Dewitt, Michigan Garden Club created this lovely landscape with seeds from Van Dyke Zinnias!
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What our customers
say about us....

"Can you hear us all the way from Tennessee
going on about what beautiful zinnias we have
this year?  I had  bought $100 worth of seeds
from your this year and gave some to my
mother-in-law for her birthday and some to
my mom for mother's day and keep the rest for
my self.  I will have to say my mother-in-law
has the best patch because she planted her's
in the first row of a established garden.  Some
of her's are monsters.  I have been satisfied
with my garden considered it is the first year
(we just built this house last year).  I will
continue to work on the soil this fall/winter.    
My favorite are the salmon / melon colored
ones. Next are the red spider zins.  Wow!  
They are so different.  I've had big ones and
little ones.  I definitely will have to buy
more seed of them next year along with the
green envy.  I probably won't have any seed
to save because everyone has been asking me
for them.  Well, I could talk all day about how
much we are enjoying them.  I can't imagine
having a whole farm of zinnias!


--Kathy from Vermont, 2004

 

Supreme Red Cactus Zinnia - a true favorite!


Van Dyke Zinnias Growing in China Gardens!

 

One of our customers is a trading company in China, supplier to one of the many flowering gardens on the Mainland.  Mr. Du has been a customer for about 3 years now.  At first, they purchased Sunflowers, as this was the theme of the garden's recreational site.  During 2003, they bought all the sunflowers grown at Redbud Farms.  Today, they are gradually introducing our many zinnia types for the enjoyment of the Chinese people and other visitors to the gardens.  We are very proud of our presence in that part of the world so far from our Midwest Michigan farm! 

 

-------Original Message-------

From: wrc
Date: 10/15/04 05:36:07
Subject: Fw: Fw: Fw: zinnias
Hi, Sharon R. Baller,
Pls refer to the pics of your flower in bloom in our gardon.
b. rgds
j. du
 
English gardener, Dr. David Percival, adores his zinnia pillows given to him by a friend for his birthday. 

Delaware, Ohio

Couple Grow Van

Dyke Zinnias for

Daughter's Wedding

 

Dear Ms. Baller:
 
We thought you would like to
see how your seeds seem to
love our cutting garden in
time for our daughter's
wedding in three weeks.
 
We have cut them and they
last several days in freshly
watered vases.
 
Very Truly Yours,
 
Frank and Martha 
Delaware, Ohio   
 
 
  

"Do all the good you can.

By all the means you can.

In all the ways you can.

In all the places you can.

At all the times you can.

To all the people you can.

As long as ever you can."
-- John Wesley

 

"The secret of life is this: 

When you hear the sound of

the cannons, walk toward them."

~~Marcel France

 

"As C.S. Lewis observed, courage is '

not simply one of the virtues, but the

form of every virtue at the testing point.'"

-- Fitzhenry, 1993

 

 

British Customer Takes

First Prize with His

Van Dyke Zinnias! 

 

We always wonder where the seeds will

go when we package them each season. 

I know they are grown in many places in

America and all over the world, but it's

really fun to hear the stories of where

they turned up and how they are enjoyed

by others, or in this case, honored with a

First Prize ribbon at an English Fruit,

Flower, Vegetable & Craft Show!  

 

David has grown our Zinnias for a couple

of years now, and we were delighted when

he wrote to tell us about his First Prize

Beauties!  All I can say is, "David, we

couldn't have done any better ourselves!"

 

Thanks for sending us the photo! 

He promises more; so stay tuned!

 

From Dr. Percival . . .

 

Dear Sharon,


Just a quick picture to show you

how well your Zinnias did in our

local flower show. They were

very much appreciated, and

admired by all!  Thank you very

much, will put together some

more pictures later.

 

I would be honored for you to

use the picture on the website!

Please let me know when you've

posted it so that I can check the

site. All my gardening friends will

be very envious!

David Percival, England

Sept. 2004

 

 

AGAIN, DR. PERCIVAL . . .

December 2004

Hi Sharon,

 

Thought you might like to see a
picture of a cushion which a good
friend of mine, who I give your flowers
to, made for my birthday present. 
As I'm sure you'll agree it is very
unique and much admired by everyone.
 
At least I can rest my head on it
during the long winter and be reminded
of the lovely zinnias!!
 
Hope the weather is not too cold and
regards to everyone on the farm.
 
Best wishes and seasons greetings!
 
David

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Spotlight's on Redbud Farms!

 

Take at good look at this red cactus zinnia because it's famous!  I hope you will forgive my exuberance, but we were very proud to learn that this Zinnia from Redbud Farms grows at Tufton Farm, run by the Monticello Foundation, associated with the great garden of Thomas Jefferson, one of my favorite American presidents.  Gip & I are still a million dollars shy of being a millionaire from our work at the Farm, but this kind of news is sometimes better than the actual sale itself.  Please see below!  Blessings be,  -Sharon

 

Customer E-Mail, September 2004: 

Subject: looking for just one zinnia

Hi -
On a visit to the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Monticello recently I saw one gorgeous red cactus-flowered zinnia. The folks there said they had gotten it from the Eudora Welty house. Susan, garden restoration consultant for the Eudora Welty house, tells me she got it from you. Looking at your website, I don't see any option for buying just one variety - is that possible. Without a name, I don't know if you would know which variety she had - or perhaps there's only one red cactus type in your collections. This was not a pinkish or orangey red, nor particularly dark, but really RED.   Thanks for your help.

 

The Thomas  Jefferson Center for Historic Plants is a separate site, called Tufton Farm, run by the Monticello foundation, but not open for public tours as Monticello is. It's the farm where the Monticello foundation gardeners maintain a collection of plants with historic significance, many from Jefferson's period but many from later on as well. There were no zinnias anything like that in Jefferson's day [big red cactus zinnia.]  The zinnias he know would have been the same ones I grow at Bartram's Garden, the historic site where I work here in Philadelphia - the little species zinnias [most probably the Bonita series or z.angustifolia.]  The Center has a web site through which they sell seeds - which are the ones sold in the Monticello gift shop.  Go to www.monticello.org to see the little species zinnias they sell, which are the ones actually planted in Thomas Jefferson's flower gardens at Monticello.