Hi Highlander, "So, if they aren't coming up this year, how long will they last in or on the soil or mulch? Will the seeds dropped last year come up next year or in future years?" A very small percentage of zinnia seeds survive as "volunteers" the next Spring, but I wouldn't expect any of those seeds to make it to a second year. "That brings up question 1: How to prevent powdery mildew on zinnias?" A non-toxic way is frequent sprays of a product called GreenCure. It is basically potassium bicarbonate with a proprietary wetting agent. You have to spray it fairly frequently because it is water soluble and rains or even heavy dews can wash it off into the soil, where it acts as a source of potassium nutrition. I suspect it also foliar feeds some potassium. It is safe to use. It is better than using sodium bicarbonate. I breed zinnias as a hobby (see the "It can be fun to breed your own zinnias" message thread), and three years ago I found a tubular petaled mutant that I wanted to preserve as long as possible, providing pollen for crossing with other zinnias and developing seeds of its own. To prolong the life of that zinnia plant right up to our killing freeze, I applied Bayer All-in-One Rose and Flower Care as a drench applied about every two weeks, and it prevented Powdery Mildew and other foliage diseases on that zinnia specimen right up until it was killed by a hard freeze in late Fall. It is fairly expensive, so I don't use it routinely on my zinnias. But since it is systemic, it isn't washed off by rain and it spreads its protection to new growth, unlike surface sprays. It is not for organic gardeners, because it does contain "chemicals". I foliar feed my zinnias with Miracle-Gro products, and I am experimenting with adding some Physan 20 as a wetting agent and, since it is a bactericide and fungicide, among other things (some hospitals use it in their mop water), it may tend to prevent Powdery Mildew. This isn't the "season" for PM yet, so I won't know until this Fall if it can play a role in preventing PM and other diseases on my zinnias. But so far, so good. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

You may know that they were named in honor of the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. I wonder how he pronounced his name. I have imagined that it was probably zin, not zeen, which has led me to the zin pronunciation. Any German speakers out there? More "Zin" than "Zeen," in German. But what about Diervilla? To the extent that people ever speak about it at all, it seems that most people say Dye-er-VIL-a, but Merriam-Webster gives Deer-VIL-a and I have one British example of DEER-vil-a. However, it's named for a French botanist with the surname Diereville, which I would pronounce as Dee-AIR-a-vee, so maybe the pronunciation should be Dee-air-VEE-ya. BTW, the real Albany is in New York.

Hi, Miss S! Welcome to Florida and to this great forum, where you will learn SO much, all the while making new gardening friends. As mentioned above, most annuals are fall and winter plantings, especially in your area. The summer heat will usually do them in. There are exceptions of course, but you will find that the old standards (petunias, pansies, violas, marigolds and the like) are definitely winter plants in Florida, dying out as the weather gets hot again. But some plants that are grown as annuals up north are actually grown as perennials down here. Florida gardening is very different, but you will soon get the hang of it. One of the best ways to find out what is growing in your area in any given season is just to take a ride around your neighborhood and see what local gardeners are doing. Also, find a good local nursery with helpful staff who know the ins and outs of your area. Also, post here with questions any time. There is nearly always someone around who can offer some help. We have some GREAT gardeners in your zone! And lastly, enjoy yourself, both in your garden and here on this forum. Marcia

Hey there daislander, I am not sure if you got the information you needed from Trudi and Nana, but DTM is short for Days to Maturity. It is an ESTIMATE of how long it takes to get ripe tomatoes, or any other produce, from the time you transplant the tomato or other plant, or plant the seeds in the garden. tastytravels, I do agree with both Trudi and Nana and would not recommend pinching off the flowers at this time. Your plants are two feet tall and have been in the ground (or in their containers) for a while so there is no need to remove the flowers. Now if they had buds on them and you were about to transplant them, that would be a different story. . . . Betsy