Flower Seeds and Plants from Harris Seeds

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SAVE on These 2 Popular Zinnia Collections in May!

Zinnia Garden Collection

Perfect for beds and borders!

- All are great for both gardens and combo planters.
- Outstanding vibrant color all summer long!
- You'll receive 5 different garden zinnias at a special price.
- Collection is composed of:
* Dreamland Mix - Large 3-4 inch, double flowers in mixture of 7 different, vibrant colors. Height: 9-12", 10-12" spread.
* Magellan Mix - Amazing mixture of 8 different colors, including the AAS winning Coral. Large, 4" double blooms on very well branched plants. Will bloom all summer long. Height: 12-14", 10-12" spread.
* Profusion Mix - Vivid mix of apricot, cherry, orange, scarlet and white. More tolerant to weather extremes than most other zinnias. Height: 2 ft., 16-24" spread.
* Zahara Mix - Great garden mixture of 2½ " flowers that cover the bushy, sturdy plants. Excellent for beds, borders and containers. Height 12-18 inches.
* Zowie! Yellow Flame - Very unique bicolor combination of cherry-red petals with white tips. Large double blooms on 10-12 inch plants.

20907-10-02-905 Zinnia Garden Collection
Collection Price: $16.50
Special Price: $14.85

Zinnia Benary's Giant Collection

The most popular cut flower zinnia series of all!

- Eight separate Benary's Giant varieties make up this collection.
- Great for home garden cut flowers or the backs of annual gardens.
- Collection consists of 1 packet each of the following BG varieties: CARMINE ROSE, DEEP RED, GOLDEN YELLOW, LILAC, ORANGE, PURPLE, SALMON ROSE, and WHITE.
- 50 seeds per packet, totaling 400 seeds for entire collection.

03841-12-02-905 Zinnia Benary's Giant Collection
Collection Price: $20.75
Special Price: $17.65

Articles & Tips on Flower Growing and Gardening

Gladiolus in the Garden - Vicky Rupley

Gladioli are striking in the garden, and their tall, boldly colored flower spikes make wonderful, long-lasting cut flowers.

Harris' Classic Rainbow Mix supplies large flowers on stately stems and grows to 4-5 feet. Our formula mix ensures you will enjoy a broad spectrum of bright colors. Our Border Gladiolus Mix features more diminutive blooms on plants that reach 30-36" high, therefore requiring less staking. The Border Mix is easier to utilize in a garden setting and is also easier to mix into cut flower arrangements.

Gladiolus Growing Tips
Choose a sunny garden location with well-drained soil. Plant as soon as the danger of frost has passed. For a longer flowering season, make successive plantings every 2 weeks. (To store bulbs before planting, keep them in a cool dry place with good air circulation.) Follow the spacing recommendations included with your gladiolus bulbs.

Before planting, we recommend a simple dip treatment to prevent fungal and insect problems. Add 1 cup bleach to a 2 gallon bucket of water; soak bulbs for 15-30 minutes. Remove, let dry, and then plant. This treatment helps to control thrips, a common pest for glads. These tiny insects can cause silvery streaks to appear on the leaves, and they can cause flowers not to form properly.

If you grow glads year after year, you can further control fungal and insect issues by completely cleaning up leaves and bulbs at the end of the season. Remove or burn the debris to keep diseases and pests from overwintering in the soil. If you dig and store bulbs for the next season, soak them in the bleach/water mix above and allow them to dry before storage.

Your effort in preparing your glad bulbs and flower beds will pay beautiful dividends, in the form of big, showy blooms on strong flower stems!

Easily Direct Sow These Flowers for a Garden of Color - Vicky Rupley

There's still time to direct sow flowers in your garden!

1. Zinnias (both cut and garden types) are popular because they have bold bright colors, and are so easy to grow. Direct seed them in June and July in full sun, and keep them moist. The Zaharas and Profusions are excellent for beds and containers, the Benary's Giants are wonderful for cuts, and the Magellans make a stunning dwarf hedge.

2. Sunflowers (both tall and garden types) are some of the most popular flowers to grow, and they can be direct seeded now through July for striking blooms and color. They are heat lovers and fast growers, so full sun is necessary for optimum growth.

3. If you are a fan of perennials, start them now to transplant to the garden in the fall. It is nice to have some early color in late spring next year.

4. Ornamental cabbage and kale are generally started now and transplanted to garden beds in late summer and early fall. They like the cooler growing conditions that fall brings and can tolerate cold weather. They make for some very unusual color when all of the summer annuals have faded.

Plan & Plant for a Midsummer Wedding Altar Arrangement - Vicky Rupley

If your garden will be providing flowers for a wedding next summer, it's not too early to start planning for a lush altar arrangement that bursts with life, freshness, and color.

From Bouquet to Altar
Just as the bride should love the look of her bouquet, she should find the altar bouquet gorgeous. She will face the altar during much of the ceremony, so the flowers arranged there can both calm her nerves and add to the joy of the occasion. So, while you and the bride choose her favorite flowers, think about ways to incorporate some of those same blooms into the altar piece. Be sure to reflect both the wedding colors and the overall theme of the wedding - whether it's elegant, modern, or relaxed - in the altar arrangement.

Take In the View
To create an effective wedding altar arrangement, you need to consider its setting. Visit the church or hall to evaluate the lighting, backdrop, and surrounding elements like pillars or banners. Measure the church's urns or containers, and determine whether your arrangement will be positioned on top of, behind, in front of, or on the sides of the altar. If possible, visit the church when flowers are on the altar; measure the arrangement's length and height. Then walk to various parts of the church, note which parts of the altar arrangement draw your eye, and take photos if possible. Remember that an altar arrangement can seem huge up close but appear just the right size from the congregation's vantage point. Plan the size of your arrangement based on your observations.

Structure and Supplies Matter
With the look of the church in mind - and photos in hand - decide on the structure of your arrangement. When altar arrangements are positioned in front of, on top of, or behind the altar, they usually have a central focus that cascades symmetrically toward the sides of the arrangement. For each side of the altar, you might use a right angle arrangement, with an upright spike and a cascade of flowers that extends only to one side. To create the arrangements, you will need florists' wire, florists' tape, and Oasis foam. Soak large blocks of Oasis foam in water, and secure them into the containers you'll be using; this foam is essential for anchoring the stems in place, and it must be wet to hold stems well and keep the flowers fresh. For a symmetric arrangement, place stems of your large spike flowers in the center of the arrangement, at 90° angles on both sides, and at 45° angles on both sides. This fan-shaped scaffolding will comprise the structure of the arrangement; fill the spaces between the spikes with filler flowers as described below. For a cascading or bowed effect, wrap flexible stems with florist's wire and bend them into gentle curves.

Choose Your Blooms
Having established the size, shape, and overall theme of the altar arrangement, it's time to select blooms. To create the central and side scaffold of of the arrangement, use a tall flower with a spiked inflorescence, such as Gladiolus, Snapdragon (Rocket series), Oriental Lilies, Digitalis, or Liatris. To fill the spaces between the scaffold stems, use flowers with round or globe shaped blooms, like Rudbeckia hirta, Asters, Echinacea, Gomphrena, Helichrysum, Shasta Daisies, Zinnias, or even Sunflowers. Finally, to fill spaces in the arrangement and create an airy feeling, add Gypsophila, Panicum Frosted Explosion, or Tanacetum. Remember that people will look at the altar arrangement from a distance, so you may want to use showier blooms, larger masses of a single color, or bolder color contrasts than you would for bouquets.

Planning is Everything!
For each species, allow ample time for seed germination, seedling growth, transplanting, and outdoor growth. Sow at least two plantings of each variety, about 2 weeks apart, to increase your chances of having prime blooms ready for the big day. Finally, know which professional growers or florists can supply you with flowers if yours meet with unfriendly growing conditions. With careful planning and a bit of flexibility, though, you can raise gorgeous blooms that will add life, beauty, and a personal touch to the midsummer wedding in your future.

Frequently Asked Questions: Scattering, Sunflowers & Soil Temperature - Vicky Rupley

Q: Can I just scatter flower seeds in my garden?
A: While it is possible to plant flowers by scattering seeds in the garden - as some of you have done for years - you will achieve better, more consistent results by planting more intentionally. Seeds germinate best with consistent moisture, even soil contact, and an appropriate soil temperature. When seed is scattered and raked into the soil, it may not all get covered, and it will likely be planted at varying depths. Heavy rain can wash seed away, and it can be difficult to maintain moisture during germination on sunny, breezy days. Moreover, some outdoor soils are too heavy to allow young flower roots to penetrate. It is easiest to control moisture, soil quality, and seed-to-soil contact by starting seeds indoors, in flats or containers, with the aid of grow lights and a heat mat. Some flowers, like sunflowers, do well when seeded directly in the garden. Read on for sunflower planting pointers!

Q: How deep should I plant sunflower seeds?
A: The general rule of thumb is that flower seeds should be planted 2-3 times as deep as the width of the seed. Sunflower seeds vary in size widely by variety, but for an average cut flower type like Soraya, the seed is 1/4" wide. So those seeds should be planted 1/2" deep.

Q: How can I tell when my soil is ready for sunflower planting?
A: Sunflower seeds germinate best when the soil's average temperature is 70 degrees. Using a soil thermometer, measure the soil's temperature in the morning and again in the evening, once the sun has warmed the soil. When the average of those two temperatures reaches 70 degrees, it's time to plant!

Q: How far apart should I plant sunflowers?
A: Single stem sunflowers should be grown 5-6" apart, while branching sunflowers should be grown 12-15" apart. You may plant seeds at these distances, or you may plant seeds up to twice as close and then thin out extra seedlings. Planting extra seeds ensures that you will end up with enough plants, regardless of unpredictable outdoor conditions.

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