Rudbeckia should. I'm not sure if my soapwort did or not - can't remember. I know the lychnis didn't.

I don't think either the Sea Holly, Soapwort or Echinacea purperea will bloom in the first year. Heliopsis helianthoids and Alyssum saxatile might bloom for you. You'll have to let us know if any of them bloom this year for you.

Syreeta

- Sea Holly (no)
- Verbascum nigrum (yes)
- Soapwort (yes, if it was the Saponaria ocymoides)
- Alyssum saxatile (no)
- Lychnis chalcedonia (Maltese Cross) (if they do, very sparsely)
- Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) (no)
- Dalea purpurea (no)
- Heliopsis helianthoides (a few maybe)
- Rudbeckia hirta (yes)

Sharon

Thanks gals, I guess I will have a fairly sparse new perennial bed this year! ;0) I'm glad about the Verbascum though because I planted a bunch of it at work and it looks a little funny with no flowers.

Make sure you deadhead that verbascum, Gil - i have a verbascum explosion going on here!

Yes thank you Marcia, I figured it was seedy, when I indoor sowed it this spring I think I had 125% germination. Impossible? Apparently not! LOL That's why some ended up at work.

The verdict!

- Sea Holly (no)
- Verbascum nigrum (yes)
- Soapwort (no)
- Alyssum saxatile (no, but they have grown very nicely)
- Lychnis chalcedonia (Maltese Cross) (yes, but very sparsely)
- Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) (no)
- Dalea purpurea (no) (not actually sure where I planted this... guess I will never know now)
- Heliopsis helianthoides (yes)
- Rudbeckia hirta (no)

Just wanted to ask too, does anyone know if Gaillardia "Torchlight" comes true from seed? I have been collecting a ton of seeds to transport my garden to the new house. I have literally pounds of tall mixed snapdragon seeds for trade if anyone's interested.

G. 'Torchlight' is a cultivar indicated by the placement of the name between single quotes. Some cultivars will come true from seed usually they don't. If you want to keep your varieties true as possible, plant similar species of plants on opposite ends of your garden as far away as possible.

But thatÂs the beauty of collecting seeds, nature's own surprises ;)

Sharon

Sharon, yup I know it's a cultivar but an F1 or F2 hybrid will not come true even from self pollination... so I was wondering it it was a lost cause. It's the only Gaillardia I have that has bloomed this year so hopefully it will be true.

Is it wrong to use double quotes for cultivar names? I have been using doubles all this time, am I wrong?

Botanically, yes, cultivar names are set in Âsingle quotes.
If you really want to get scientific, the name should also have the species name after the genus name as well, Gaillardia aristata 'Torchlight'. ;)

If it's the only Gaillardia species you have in the garden, you'll have a better chance of having the same special characteristics.

Sharon

Y'know, this is gonna sound really dumb but I haven't figured out what the special characteristics are. It's really nice but doesn't look much different from 'Goblin' (just one apostrophe! LOL). Unless they are taller... mine are very tall.