JG, "I can't help but wonder if possibly there isn't some kind of mobile element or virus to cause the color patterns of those, as in the Peppermint stick types--just a different sort of expression! I wondered the same when I saw it in a few of the streaked flowers I got, including July Bonnet this year-- kind of like the color "breaks" you see in the Rembrandt series tulips." I wonder the very same thing. It is troublesome to me that the Rembrandt tulips owe their striped color patterns to a virus infection. I discontinued breeding with the striped and spotted zinnias (Peppermint, Candy Cane, etc) for that very reason. I am not particularly fond of the striped/spotted effect and I would be particularly displeased if it started popping up everywhere in my zinnia patch. The same concern is why I didn't immediately start breeding with the streaked variants that appear in my Whirligigs and Zig Zags. "I notice the Profusions (not really my favorite of the flowers) are pretty mildew-resistant. Too bad they have such a strange chromosome number--not easy or even possible to cross, most likely." I am not at all wild about the appearance of any of the Profusions or other Z. marylandica strains. Their colors fade rather rapidly and they have a rather limited variety of appearances. I suspect you could cross within Z. marylandica, but their unique chromosome situation might interfere seriously with recombinations of traits. Their mildew tolerance has made them very popular with the plant-and-forget gardeners, and Profusions are a big commercial success for that reason. Their commercial profitability will insure new varieties and strains of Z. marylandica for years to come. But I breed zinnias for fun, and the Profusions don't look like much fun to me. "Your leaves look so nice and healthy!" Not so much anymore. My zinnias don't like flirting with frost every night. "I have done nothing to take care of the leaves in the zinnias here, and I know for sure the dense plantings lead to mildew infestation or at least increase its incidence. I guess though that this presents a good opportunity to see which of my plants may have mildew resistance, and before I take them down, I will screen them for that." When you say "zinnias", people immediately think of mildew. Powdery mildew. Would you believe that I haven't had a single case of powdery mildew this year? Still, even in this "end game" season, no mildew. Late last year, I had a single zinnia branch start to show some mildew, and I solved that problem instantly with a pair of scissors. That mildew took a ride to the landfill. Problem solved. There are a lot of mis-perceptions about mildew on zinnias. A lot of zinnias actually have mildew because their gardeners have been told that water promotes mildew on zinnias. The truth is the exact opposite of that. Mildew spores cannot germinate in water, and wetting your zinnia leaves can be an effective mildew preventative. In support of that assertion, notice that in this National Gardening Association Q&A: Powdery Mildew on Zinnias, they say, and I quote: "Powdery mildew is unique among common plant diseases in that it doesn't require a wet leaf surface to spread. It can thus thrive during hot, dry weather, which is why you see it appearing in August. The general advice to inhibit the spread of fungal diseases is to avoid wetting leaf surfaces. In the case of powdery mildew, you can actually inhibit infection with frequent sprays of water. Also, examine plants frequently, removing any affected foliage immediately." The underlining in that quote is mine. Frequent foliar feedings can also be a strong deterrent to mildew. So can sprays. A favorite of mine is GreenCure®, which is an effective control of a long list of plant diseases. GreenCure has several advantages over more toxic fungicides. The only zinnia diseases that have given me any problems are Alternaria Leaf Spot (Alternaria zinniae) and Bacterial Leaf Spot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. zinniae). I have been experimenting with Physan 20 foliar sprays as a preventative for them, with encouraging results. But the Physan 20 is preventative, and not curative. The spots on the leaves in this picture are probably Alternaria, but some could be bacterial. I have noticed that in crowded growing conditions, inside or outside, the lower zinnia leaves that can't get any significant amount of light tend to die off, whether they have a disease or not. I haven't experimented yet to see whether foliar feeding those leaves with a sugar solution and a glycerin adjuvant could bypass their need for photosynthesis or not. I plan to do that next year. The techniques of growing healthy zinnias are in themselves an interesting hobby, with many interesting challenges and things to learn. MM

fleur222, good question! At first when estate came up for me, I thought, huh, I don't like grand and stuffy but then I looked at the examples and my other results and realized that my style is classic and tradition with a twist. I look around my house and see my mix of family heirlooms and antiques along with new contemporary pieces and rich colors and think, yup, that's right. (take my interpretation with a grain of salt. I really should be in bed asleep but that coffee I had this morning is keeping me up. After giving it up for 9 months, I guess a little goes a long way now.) My plan for my kitchen is medium walnut stained red oak floors, quartersawn white oak cabinets with a raised panel for lower perimeter cabinets, island and hutch (stained lighter than the floors), creamy beige painted upper cabinets (our existing GO oak cabs), satin finished butterfly blue granite, beige subway tile, oil rubbed bronze cabinet hardware and lighting. And cheery red pinch pleat curtains at the windows because they make me smile. ;-) plllog, you're right, it's not a very well designed website. They didn't get their money's worth. Here is a link that might be useful: one of my inspiration kitchens

Shirley - IT's never JUST a GAME! lol. J/K...The world series consists of 7 games. Best out of wins the whole kit and caboodle. Cubs did not have a good showing last night...stinky Indians. OH WELL...here's to the next 4! Annie - I just visited California for the 1st time ever last May and I loved it. I wish I'd had so much more time. It was a whirlwind. I had to go to San Francisco on business but managed to see the ocean, the bay, the GG bridge, Alcatraz, The Giant Redwoods, the Bay Bridge, The Fisherman's Wharf, the Sea Lions on Pier 39, China Town, and Coit Tower all while we were there! I had such a lovely time. Cannot wait to visit again! Now only 4 states left for me to see!

What a fun game and such beautiful roses, Ann. Thank you for posting this. Krista, I’m so impressed that you knew them all, right off the bat! Amazing! You really know your DA’s. Your pictures are gorgeous, too. Your Alnwick Rose looks quite different from mine. Mine is a very narrow bush, and only about 3 1/2 feet tall. That’s with it grafted onto Dr. Huey, so I’m (happily) surprised at how compact it has remained after several years in the ground. My blooms look more globe shaped than yours appears to my eye. That might just be because yours are more fully opened. I rarely see my Alnwick blooms much past the globe stage, because the blooms are so fleeting in my climate. My blooms shatter within a day or two of opening, so perhaps it’s just that I never see blooms that are more than a couple of days old. I think that’s what it is. Anyway, I enjoy seeing yours in all its glory, and it IS glorious! Your Evelyn is beautiful, too. I think she’s my best performing DA. I just love her. My goodness, Eglantyne is breathtaking! I’ve always admired her, but I don’t think she’s a fan of hot and dry. They’re really all beautiful. Does Sheila Asma really smell as wonderful as everyone says she does? I hear about her fantastic scent so often, that it must be true:) You’re lucky to have Happy Child, Ann. I’ve fallen in love with it, and have been wishing for it ever since Fragrancenutter started posting her pictures of Happy Child. It really is a “Happy” yellow. Beautiful pictures and good job Krista! Lisa