Hello juanital aka garden_momma, " Can the growth and bloom be done with anything under lights? " I wouldn't go so far as to say anything, but a lot of things can be grown under lights, provided that some things are taken into account. Outdoors, many potential pests have natural enemies that keep them in check. For example, aphids, thrips, and fungus gnats. Indoors, in the absence of "natural enemies", those pests can have devastating population explosions. and some control should be used if you notice one of those pests. I have been fortunate not to have a problem the last three years, but I did discontinue the practice of bringing zinnia cuttings indoors in the Fall. and that apparently was one way I was bringing outdoor pests indoors. Growth under lights is used to start a wide variety of plants as seedlings in the Spring, which are then set into the garden to get an early start, as an alternative to just planting the seeds in the garden after the soil warms up. Indoor starting can become indoor gardening. There are books on the subject. Since zinnias are a hobby for me, being able to raise zinnias year-round has been a big help. That way I can get four generations of zinnias in a year, which speeds up my ability to get new forms of zinnias. ZM

Mindy, it's very interesting that someone has incorporated this into a garden. In my experience, it's more of an annoying weed, usually along the edge of the woods, that hides and grabs you when you least expect, lol. It either hides in the spring, lowdown and inconspicuously, and tears at your ankles and calves as you walk, or worse, hides amongst the weeds and bites your hands when you pull a bunch of said weeds. Or, it grows to monstrous proportions and reaches out to snag your hair as you walk by, entangling you in it's vicious grip. Okay, I'm exaggerating - a touch! - but you get the idea. So I find it quite interesting to see it as part of a garden. Just goes to show I need to think outside the box more (to use an expression I don't care for much, but which really says it all!) :) Dee

"How do you keep the woodlands in the back of some of those pictures from invading?" I work very, very hard to keep invasive plants out of my yard and remove them when they try to take hold of my garden, including unwanted trees, shrubs, vines and tree seedlings. It's my worst nightmare. I really get tired of it, that is for sure. Although there are no vast, heavily wooded forests here, there are still the plants that grow in the woods that move onto the property and into the immediate yard. It is a continuous battle. There are no heavy woodlands in the background. There are wooded areas along creeks. There is one small wooded area behind my back yard., I call "the Little Wood", and another slightly bigger wooded area further up the hill on my property, which I call :"The Big Wood", but no woodlands. All the vegetation and trees you see in my photos are what I grew with only a few exceptions. I live in the middle of the prairie. Here is a picture I took of the land on the southside of my property, along my driveway just so I could show people what this place was like when I bought it, minus the trees. The white flowering Spirea, Jonquils and green grass along the fence is on my side along the driveway. The trees in the distance are mostly junipers, elms, and hackberry growing along a dry creek. I don't believe any of those trees are native. They have become naturalized. The creek is dry most of the year but runs with runoff water after heavy rains. Farmers cannot plow there, so they leave them for shelter for their cattle. Now, I turned 180 degrees around and took this picture of my front yard: All the land around me looks like the the above land or with even fewer trees and underbrush. Mostly prairie grasslands on rolling hills. Now, if you drive 30 or so miles northeast and southeast of here, you will start getting into the woodland areas, and far eastern Oklahoma there are pine woods and river birch, much like the rest of the South, but not here. The worst thing I have to deal with is Bermuda grass and prairie weeds that blow into the yard, wash down the hill into the yard, or are carried into the yard by animals (via stickery seeds) or through animal and bird poop. Oh, they are awful!!! We get Poison Ivy in the yard and it has to be sprayed - I am terribly allergic. Puts me in serious jeopardy. We have Tall Ragweed that grows up to 18 ft tall. and the regular short ragweed There are sweetbriars, and all kinds of sticky, thorny, seedy vines. There are Cowpeas (Creeping Vetch), Wild Cicily, Buffalo Burrs, Stinging (Spurge) Nettles, Horse Nettle, Nightshade, Poisonous Sumac, Chickweed (from h*ll), Lamb'c Quarters, Virginia creeper (invasive here), Curly Dock, Poisonous Hemlock, Wild Cucumber, Wild Onions, Wild Carrots, Shepherd's Purse (oh so awful this year), and many, many more intrusive, weedy, prairie-type plants, as well as the woodland-type plants. I work hard hoeing, chopping and cultivating all the weeds and weedy grasses out of my garden. I have to battle with weeds and wild grasses and vines all the time. Oh, I hate Johnson grass, Nutgrass, Bermuda grass, and all the other weedy grasses that plague any garden and those "sticktight" vines that grow rampant in trees, bushes and everywhere if they get started. Gads. So, my answer is simply this: I work my arse off. ~Annie

Ken- I agree with you; They are fascinating flowers. I remember the first time I saw them—shocked! Before that I had only known the annual bachelor buttons. I will talk to the Gardner whom I got them from and see what she does—if anything at all— to encourage such a massive colony. I’m sure in bloom it is stunning! Have you tried collecting seeds and storing indoors over winter? -CalebA portion of the colony I speak of. I’m guessing if there hadn’t been any of the landscaping fabric, it would be thick with Centaurea Montana. Ahh. Wouldn’t that be nice!