[QUOTE=habitat_gardener;715268]I wonder if Thunbergia alata would do well in your area -- black-eyed susan vine. It's eye-catching, especially if no one else is growing it. I've seen the deep orange ones grown as perennial vines here, but in cold-winter areas it'd probably be grown as an annual and might work in hanging baskets. When I looked it up just now, I found it comes in lots of colors. Supposed to be easy from seed; haven't grown it myself.[/QUOTE]

It grows extremely easy from seed and very quickly. Mine covered a whole wall in my garden, 6 ft and still grew so I had to hack it back. In fact I got so tired of it that I got rid of it but I do miss it now, esp since no one else is growing it around here, and it was pretty. I just never liked orange flowers LOL.I've seen them in white and cream also.

So, Cole, how are your mums coming now?

They are mostly ok, but for some reason are taking longer to bloom than last year. I still dont have blooms, thus nothing to sell yet.

Maybe something to boost the urge to get with the budding and blooming?


If not all sold out, maybe over winter some and then have plants to divide and have early for the next season?

As I said in your other thread I do flower ordering for work and the rudbeckia this year sold like gangbusters.

Have you considered purple millet or Japonica/ornamental corn? That's popular here too.

Mrs Mars is a red sunflower I grew in pots last year and it makes a nice contrast to the usual yellows.

Bowls of pansiolas and a striped sedge as the thriller in the center did very well in spring and fall. For spring we had yellow/purple and for fall we had giant pansies with the same striped sedge or bunny tails grass. Next year I will look for purple and orange and black for Halloween pansies/violas.

We also sold lots of Pow Wow Wild Berry and Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea and tall/medium sedums (Autumn Joy, Matrona, and some red ones). We also sold loads of Asters. Mostly Henrii pink and purple.

I really pushed the perennial and good for pollinators/monarch butterflies angles for advertising.