I’ve grown all of these except asters as cut flowers, and they are all so wonderful. ☺ One I can’t recommend enough is lemon basil. I grew the Mrs. Burns variety last year, and it was just what my bouquets had been missing - it provides foliage, the blooms provide that pretty “spike” effect, and the smell is just intoxicating, like the most delicious lemon candy. 🍋
It smells amazing and Mrs Burns grew so much better than other lemon basil I have grown. I had to thin out a seed tray with it yesterday. Mmmm. Smells so good!.
I am trying, for the first time, gomphrena. It was your videos that encouraged me to try them. I purchased Strawberry Fields. I also gave in and bought a couple aster seed packets. Again, all because of your videos! I will also be trying to grow dahlias from seeds. Wish me luck! Hope you are able to bring us along for seed starting videos.
Great picks! I love gomphrena! Best thing for our heat. And the asters were fun for me last year too, in spring and fall. Started some salmon asters today, and the white swan echinacea to add to my purple ones.
I love stock, even tho I have a hard time growing it, I don't think it stays cool enough here for to get the full bloom time. May be even harder now I'm zone 8a. But I still ordered some, so today I'm direct sowing those, poppies and larkspur.
@@ChicagoGardener I want to do that today, just need to weed a bit first. I seen somewhere, maybe in the cool flowers book, they like cooler temps. I probably should have done it back in sept/oct. Guess I'll see if I was too late.
I'm zone 8b in south and overwinter stock. Sometimes it works out, but a lot got zapped this year by cold. Got more going for spring that I hope make it in time to beat the heat.
@@anitamurphy2454 I'm hoping the same, beat the heat. I had one that overwinter bloomed last yr, it wasn't very pretty tho, the flowers bloomed weird looking.
I grew stock in pots last year. I used winter sowing method and it worked well. I had a lot of stock plants. Stocks don't like the heat. I am going to try winter sowing asters this year-I haven't tried that before.
It's not too late at all. Last year, I used a clear plastic shoe storage box with a lid for winter sowing (I made holes in the lid and in the bottom). A lot of people use empty milk jugs but you can use other clear plastic containers too@@ChicagoGardener
China asters is a flower I don't hear much about and have been to scarred to grow! And I see gorgeous varieties in seed catalogs. 🌱 Need to try gomphrena.
Quartet stocks are branching and can bloom all season if they get adequate water and just morning sun. Laura from Garden Answer grew Rainbow Quartet stock the last two seasons and they bloomed all season. I tried the Rainbow Quartet and found the same results. That seed is sold out from Territorial seeds now but I got extra last year. I also grew the other quartet stock colors (shades of purple, pink and white) last season and they bloomed on a east facing porch until November in zone 5a, southern Wisconsin. I started my stock last week and they are already up under lights. They also work with winter sowing. Both Baker Creek, Select seeds and Territorial seeds have the branching stock (Quartet).
I started zinnias last year inside and transplanted and also just sowed outside. The ones I threw in the ground caught up with the transplanted ones in no time at all. If you leave the seed heads on the Echinacea until they dry and then just scatter them on the damp soil they seem to spread themselves come spring. I have about 10 plants from 3! Have you ever tried poppies?
I’ve had the same thing with zinnias! I always direct so a couple just in case my transplants die and it’s not too long before you can’t tell which was which. I’ve only grown poppies once bc I plant swapped with a friend. I loved them so need to try them again!
Love love love Gomphrena ~ I ordered Atomic Purple and Strawberry Fields from Baker Creek this year - can't wait to try these - last year was a mix of white and purple but the white was a washout in the flower bed. I love all your top 5 flowers but I don't grow Dahlia's - I cheat and grow Dahlia style zinnias instead.......
@@moduqueRN oh thank you so much!!! 🙏 I have very bad ADHD and every time I was watching she was just talking and not showing flowers. I will watch it again. THANK YOU! 💚
The do like full sun and a good amount of water, but I have had issues in the past of the tubers sitting in soil that stayed too moist for too long so I like growing them in grow bags bc of how well they drain.
Dear Chicago Gardener, Next time you make a video, could you leave the pics of the flowers up the whole time you’re talking about them? The first time I tried to watch this, I didn’t even know you had shown any pics and had to Google most of these. Especially when you were talking about the different types of echinacea and weren’t showing the kinds, well it wasn’t great. Showing pics the whole time would be nice too so see all the different kinds. Thank you.
@@ChicagoGardener thank you. The only reason I can back to the video was because someone else responded to my earlier comment to let me know there were pics but it was still really hard because they were shown so briefly and I want to look at pics of flowers basically 100% of the time. Thanks again.
I’ve grown all of these except asters as cut flowers, and they are all so wonderful. ☺ One I can’t recommend enough is lemon basil. I grew the Mrs. Burns variety last year, and it was just what my bouquets had been missing - it provides foliage, the blooms provide that pretty “spike” effect, and the smell is just intoxicating, like the most delicious lemon candy. 🍋
ooo! The lemon basil sounds amazing!
Adding lemon basil to my list! I love anything that smells like lemons.
It smells amazing and Mrs Burns grew so much better than other lemon basil I have grown.
I had to thin out a seed tray with it yesterday. Mmmm. Smells so good!.
I am trying, for the first time, gomphrena. It was your videos that encouraged me to try them. I purchased Strawberry Fields. I also gave in and bought a couple aster seed packets. Again, all because of your videos! I will also be trying to grow dahlias from seeds. Wish me luck!
Hope you are able to bring us along for seed starting videos.
I definitely will! I’m starting my first round in early March with gomphrena bc those tend to grow a little slower than my others.
Great picks! I love gomphrena! Best thing for our heat. And the asters were fun for me last year too, in spring and fall. Started some salmon asters today, and the white swan echinacea to add to my purple ones.
Salmon is becoming my favorite flower color 😍
You sure have a great talent making all this stuff...thanks for the Video...
Thank you so much!
I tried the gomphrena as per your recommendation and I do love them
Yay!! Which variety did you try?
@@ChicagoGardener Qis Carmine and how lovely
Muchos animos
I love stock, even tho I have a hard time growing it, I don't think it stays cool enough here for to get the full bloom time. May be even harder now I'm zone 8a. But I still ordered some, so today I'm direct sowing those, poppies and larkspur.
When do you direct sow yours?
@@ChicagoGardener
I want to do that today, just need to weed a bit first. I seen somewhere, maybe in the cool flowers book, they like cooler temps. I probably should have done it back in sept/oct. Guess I'll see if I was too late.
I'm zone 8b in south and overwinter stock. Sometimes it works out, but a lot got zapped this year by cold. Got more going for spring that I hope make it in time to beat the heat.
@@anitamurphy2454
I'm hoping the same, beat the heat. I had one that overwinter bloomed last yr, it wasn't very pretty tho, the flowers bloomed weird looking.
Hopefully you grow snap dragon and celosia! They are amazing and celosia is great for drying
I had some celosia last year and loved it! I’ve also seen two comments now for snapdragons which probably means I should order some seeds 😂
Have you grown snapdragons? They're so useful for breaking up similar bloom shapes in arrangements
I haven’t but they’re on my list of flowers to try! Do you have any favorite varieties?
I grew stock in pots last year. I used winter sowing method and it worked well. I had a lot of stock plants. Stocks don't like the heat. I am going to try winter sowing asters this year-I haven't tried that before.
Maybe I’ll do some winter sowing for them! Would it be too late to start now?
@@ChicagoGardener no just getting ready to winter sow mine fingers crossed 😀
I already did my stocks (and they haven't germinated yet). I am going to do asters at the end of February@@michellefrance1165
It's not too late at all. Last year, I used a clear plastic shoe storage box with a lid for winter sowing (I made holes in the lid and in the bottom). A lot of people use empty milk jugs but you can use other clear plastic containers too@@ChicagoGardener
Excited to try the Asters this year!
I never expected to fall in love with them like I did last year! Now I need to try all the varieties 😆
China asters is a flower I don't hear much about and have been to scarred to grow! And I see gorgeous varieties in seed catalogs. 🌱 Need to try gomphrena.
I was shocked at how well they did for me and I’ve fallen in love!
Quartet stocks are branching and can bloom all season if they get adequate water and just morning sun. Laura from Garden Answer grew Rainbow Quartet stock the last two seasons and they bloomed all season. I tried the Rainbow Quartet and found the same results. That seed is sold out from Territorial seeds now but I got extra last year. I also grew the other quartet stock colors (shades of purple, pink and white) last season and they bloomed on a east facing porch until November in zone 5a, southern Wisconsin. I started my stock last week and they are already up under lights. They also work with winter sowing. Both Baker Creek, Select seeds and Territorial seeds have the branching stock (Quartet).
Thank you!!
I started zinnias last year inside and transplanted and also just sowed outside. The ones I threw in the ground caught up with the transplanted ones in no time at all. If you leave the seed heads on the Echinacea until they dry and then just scatter them on the damp soil they seem to spread themselves come spring. I have about 10 plants from 3! Have you ever tried poppies?
I’ve had the same thing with zinnias! I always direct so a couple just in case my transplants die and it’s not too long before you can’t tell which was which. I’ve only grown poppies once bc I plant swapped with a friend. I loved them so need to try them again!
Love love love Gomphrena ~ I ordered Atomic Purple and Strawberry Fields from Baker Creek this year - can't wait to try these - last year was a mix of white and purple but the white was a washout in the flower bed. I love all your top 5 flowers but I don't grow Dahlia's - I cheat and grow Dahlia style zinnias instead.......
I grow the dahlia zinnias too and love them! It was a bit confusing trying to tell my friends they were zinnias despite having dahlia in the name 😆
I want to grow Dahlias so much but I'm not sure about digging up the tubers even though they may be perennial in my 7b zone @@ChicagoGardener
What are dahlia style zinnias? I’d love to know🌸
The flowers look like Dahlia flowers - look in the Zinnia seed section or even online for these types of Zinnias@@maureenklusaritz1080
Great video! What size grow bag do you use for your dahlias?
I use a 7 gallon grow bag!
I wish you showed images of the flowers you talked about. I will Google them. Thanks.
There’s a picture with each flower in the video.
@@moduqueRN oh thank you so much!!! 🙏 I have very bad ADHD and every time I was watching she was just talking and not showing flowers. I will watch it again. THANK YOU! 💚
🌹🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼💐🥀
Do dahlias need full or part sun. Do they like extra water? I’m trying to get started on planting..
The do like full sun and a good amount of water, but I have had issues in the past of the tubers sitting in soil that stayed too moist for too long so I like growing them in grow bags bc of how well they drain.
How far down do you cut for the zinnas?
Typically down to where I see another bud forming but sometimes I’ll go further if I need a longer stem!
Dear Chicago Gardener,
Next time you make a video, could you leave the pics of the flowers up the whole time you’re talking about them? The first time I tried to watch this, I didn’t even know you had shown any pics and had to Google most of these. Especially when you were talking about the different types of echinacea and weren’t showing the kinds, well it wasn’t great. Showing pics the whole time would be nice too so see all the different kinds. Thank you.
Yes, I can definitely leave photos up longer!
@@ChicagoGardener thank you. The only reason I can back to the video was because someone else responded to my earlier comment to let me know there were pics but it was still really hard because they were shown so briefly and I want to look at pics of flowers basically 100% of the time. Thanks again.