First, thanks for sharing the pictures - lovely looking flowers!
SummerStorm93 said:Anti beetle: according to a J C Raulston Arboretum guy (don't recall his name, unfortunately) four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) are poisonous to Japanese beetles. So, I planted a boat-load of those from seed.
I actually already have some Mirabilis jalapa seed, so hearing this is a bit of serendipity. I will certainly give it a try. The nibblings on the fern-like leaves of the marigolds isn't as noticeable as say the leaves of a dahlia - which is part of why I was happy to see the japanese beetles on the marigolds. I did pick them off, but used a boot rather than water.
I think that the lower success rate is based on the plant being distinctly different enough to warrant it's own name. Given the immense size of the list of cultivars, one would have to be very knowledgeable to avoid creating near duplicates of another cultivar. Given how quickly dahlia varieties disappear, I suspect that there is a great deal of recreating the wheel....
