My favorite is Madam Butterfly. She has open faced flowers with good stems in quite an array of pretty colors. She is a nice height for cutting and working with. I just started my seeds today in my greenhouse. I also grow Animation (Early), and Costas.

Thanks, Lizalily. I will be checking out Madam Butterfly, Animation, and Costas. I haven't started any seeds yet, but I'll need to get going on some of them in a week or two. Things definitely happen later in this neck of the woods.

TM

Thinman
Most of those you mentioned in the Geo Catalogue are bedding plants. Chantilly (open faced) is another good one. It branches a bit so you could pinch it (you could do this with Rocket too) and end up with stems more suitable for shorter bouquets.
Cheers Kim - BFFF

Thanks, for the tips, Kim. I'll try pinching some this year and see what happens.

TM

Thinman, I grew Night and Day from geo seed last year and it was lovely. It got to about 2ft and branched well. It is a dark red with a white lip, quite striking, but some of the plants were just dark red. Just a thought. Kat

Lizalily, Do you know if it it's too late to start madame butterfly in zone 5?

thanks in advance
calida

I've grown Ribbon, Sonnet, and Labellas. This year I have Labellas, all blooming like crazy. I have a tall one too, I can't remember the name but I bought it because it was supposed to be very fragrant. The fragrance is mild, pretty much the same as my Labellas and although its pretty, I did have to stake it and the seed was expensive. I prefer the mid height types because I don't like staking, which I have to do with the Rockets. And the mid sizes seem to branch out better, making more flowering stems. My snaps bloom right through fall, I've had them blooming into November, which is pretty good considering I am in zone 5. Snaps are my favorite annual, great for cutting, look good in beds, long bloom season if deadheaded, and deer and rodents don't eat them. Bugs seem to leave them alone too. The perfect annual!

Thanks, hpny. I'll have to try some Labellas next year. I agree that snaps are a great annual, and they dress up a bouquet so well, too.

ThinMan