Here are my latest two blooms (with apologies to those who have already seen them at garden.org).

ZM, call it "Zafro."

Jai, I don't want to offend the Zafricans.

Jai - that's an interesting color pattern on that bottom bloom - very pretty! And I like the name "Zafro". :)

Hello everyone,

Last year, or was it the year before, I had a zinnia I referred to as "Bed Head", and this one has a little of its informal tendencies.

ZM

Hi there, zinnia people. This thread is incredible. I've been enjoying the information and photos for a while now and have started taking notes. One part I'm stuck on is describing individual petal color distribution, using terms that could be understood by people other than me. Zinnias really can "do" a lot of different things. It's not enough to just say bicolor, as the place the two colors meet can be blended or divided. They can also be different shapes, like your typical whirligig vs zahara starlight rose. Will definitely be taking pictures, but I am a terrible photographer and can't trust the colors. I come from an art and fashion background, so I'm considering using Pantone chips to name colors.

Hmm, I guess the industry standard for color identification is Munsell? Yikes, those chips are as pricey as the Pantone.

Hi Lizzie,

" I come from an art and fashion background, so I'm considering using Pantone chips to name colors. Is that too far? "

I think most of us don't have access to Pantone chips, so we will find some online source showing Pantone colors. But, hey, go for it. Zinnias have a lot of subtle color variations that can be hard to describe accurately in words. Pantone may work fine. What would be your Pantone match for this zinnia?

You just took an excellent close-up, with easily recognizable notebook-line colors. Colors can be tricky, because of different light sources.

" One part I'm stuck on is describing individual petal color distribution,
using terms that could be understood by people other than me. "

I would describe the bicolor in your diagram as color A tipped with color B. But you are right -- describing different bicolor or tricolor arrangements can be challenging.

ZM

ZM-

It might be possible acquire a physical set of Pantone chips from my alma mater, but I would not attempt to use them to match colors from an image on a monitor. A grey with a teal hue on my pc monitor can appear neon acid green on my phone. Monitor issues aside, metamerism is also something to contend with if you want to be super accurate.

You're making me realize that the criteria for choosing what to measure can be subjective. There are many distinct colors within that first flower, but if I could see it in person, I'd be most concerned with identifying the bluest shade of lavender in the petal because that would be the most important information to me.

In the third image, I'd describe the transition from color A to color B to be gradient and grainy. So complex... I have more questions than before.

Hi Lizzie,

" It might be possible acquire a physical set of Pantone chips from my
alma mater, but I would not attempt to use them to match colors from an
image on a monitor. "

I seem to remember seeing something about a physical set of Pantone chips a year or two ago. Perhaps they were for sale on Amazon. I agree, the Pantone chips would be inappropriate for measuring colors on a monitor. They might be appropriate in the garden when held up to a physical zinnia bloom in either direct daylight, or possibly better in mid-day shade. Using the sky as a light source can be tricky in the early morning or toward twilight, for photography and otherwise.

" Monitor issues aside, metamerism is also something to contend with if you want to be super accurate. "

I will have to do a little research to understand that. You clearly know more about this subject area than I do. Although I am not convinced I need to be super accurate with my zinnias. I could change my mind on that.

" You're making me realize that the criteria for choosing what to measure
can be subjective. There are many distinct colors within that first
flower, ..."

Yes, and zinnias have a pesky habit of shifting colors from day to day. Petals change color somewhat as they age, but occasionally there will be significant variations from one branch on a plant to a different branch on the same plant. It is almost as if zinnias develop bud sports fairly commonly. Sometimes the petal color inconsistency can be dramatic.

" In the third image, I'd describe the transition from color A to color B to be gradient and grainy. "

That's a good description of that one. Good discussion.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

ZM-

It sounds like you have a good understanding of the different colors of light that can be produced in daylight and I'm guessing indoor artificial, too, since you are good at photography.

Let's say that for some reason you want to create a zinnia arrangement that matched your red kitchen that you lost the sample paint chip for. You find the color of your paint on a Pantone chip and head outside, where you find red zinnias that match perfectly with the Pantone chip. You bring it all inside and see that all the zinnias look straight-up orange compared to everything else even though you color matched to the same Pantone chip. That's metamerism in action.

It could be a problem if you're a cut flower farmer who just sold a ton of zinnias directly to a bride whose wedding colors are red and white and her ceremony is indoors. And trust me, she hates orange and will definitely be leaving you a scathing public review.

I absolutely love that red and yellow zinnia with everything in me. The word 'dichotomy' comes to mind. You can see at least three different petal end shapes, too. Possible magenta on those yellow petals. Lots going on here.

Hi Lizzie,

I hesitated to post the red-and-yellow zinnia pic, because it looks totally fake. But it isn't. The zinnia actually had those colors. Actually, if you look closely you can see that the bottom big yellow petals were lavender at the base. It had Whirligig ancestry. There was also a gap on the bloom central cone between the two colors -- that gap was concealed by the red petals. There were no petals in the gap, and only "spent" pollen florets. I don't really like "freaky" zinnia specimens, and the possibility of a genetic defect or a "Witches Broom" infection come to mind.

" It sounds like you have a good understanding of the different colors of
light that can be produced in daylight and I'm guessing indoor
artificial, too, since you are good at photography. "

Thanks for the compliment, but it should go to my old Nikon D3200. At least 99% of my photographic chops are in it. Fluorescent lighting can cause a greenish tinge, depending on the bulb, and if that is really bad sometimes I remove it in post processing. Your notebook page picture shows that you have a good grasp of closeup photography, and that will let you produce zinnia pictures showing a lot of detail.

In your side-to-side petal geometry, the characteristic you refer to as ruffled I refer to as corrugated. I use the term "ruffled" to describe the overall appearance of the bloom. I think of these zinnia blooms as "ruffled".

That was a good explanation of why metamerism can be important. As it turns out, Wikipedia has a whole page devoted to Metamerism (color)

I was surprised that metamerism is apparently such a common phenomenon.

On your notebook page, I refer to your curved concave as uprolled and your curved convex as downrolled. More later.

ZM

ZM-

The gap is hard to notice from the to view, but I can kinda see it. Almost looks like it was thinking about being scabiosa and decided on something else. Is it possible for two seed embreos to merge? What do you think happened?

It's easy to fantasize about different color combinations with your red and yellow one, though Cyclones fans would go nuts over it as is. Both saturated colors and pastels would look really nice.

I like your term 'corrugated' better, going to change mine.

More later.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" The gap is hard to notice from the top view, but I can kinda see it. "

The gap isn't really visible in the photo. I discovered it when I was pushing the petals around quite a bit with my fingers.

" What do you think happened? "

I have no idea what caused the gap. The color difference was caused by complete fading of the dark magenta in the petals. The new petal scarlet color was made up of deep magenta and yellow and the deep magenta decomposed or whatever, to leave just the yellow. The gap prevented the intermediate stages of the magenta fade from showing up. The gap itself remains a mystery.

" I like your term 'corrugated' better, "

Zinnia blooms that have corrugated petals get some stability from the effect.

ZM

Hello all,

This is the first of my indoor Zinnia haageanas to bloom. This picture was taken about an hour ago.

The only other Zinnia violacea (elegans) that had such a deep near-black purple-cerise was named Black Ruby, and it went "extinct" several decades ago. It really annoys me when they discontinue award-winning zinnias. Incidentally, I planted my Jazzy Mix zinnias January 8th, 2017. So they are just now coming into bloom. More later.

ZM

ZM-

What's the cross mate you choose look like? A large zinnia in a wine color?

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

So far I have been using large zinnia pollen. The hybrid will probably also be two-colored. It will require hybrids between the hybrids to possibly get the recombinations of genes necessary to get a solid deep-colored bloom.

I will also experiment with making the cross the other way, putting Haageana pollen on Hybrida stigmas. This will be an ongoing effort. This is a closeup of the same Jazzy bloom.

ZM

ZM-

I didn't notice that whiligigs/carousels have pink central colors in common until your mentioned it along with a lost variety with yellow centers. Have you created any bicolors with yellow/white/cream for the central color? Semi-related, saw an old Zinnia Fantasy Mix seed envelope on Etsy along with a different vendor selling seeds for fictional plants. They have an excellent seller rating, too.

--

Finally got a flowerbed going. It's a kidney-shape, probably 150 sq ft, full sun, in view of the road. All the amendments added according to soil test result recommendations for annuals. The cats helped, of course (possibly also with amendments).

I'm thinking zinnia and sunflower explosion. Was considering red, orange, yellow, plus multicolors like Persian Carpet, Macarenia, and Ring of Fire sunflower... but maybe big groupings of various solid colors would be better from a distance? I want drivers to slow down (if not weep) as they pass by. We're in for a few days of rain, so there's still time to decide.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

"Have you created any bicolors with yellow/white/cream for the central color? "

The central color is the color of the "chaffy scales" which make up the central area of a zinnia bloom. The chaffy scales can be pretty much any color. They can be the same as the petal color, or different. The central area plays a dominant role in some zinnia blooms, and is almost insignificant in other zinnias. A light-colored zinnia can have a dark-colored center.

" I want drivers to slow down (if not weep) as they pass by. "
Let's hope you don't cause too much of a traffic jam. There may be computer software to let you play around with landscape simulations. The principles of artistic composition could come into play. And biological considerations, like a specimen may create seeds that duplicate it and create a "drift" of that color.

I probably should pay more attention to the centers of my breeder zinnias.

ZM

Hey ZM-

I used the wrong term, but now you've got me paying more attention to the actual centers and "chaffy petals". By central color, I meant the color at the base of a petal.

Check out this one. Not sure about its origin, but I pulled it from http://caribbeangarden.blogspot.com/?m=1 White with yellow, how unusual is this?

I can see on your 6th flower and last flower, you definitely have two colors that look like white/pale yellow and yellow. It's really interesting.

If I saw that first flower on a seed packet, I would buy in bulk, even if the blooms were the size of a quarter. The pastel shades of lilac and pink and apple green undersides with those frilly petals...it looks just like a watercolor painting.

I did manage to sow a little 6-pack of zinnias while I wait for the rain to stop. Difficult to choose is an understatement, but I went with Candy Mix. Won't get my hopes up for an on-type scabiosa.

Lizzie

I think they heard me.

I am stoked. My first zinnia. This one might get a name.

My seed starting area got a serious upgrade today. From this:

Yes those are shampoo bottles holding the shop light up. The boxes of soap are for raising the seed tray closer to the light.

To this:

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

That's an interesting set of shelves there. Can't wait to see it covered with plants. That little zinnia didn't waste any time germinating.

OK, by "center", you meant the central area of the petals. Yes, having white at the base of the petals does give an interesting look.

ZM

ZM,

Both are really interesting, the broad petaled one is especially beautiful. I like how the dark pink centers look with the pink petal tips. It would be amazing in a mix with that yellow-tipped yellow-centered one above. I can't imagine another color. Redviolet just doesn't seem possible, but would also be pretty.

The Candy Mix seedlings are doing okay. 4/6 have germinated so far. In person, they're weirdly dark green. Like a very dark jade color. I haven't been using a light for very long, so it's different to see sprouts stay so short. My first basil was lime green and 2 inches tall on the first week. Now with the light, my new basil is barely above the soil and very dark.

Weird question- do you ever go around smelling your zinnias?

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" ...they're weirdly dark green. Like a very dark jade color. I haven't been
using a light for very long, so it's different to see sprouts stay so
short. "

Just out of curiosity, how many hours of light and how many hours of dark are you giving them? I give my zinnias 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark. Sometimes 17 and 7. I have a timer that turns the lights on and off.

" The Candy Mix seedlings are doing okay. 4/6 have germinated so far. "

Commercial seeds are usually germination tested for about 80%. You might want to consider replanting the two cells that don't have a seedling yet. Sometimes I plant more than one seed in each pot (I use clear orchid pots to plant my seeds in). That increases the likelihood of getting at least one seedling in a pot, and if more than one seedling does emerge, I let them grow to the first true leaf stage and then use small scissors to snip off the weaker seedlings. Or, if the seeds are "high value", I let them grow to the first bloom stage and then cull by snipping them off at ground level. I do the snipping, rather than just pull the culls out, to avoid disturbing the roots of the remaining plant. In a few rare cases I wind up with two different zinnias blooming and making a bush very close to each other. That's not ideal, but it is workable.

In the case of your Candy Mix zinnias, it might even be a good strategy to have two or three growing next to each other, because the scabious zinnias are notorious for not coming true. So severe bloom time culling is to be expected with them.

" ...do you ever go around smelling your zinnias? "

I do. Zinnias are not fragrant, but there is always the possibility of a mutation producing fragrance. That would be a most welcome find. Sometimes I wear a head-mounted magnifier when I am working up close with pollination activities (mainly when surgically exposing enclosed stigmas) and then I am naturally in range of smelling any possible fragrance. Actually, all zinnias have a very very weak fragrance, but not enough to "count". However, butterflies may be guided by it.

Keep us posted on your progress. Your close-up photography is very good.

ZM

ZM, since getting my shelf setup, I have stopped turning the lights off at night. So they're getting 24 hrs of artificial light plus some indirect daylight. Too much? I've read mixed information on dark periods for plants, so I went the lazy route. I do have a timer, but read it doesn't work with my fluorescent bulbs (I either got T12 or T8, forgot) so I never took it out of the package.

I thought 4/6 seemed kind of crappy, but figured I just got unlucky. They are from Harris Seed. I have a bunch of Zinderellas on backorder from that company, so I hope germination rate isn't an issue. I sowed 10 different kinds of tomatoes (3 of each) and only 1/30 didn't germinate. I'll replant those cells tonight.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" I have stopped turning the lights off at night. So they're getting 24
hrs of artificial light plus some indirect daylight. Too much? "

Very probably. Most plants need a dark period. Continuous light is probably why your plants aren't stretching, and why they are such a dark green.

" I do have a timer, but read it doesn't work with my fluorescent bulbs (I
either got T12 or T8, forgot) so I never took it out of the package. "

Well, I can guarantee you that when your timer breaks the circuit, your fluorescent bulbs, be they T12 or T8, will go out. But what you need to do next depends on whether your bulbs and their ballasts are T12 or T8.

T12 ballasts are old technology, and use analog circuitry. T8 ballasts are newer technology, and use digital circuitry. Many T8 ballasts are susceptible to voltage spikes, and a timer can create a voltage spike when it turns on. So T8 ballast/tubes need to be plugged into a power strip that filters out voltage spikes. Your computer is probably plugged into such a power strip.

You can purchase an adequate power strip from a home store like Home Depot. They usually cost about $12 to $15 and have 6 receptacles and an on/off switch of their own. And they also act as a short extension cord.

I use T8 fluorescents and all of my T8 fixtures are plugged into such power strips, which in turn are plugged into my timers. If your fluorescent fixtures are T12, then you can do without the power strip(s). Although filtering out voltage spikes is always a good idea.

" I have a bunch of Zinderellas on backorder from that company, so I hope germination rate isn't an issue. "

Their germination will probably be in the 80% range, but the percentage of true-to-type blooms may fall in the 5% to 10% range. Zinderellas are desirable because they are taller than most scabious strains. I plan to grow some Zinderellas outdoors this year myself.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned)

ZM-

Okay, I'll let the poor things sleep tonight.

Thanks a LOT for the explanation of the light fixtures. I tried to research it myself, but didn't understand the information. I'll figure out what I've got and take appropriate measures to get a timer setup going. Either way, which order do I plug them in? Wall outlet to timer to power strip to light? I feel like this would be obvious to anyone else. =/

Sounds like growing this Candy Mix is going to be like playing the lottery. I can't wait to see what you can do with Zinderellas.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" Either way, which order do I plug them in? Wall outlet to timer to power strip to light? "

Correct.

" I feel like this would be obvious to anyone else. =/ "

I think it is healthy to question the "obvious".

" Sounds like growing this Candy Mix is going to be like playing the lottery. "

You are correct. Apparently all of the commercial scabious zinnia types have a high percentage of off-type individuals. Which gives you an immediate zinnia breeding opportunity to cull the off-types and get progeny from the on-types.

That is true to a lesser extent for all open-pollinated zinnia varieties. A commercial zinnia seed production field is full of a wide variety of zinnias being pollinated and cross-pollinated by bees. In the "good old days" the seed producers hired people to go into the seed production fields and kill the off-type specimens to keep them from contributing seed and also to keep the bees from spreading that bad pollen around. Sometimes they called that "roguing", as if the bad quality plants were "rogues".

But the profit motive now "justifies" minimizing or eliminating that step. And that leads to lower quality seeds, and seed varieties now tend to "run out" and degrade in quality as a result. Which creates the opportunity for private individuals to become their own seedsmen and save seeds from only their very best specimens. With zinnias the private individual can "be the bee" and make hybrids of their own design. And have fun in the process. That is what this message series is all about.

In scabious zinnias the conventional fuzzy yellow "starfish" pollen floret has been transformed into a new flower part, a petal-colored floret, and a new flower form in which a single row of guard petals surround a central crest of many florets . So crossing conventional zinnias with scabious zinnias offers new flower forms through recombinations of genes. And making hybrids between hybrids can be a good thing.

ZM

Hey again!

After just a few nights without the lamp, the zinnia seedlings are looking way less abnormally green and are standing taller. Thanks, ZM!

It's warm, but has been raining off and on, so I haven't been able to do any direct sowing yet. My collection of zinnia varieties has become truly disgusting. I'm really looking forward to having more than 4 going.

If anyone has not yet been to the Seed Exchange forums here on Houzz, it's worth a look. I've managed to get some types you wouldn't normally expect to see saved- Profusion Pink/Orange/White and Zahara Double Duo (Fire and Cherry, I think).

Also bought a bunch of Orange King seeds after Bob talked about them in another part of the Annuals Forum.

Lizzie

Finally got a nice day to direct sow and this is all I got before my stamina took a dive. Maybe a quarter of the bed. Pretty bad for early thirties. The light parts are vermiculite. I used it to cover the seeds and mark their location so I didn't compact the soil there. So far, it's just Scarlet Flame, Cherry Queen, and Purple Prince.

Hi Lizzie,

You must have a considerably warmer climate than I do. Our weather forecasters have put in a possibility of snow over the weekend and the beginning of next week.

You mentioned Profusions. I should mention that they cannot form viable hybrids with "regular" zinnias. For example, Scarlet Flame, Cherry Queen, and Purple Prince all have 24 chromosomes each, while the Profusions (and Zaharas and Pinwheels) have 46 chromosomes. Those chromosome differences are a barrier to successful interbreeding.

I do recommend growing some Whirligig zinnias. They were derived from interspecific crosses between Z. violacea and Z. haageana (both have 24 chromosomes, so they are compatible) and that background gives interesting genetic recombination possibilities. The majority of my home hybrids have at least one instance of Whirligig ancestry, with multiple instances being common. Some of the Whirligig traits can be subtle -- this specimen had stigmas with 3 arms.

Your use of Vermiculite is a little unconventional. Of course, I am not one to talk. I use a lot of sand in my gardening. Your picture does a good job of showing your garden activity. Keep up the good work. Is the danger of frost over in your area.? It is certainly not over here in Kansas.

ZM

ZM, yes, it is warmer much sooner here. I'm on the edge of zones 8b/9a and while our final frost date was Feb 25th, we only had like one day with frost this year.

I've been following your posts about tetraploidy what happens when you've got a sterile triploid monster, so I have the State Fairs and Z. Marylandica/Z. Hybrida seeds in their own baggie and known diploids in their own. Some I'm not sure about, like Polar Bear. Is it an individual color from the California Giants series or something else? In any case, I don't plan to include the Zahara/Profusion/SF in my hobby bed, but I still think they're cool and want to grow them and save the best ones if I can.

Don't you have a whirligig-type project going on right now? Making a cross with your almost-black and yellow bicolor haageana and a larger zinnia? I'm assuming one of your elegans hybrids, but you didn't say. Guess it could be another haageana.

There is NO way I would have noticed the three-armed stigmas, that is one seriously macho zinnia. Is he red-violet at the very base of his petals? Absolutely gorgeous. Edit: apologies for any offense to your zinnia, I'm still learning and realized I got the parts backwards! Although with so many composites..definitely overthinking this.

I have a pack of Carousels and they are all definitely going in the ground. So cool. I want to see what they do with the Zinderellas.

The vermiculite was an impulse decision, hope it works out.

More later.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" The vermiculite was an impulse decision, hope it works out. "

If you are worried about the seedlings being able to penetrate heavy soil, simply sprinkle the seedbed daily to keep it moist. Seedlings can come up through even heavy soil if it is kept moist. The daily sprinkling is a good idea regardless of soil type. A lot of my heavy native silt soil resembles sandy loam due to my continued use of sand as a soil amendment and as a mulch.

I usually sprinkle my seedbeds until the seedlings start to develop true leaves. At which time it behooves me to start weeding with a sharp hoe. Various "native plants" also respond to the daily sprinkling. More later. I am starting a few more "second generation" zinnias in the basement.

ZM

ZM-

Yeah, I was worried about the zinnias getting through our heavy clay soil. The bed has been amended with compost and vermiculite, but there are still big chunks of clay in there.

Got past the halfway point in sowing today. In the back (right side in this pic) are sunflowers that have already popped up (and are marked with sticks). Not all of them, mind you. The cats got most of them. But it's okay, I have some indoors ready for transplant. One newbie advantage to starting some indoors is being able to identify them from weeds in the garden. Finally transplanted some marigolds that were my first flower grown from seed (left, near the chair).

So now there are Cherry Queen, Scarlet Flame, Purple Prince, Royal Purple, and Oriole zinnias, and some Rudbeckia, Celebration in Pink Cosmos, Sensation Mix Cosmos, Bright Lights Cosmos, Marigolds, and Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflowers. Hopefully it will be a very loud, cheerful combination. If any or all of these reseed for next year so I don't have to do this again, that would be fine with me, even if they blend.

Going to need to start another bed soon and I'm thinking long narrow (3ft maybe) strip. This bean shape was hard to navigate and is going to be stupid to weed.

Ohh, have fun! Can't wait to see what they grow into. I hope it's your dark zinnia project.

I actually don't know how to weed with a hoe. Back to YouTube with me.

Hi Lizzie,

" Not all of them, mind you. The cats got most of them. But it's okay... "

By "cats" do you mean the furry four-legged animals? Or is "cats" short for caterpillars?

" I actually don't know how to weed with a hoe. Back to YouTube with me. "

Before you know it, your garden may look like this.

For some reason in recent years I can't get that much sharpness on my hoe with a file. Last year I got a little belt sander sharpener, which sharpens much faster than a file. I now have a collection of hoes of different sorts, each with its strong points.

For the first month or two last year I would spend maybe 30 minutes with a file and sharpening stone attempting to get a razor edge on my hoe. I was spending almost as much time sharpening as hoeing, and remained unable to shave any arm hairs. I saw the little belt sander sharpener on Amazon, and bought it and an assortment of belts for it. Still no arm hairs have been harmed, but I do get a reasonably sharp edge on a hoe in a minute or two now.

Hopefully your soil is not as loaded with weed seeds as mine is. More later.

ZM

ZM-

By "cats" I mean my two helpers, Coco and Myles. They do everything with me. Myles even helps me pull weeds. Not that he discriminates. Coco keeps the lizards in check.

Oh geeze, I think I might see one zinnia in that first photo. Maybe. Holy crap, that is overwhelming. I think I can see the zinnia in the second one, but I wouldn't bet any money on it! I can't imagine weeding the whole bean-shaped bed if it got like that, even with my helpers.

My family isn't much into gardening beyond buying a couple of tomato plants some years, so there's no one to learn from. I'm one of those millennials that live at home. My dad didn't have much patience with my seed starting efforts at first. He said it never worked. I couldn't convince him to help me hang the shop light, so I just propped it up on two shampoo bottles. But once my marigolds, basil, and tomato plants got big, I found that two more lights had been added to my growing shelf and he tilled the bean bed for me.

Do you think the grade of steel used in gardening tools has declined in quality since you were younger? Things are not made to last. I have a little trowel that bends as easily as a spoon.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

Those cats, Coco and Myles, are a hoot !!! Without them, lizards might take over the planet.

" Oh geeze, I think I might see one zinnia in that first photo. Maybe. Holy crap, that is overwhelming. "

There are actually parts of 4 rows of zinnias in that first photo. At the time I took that photo a couple of years ago I was planting 4-foot wide beds with 4 rows of zinnias per bed (spaced 16 inches apart.) I have since omitted the middle two rows for easier access to the remaining two rows.

There is only one zinnia in the second photo. It does pay to become reasonably expert at identifying seedlings, and weed seedlings. My most numerous weeds are pigweeds (Amaranthus) and Lambs Quarter. Young Lambs Quarter is a delicious green, but a few years ago my Allergist informed me that I tested at the highest level for Lambs Quarter, and I definitely should stop eating it. So I did. Lambs Quarter has a smooth mild taste with just a hint of heat -- a little bit like Nasturtium blossoms. When it is "well grown", Lambs Quarter can exceed 8 feet high. Incidentally, chickens also love to eat it.

We don't have a dog or cats, but we do have chickens for eggs and highly trained "attack Guineas" that patrol the yard and grounds.

" Do you think the grade of steel used in gardening tools has declined in quality since you were younger? "

Apparently that is the case. A garden hoe head used to be hand forged from a single piece of steel. Now it is common for a blade to be spot welded to the neck piece. However, there are many kinds of hoes nowadays. My son has a stainless steel hoe that he bought from a European company. It appears to be hand forged from a single piece of stainless steel, and it holds a good edge. I am not sure it is "surgically sharp", but you wouldn't want to accidentally hit your toe with it.

My favorite hoe is made from a piece of a recycled farm disk plow blade, made by the Rogue Hoe Company. But it is welded to a steel tube that mates to the handle. The welding is strong, though. Not just spot welded, but continuous welded. And it can take down an 8-foot Lambs Quarter with a single stroke. It can even chop through a 1-inch weed tree with one whack. Which, it turns out, we have several of. Apparently this place is trying to turn back into a forest, with weed trees everywhere. Oh well. Maybe I can breed tree-sized zinnias. More later.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

Another pic of the same mudhole I've been posting for a week now. Can't wait to have zinnia pics to share. Can you spot the Mylesweed? Some of the marigolds are now "walking dead". Coco rolled over several while wrestling a stick, snapping them at the base. I shoved dirt around them to hold them in place, but there's no way they're okay. Added today are Violet Queen, Canary Bird, and Pink Senorita as well as some dwarf marigolds in the front. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll be finished. Whew! I kind of wish I could get colored craft sand in bulk to mulch with. It's probably too fine/toxic anyway.

Lizzie

Lizzie I think there are some garden tools made to last. If you get a chance look at the Sneeboer Company. I have a small garden hand tool they call a multi shovel, well made and I've had it for years.

Hi Lizzie,

" Can you spot the Mylesweed? "

Yes, I can see Myles the cat sitting in the middle of your garden. Apparently Myles feels quite at home there.

" I kind of wish I could get colored craft sand in bulk to mulch with. It's probably too fine/toxic anyway. "

It's probably not toxic, but it might be rather expensive. There might be less expensive decorative sands available that are meant for landscaping. I have seen colored bark mulches for sale. I also saw some weird colored mulch that was apparently made from recycled tires.

Also saw some decorative gravel and some creek pebbles. I think they were intended for aquariums or terrariums or some kind of decorative landscaping. I also saw somewhere some bulk glass marbles that were meant for outdoor decoration of some kind.

There might be some kind of mulch that cats prefer not to walk on. Some people have used coffee grounds as a mulch. I use clean fill sand as a mulch. However, cats (feral cats and bobcats--we are in a rural area) like my sandpile, apparently for use as an outdoor litterbox. More later.

ZM

Lucille, those garden tools look awesome, thanks recommending. I know what I'm asking for for my birthday now. Maybe a hand shovel and a long handle hoe. Maybe a children's hoe would work for me...I am 5 ft tall.

ZM, a lady in one of the FB gardening groups recommends whole pinecones as mulch (the full bed, not just here and there). The cats don't like to walk on them.

Lizzie

I can see there's a lot I've missed. Lizzie - our feral cats are not too crazy about walking across the pea gravel we have down in the patio. You could try a perimeter of that as a deterrent. But if you have aggressive grass, you'll definitely want to put down landscape cloth underneath it. I've also seen, though never tried, plastic forks buried with the tines up in areas to protect small seedlings. Once the plants have grown (and presumably the cats have learned to avoid the area), you can pull the forks out for the sake of aesthetics. BTW - I totally hate you for living where you can be outside planting (just kidding). It is 20-something freakin' degrees here outside right now, and I am not pleased. Thought we and the cats had made it through the winter already, but now I see more days of nasty severe cold ahead on the weather map. :(

Good news is I have some things germinated and growing under lights after having done their several week stint in the fridge. Mostly perennials - echinacea and a few others, but I see two of the daturas I took a chance on saving seed from (a Raspberry Swirl) have germinated this morning - woo hoo! Will be interested to see whether they retain any of the "raspberry fanciness" or if they will revert to a more sedate white. I might prefer something in between to tell the truth - the double swirl didn't quite pull off the promised "look", though the coloring was nice.

Will very shortly be starting the bulk of my other seeds under lights, except for the zinnias and tomatoes, which typically I start a couple of weeks later. Will not be doing veggies this year except for tomatoes and green beans (and garlic, which is already out there from the fall planting.) Will concentrate on flowers, specifically those things which I am growing for the patio garden, and the various things I made crosses from last year - the zinnias, daylilies, pansies, petunias and some papaver somniferums. Those last 4 were not done with any great care - just curious, now that ZM has caused me to be bitten by the hybridizing bug.

Won't be growing the z. marylandicas this year. They were pretty, but just didn't excite me the way the taller z. elegans do. And I may restrict which of my zinnia strains I plant this season. As the seeds stay viable for more than a few years, I can always go back later if I want to pursue something different. Will definitely plant my "lotus" hybrids, the crosses with the one white I had, some yellows and a couple of the dahlia-types. Once again, there will be some much to do this year; I think I need to pick and choose since I can't do it all.

One other thing I really feel necessary to comment on. Lizzie, one should never, ever allow cats to play with scissors. For one thing, they are notoriously irresponsible with their tools. They leave them lying about; they bat them under sofas, drop them in water and food dishes. And, really, scissors are totally superfluous anyway. Cats are perfectly capable with tooth and claw of shredding, well - just about anything: paper, cardboard boxes, small mammals, hands, legs, other cats. Just thought I'd mention it.

- Alex

Haha Alex, I moved from Iowa zone 5, so I totally get it. Everything is grey- the sky, the trees, the streets and buildings, the people, and the dirty snow sanded and pushed by the plows. The only smell is wet dirty snow and car exhaust and the cold isn't just cold, it's painful. But I also remember the silence of when it snowed a lot and the smell of it. And cracking a bedroom window at night, listening to iced-over tree limbs pop.

Can't wait to see your fancy Daturas and especially this year's offspring from your lotus shaped Zinnias. So cool. Did you find this flower form in your first year of breeding? Any advice for a newbie? Do you have any tomatoes on your wish list?

She was using the scissors to work on an embroidery project.

Lizzie

Lizzie -

She was using the scissors to work on an embroidery project.

Well, of course, then - now I understand. I like the pastel shades; she has good color sense.

Yes, the grey. Though we live in the country, there is that period of time in which all seems white and grey. Right now we are being treated to glorious sun sparkling on the frosted ground. However, the drawback to this as I'm sure you'll remember, is that the clear sky insures it will be colder than the dickens when the sun sets. But, yes, the beauty at times is enough to make me weep.

Looking forward to the warmth and blooming flowers. More of the daturas sprouted today, much to my surprise as I'd gathered the seed while the pods were still green. Had to since it was going to freeze soon. Further proof that green seed harvest works - provided the seed is far enough along - and, of course, is fertile. If I get anything pretty out of them, I'll post a pic.

...and especially this year's offspring from your lotus shaped Zinnias. So
cool. Did you find this flower form in your first year of breeding?

The bloom I'm calling "Lotus" showed up in the 2nd year of my hybridizing project. It was a cross between 2 whirligigs.

Any advice for a newbie?

When it comes to hybridizing, I'm a newbie myself. :) Gardening, though, I've been a student of since the mid 80's. And once started, I wondered why it had taken me so long! I love, Love, LOVE growing things!

Do you have any tomatoes on your wish list?

Not at present. I have a number of heirlooms - the latest being Cherokee Purple, which I was pleased with, though the tomatoes were not good this past year in general. Need to work up the soil in those beds. Will be planting buckwheat as a cover crop in various areas to help that situation this year.

After writing yesterday, I decided to go ahead with my planting of the 1st wave of indoor seeds: petunias, pansies, etc. and some of the perennials I'd given cold treatment. Will plant a few more things today. I'm ahead of schedule - it feels nice! Though I will no doubt pay for it later when I have to do extra transplanting to keep some things from getting potbound before they can go outside.

- Alex

Is the Ruffles Zinnia series extinct?

The two cells that didn't germinate have been resown and all is well.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

" Is the Ruffles Zinnia series extinct? "

It is very nearly extinct. Most catalogs have stopped carrying it, for one reason or another. I did a quick Internet search and came up with only one link:
Zinnia - Hybrid Ruffles Mix

" The two cells that didn't germinate have been resown and all is well. "

Those zinnias are coming along nicely. I guess you will eventually be transplanting them into your outdoor garden spot.

On the subject of weeding tools, you might also want to take a look at the Wolf-Garten system of interchangeable tool heads and handles. Their handles come in several lengths and styles, including an adjustable length model, and most are very lightweight aluminum tubes. (There is a conventional wooden model.) By combining one or more Wolf-Garten handles with one or more of their hoe heads you can create a versatile tool system. You can easily change heads or handles for the task at hand, and the light weight of the handles makes the tools light weight and easier to use. A couple of links:

Wolf-Garten weeding tools

Wolf-Garten Handles

Having interchangeable heads and handles makes the system really versatile. The majority of my garden hand tools are Wolf-Garten. Amazon also carries them.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

Hello all,

Now that it is Spring, we are starting to have some Winter weather here in Kansas. Got a dusting of snow this morning, which has melted off now. I still have some indoor zinnias coming into bloom, and am saving some seeds to plant outdoors. This is one of my current "star burst" style blooms.

ZM

ZM-

Definitely going to be checking out those tools, but first, that seed packet picture for Earl May's Ruffles doesn't look like what I was thinking of. Look at these things. Some flowers are ultra ruffly and nearly spherical. They got an AAS award and everything.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

I enlarged your picture so that when you click on it to see the "actual" picture, you see a larger version, showing a bit more detail.

ZM