You know, I'm not a flower type guy. I lean more toward what I call science project type plants ... exotics and tropicals, trees and ferns, etc. But I do have a recurring need to find some low lying flowers for purely decorative purposes. It's kind of tough finding flowering plants that are tiered, short, medium, shrub height and then ... trees. And all the while, you need to balance them against their need for sunlight or shade and temperature tolerance. The garbage daisies just tend a bit out of short and into medium height and don't seem to like shade or high temps, totally impossible here in zone 9, Bakersfield and not something a science project guy necessarily has a taste for. Some nice 'short' flowing plants that I have found are certain Begonia varieties, A small pygmy Rose variety and Trailing Lantana, for example. The trailing Lantana is a nice science project plant, but the Begonias and Pygmy Roses are just acceptable mediums for achieving the decorative effect. I've got a seed packet here for Edel Weiss, of all things, that I'm going to give a try - small white leathery star shaped flowers, very low and hardy as they come from European Alpine meadows. People tend to plant pansies and violets a lot for decorative purposes here to the extent that they make me want to puke. You can get them at Home Depot for cheap for a whole big rack of them. And that's why they are so common in local landscaping. They are cheap. Paid gardeners prefer them apparently, because they provide a cycle. Plant 'em in spring and replace 'em in summer with something else. So there is a cost after all. Of course Canna get about shrub height and even taller for some varieties, but they are hardy and grow in thick clumps or can be separated for a more arranged or structured appearance. Iris are shorter, but not truly low lying. They're more the height of most lilies and things like that. Canna and Pacific Iris are nice science project plants for guys who garden. Both are rhizome type plants that can be divided and propogated by cloning. Neat. And they both last and last and last. No cycle of replacement for either. The Douglas and Pacific Iris are not like other varieties that grow from bulbs. They grow from rhizomes. Things like Bird of Paradise, Gingers, Tecomas and other tropicals are interesting too. But I like Azaleas for how heavily they flower and their color. They are very attractive bush like plants that are more favored by me than the common 'box' shrubs. So, I can't help you with Zinnias as they don't appeal to a science project type of guy. I planted some California Poppies last year and it was a learning experience. Most weed and grass killers will kill poppies and if you don't use weed killer and grass killer, your garden area will get overrun by grass and weeds. So yep, that was a learning experience and the California Poppies turned out to be a science project, but not one that I'll repeat unless I build a planter for them. Pitcher plants would be a cool thing, if they'll grow in your zone. ;-) And I love Bromileads. Those are just too cool. But Puya are the only really hardy varieties that I've found to plant around here.

I have read comments from people who have brought them in to overwinter... It is do-able but probably best put in a place that remains cool (above freezing, probably preferably above 40° F), with reduced watering. The comments mention potential insect issues too. Under those conditions, it'll probably go through a brief period of dormancy (and you may want to let them have it) - even if you had it in a sunny cool spot. If you want blooms indoors, you will most likely need some pretty high-intensity light or maybe a sun room. Also you'd need to watch out for low indoor humidity as the hot dry air from heaters in winter can be a death knell for overwintering plants (crispy leaves, white flies, spider mites, etc). In that case, you would want to run a humdifier nearby and/or place the plant on a pebble tray where it can get some moisture in the air around it.

Yes, they do! When you plucked off the dead flower, did it have dandelion-like white fluffy stuff? The seeds are brown bits at the bottoms of these fuzzy things. From what I understand, gerbera daisies are tricky from seed, but each flower yields lots of seed, so keep trying! amanda 'romando'

I agree about Springhill and Michigan bulb. I just looked through their catalogs and was burned to see the prices they charge for bulbs and bare root plants. I can pay the same or less at my local fancy nursery and get a much bigger plant in terrific health. Since comparing bulb prices a few years ago, I no longer buy bulbs from anyone but Van Engelen's. Their quality, customer service, and prices can't be beat. Their catalog doesn't have photos (because they are wholesalers), but their sister (retail) company, John Scheepers, does have photos, so get their catalog and see everything Van Engelen's sells.