I was pleasantly surprised with Swizzle Zinnias; both the Scarlet & Yellow and the Cherry & Ivory. The blooms have remained on the plants for almost two months before needing deadheading. What surprised me was the ever changing blooms. They start out looking exactly like the do in the photos in your catalogs, then the centers turn a pink color. Then the pink color turns a light marroon. Then the entire bloom will turn this light purplish maroon color. I cannot even explain! This describes the Scarlet & Yellow ones. The cherry ones are constantly changing also. I absolutely love them! I also have fallen in love with the color of my 'Arabian Nights' Dahlias. I absolutely cannot take my eyes off these blooms. I have never grown Dahlias from tubers before, I bought these on the clearance rack at Wal Mart (they were orginally $4.88 for 3 tubers, I bought them for a buck each). This may have started a big project for me in the future, as just in this past week I have become entranced by these blooms, and mixing them with my 'Diablo' dahlias that I grew from seed. I must say that these two blooms together are absolutely exquisite!!!!!! I cannot even capture the color with my camera. 'Arabian Nights' is the most perfect color of burgundy you have ever seen. The blooms just last for days on end, either in the garden or in a vase. I just cant get enough of these colors!!!! I think I will have to start investing in more Dahlia tubers.

I love them all. I never had trouble growing nasturtiums by direct sowing. In fact, I think I used to read that they resented transplanting, but ws'ing is a little different when you plant them with the soil intact around the roots. But as soon as they started blooming nicely, the bottoms of the leaves would get covered with aphids, and they'd die. I had this white powder stuff I got and poofed on them (hard to get at the undersides), but it didn't work well, and I didn't like breathing that stuff or getting it on me plus I was working and didn't have time to trouble shoot like I can a little more now. Of course I wouldn't have known the hose trick which might have worked. Maybe conditions have changed. One year I had aphids early on the rose buds but not so bad the last two years, so maybe I've got a different balance going now. Or maybe not. Thanks for sharing your nice photos.

Lars, what a great and unique package and theme! I have no doubt that Diane will be enjoying all of it for some time!! MQ sent me some homemade spice blends a few years back and I loved them. I love the card that you can plant for wild flowers. Very cool!! David

Here you go, Jo. This is a delicious pasta dish! GREEK-STYLE PASTA WITH SHRIMP 1/4 cup olive oil 4 teaspoons minced garlic 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined 1 1/2 cups drained canned artichoke hearts, chopped 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried 12 ounces angel hair pasta or linguine Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and saut30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add artichokes, feta, tomatoes, lemon juice, parsley and oregano and sauté until shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add shrimp mixture to pasta and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 4. Bon Appétit June 1995 My notes: This is also good with chicken in place of the shrimp. Add cheese last and do not cook longer than instructions. Here is another that is quick and easy that they might like. Kung Pao Chicken Adapted from a recipe found in Cooking Light 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided 4 cups broccoli florets 1 red pepper, cut in strips 2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4\-inch strips 1/2 cup fat\-free, less\-sodium chicken broth 1 T ground ginger (or shredded fresh ginger) 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped salted peanuts Preparation Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium\-high heat. Add broccoli to pan; sauté 1 minute, add pepper strips and water. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp\-tender. Remove vegetables from pan; keep warm. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan; add crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Combine broth and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts, serve over rice. Yield: 4 servings My notes: Really easy and on the table in 30 minutes! Not super spicy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And if they would prefer a super easy Italian\-type entree...... Turkey Marsala 1lb turkey breast 2T butter 3T flour 2tsp instant chicken boullion 1/4tsp garlic powder 1c water 1/2c dry Marsala wine 1c sliced fresh mushrooms Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Brown the turkey, turning once. Place turkey on serving platter, cover to keep warm. Combine flour, boullion and garlic powder in bowl. Gradually stir in water and wine. Add to skillet and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Add mushrooms and heat one minute more. Pour half of sauce over turkey, pass remaining sauce. 4 servings. Linda