In the last thirty years nearly all the tall romantic flowers we associate with cottage gardening have been replaced in our nurseries by dwarf, early flowering bedding plants with enlarged flowers.
F1 hybrid petunias, pansies, marigolds and impatiens with enlarged flowers on dwarf plants replace tall hollyhocks, lupins, delphiniums and poppies, thereby satisfying the impulse for instant gratification at the expense of subtle plants with later blooming and sustained floral harmonies
In the process these open pollinated flowers which we all owned and could collect have been replaced by hybrids owned by multinational seed companies. F1 hybrids are created from specially selected secret parent plants and will not reproduce uniformly from collected seed, thereby forcing us back to the seed company each year. Consequently the price of seed increases dramatically and those companies not only are more profitable, but they surreptitiously transfer ownership from us and hundreds of people who have selected and continually improved the plants, into corporate ownership.
Today it is not only flower seeds, but also plants propagated by cuttings, that are controlled by multinationals and protected by Plant Breeders Rights (PBR). The GE company, Syngenta, a partner in GE crops with Monsanto, is a major force in hybrid flower seeds and PBR plants which effectively disenfranchises gardeners like you and me. Fortunately, herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs do not propagate quickly enough to suit their profit goals, so we can collect seeds, divide, or take cuttings without engaging in criminal activity.