to go with the Cosmic cosmos--all three colors red, orange and yellow which are totally stunning and vibrant mixed together. And incredibly easy to grow from seed! Another suggestion was Magellan zinnias, which will grow like dwarf hydrangea shrubs smothered with handsized blooms that last for months. I had blooms that did not need be removed for 4 months, I kid you not! And there is just about every color available, coral, ivory, yellow, pink, scarlet, cherry, orange, salmon. I am growing over 400 of these this year. Another suggestion was a mixture of Celosia 'Fresh Look' colors in red, orange,and yellow. Most people hate celosia because they have never had good luck with keeping them going, but the Fresh Looks are very stunning, lush, healthy plants that get just under 2 foot tall, if I remember correctly. Another suggestion was to do Gomphrena, in a mixture of colors. Gomphrena, if plants are kept together and properly spaced will grow to a 2 foot tall airy "shrub" that stands up to rain, drought, etc. I grow the "All Around Purple', 'Strawberry Fields', and other colors from Park Seed, including white, rose and bicolor rose. Dont underestimate those small colored balls! They can REALLY make a huge standout, if they are grown correctly. I second the idea of using Profusion zinnias. These are like the perfect daisy like flower! Also, the blooms did not need removed for 4 months, available in colors: cherry, white, orange, Fire (reddish orange) and Apricot (my favorite). Very easy to grow from seed. You may want to check into the Tidal wave Petunias. If you space them about 2 foot apart, they will spread out like you wouldnt believe and grow to about 2 foot tall. I have never seen a petunia grow like this before last year! Though, the silver would blend right into your house color, but they do make a purple, hot pink, and cherry color that I will be doing this year. Tidals have a massive branching system to them. Do a search on gardenweb and you will find lots of pictures and ideas for them.

seedboy, I don't know that there are 'best' annuals. But there is a very long list of great performers under a wide range of conditions. You'll need to evaluate the locations on your property for such factors as sunlight (how long and how much), soil conditions, and drainage. In Florida, you'll have plenty of options for the warm and hot months (spring and summer) as well as the cooler times (fall and winter). For example, this is not the time of year, in your location, to buy a flat of pansies. Though they may look wonderful at the garden center, they will only perform well for a very short time due to the heat. Fall is the time to plant them, for an all winter-long dispay. If you visit the Florida Forum, be sure to ask what their FAVORITE annuals are. I'm sure that people are likely to list such plants as marigolds, zinnias, gomphrena, Catharanthus roseus, portulaca, and lantana (which is a tender perennial but used as an annual.) And MANY more.

It was a real adjustment going from east coast to west coast on this front. I was very fond of astrantias and hardy geraniums back there. Now, my favorite companions are centered on what can take the dry heat and intense sun, along with having a long bloom period, and is on the "spikey" side, or at least has a different texture, to contrast with the roses. Tall nicotianas (my favorites with roses are 'Lime Green' -- Melissa's acid green yellow, for sure-- and an accidental hybrid between 'Lime Green' and white N. alata that is pale green and so scented it wafts all over in evening). Agastaches ("Nectar" series a little more manageable and lots of colors, though as Rosefolly points out, can be obnoxious). Penstemon pinifolius: orange, short, tidy, tough. Aster x frikartii 'Monch': I was shocked this works as well here as it does -- year in, year out, heat tolerant, very easy on the water bill, blooms for like forever. Salvia 'May Night', ditto. Hardy geraniums are mostly not heat-tolerant enough, except Geranium harveyi (odd one from S. Africa) and 'Brookside'. A bunch of species oreganos, teucriums, and saturejas as drought-proof edges. Tea 'Le Pactole' this morning heading into a big flush (I expect her to eat her companions in a few short years) Also this morning, other side of the path (Penstemon pinifolius is on lower right):

Hi Sara, so glad your sprouts are ok. I see your original question about posting pictures. Did you get it answered? You might know most of this already - I apologize if I am saying the obvious. You need to post pictures elsewhere & link to them here. I clicked on your pics, copied & pasted the url into the code. Size as large as you wish by typing the number of pixels or resize in a graphics program to get the correct ratio, put on a separate line & enclose the code for each image in angle brackets. Angle brackets left out below so you can see the code, using 2 different sizes: img src="http://www.howtovegetablegardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Chinese-mustard-2.jpg" width="300" height="225" img src="http://www.howtovegetablegardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/water-cress.jpg" width="345" height="260" You can hotlink to your vegetable site & show your pics in your posts. Some people are looking for a free photo site (not necessary if you already have a site) & the most popular is photobucket.com. I use fotki.com, others use flickr.com and picassa.com. You should see the pic when you click Preview Message. Important: if you hotlink the pic, do not move the pic at the other site or you will break the link! People here will be glad to help you if you need further assistance - it is a little complicated here & we have all been there. Sara's Chinese mustard on her website Sara's watercress on her website Here is a link that might be useful: Posting pics from photobucket