Do you know why the transplants died?

I did that to a lot of mine because I didn't harden off the first group. The second group I didn't fertilize the week before and I didn't have them in jiffy pots so I was trying to break apart clumps of plants with intermingled roots. The transplant shock was really bad. But I'll know better next time.

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I recently married and got a new yard! Yay me! uh huh, right. We have 26 pine trees on a corner lot, approx 1 1/2 acres. That's aLOT of pine needles. I raked and raked and raked, finally tilled in some flower beds, planted hundreds of thousands of Zinnia seeds. Everyone can grow Zinnias, right? Must have gotten a terrible batch of seeds. I have exactly 6 plants. They're blooming. They're pretty...but they are lonely. I also ordered some bulbs from a company online, spent way too much money! When the plants and bulbs arrived they were mildewed, broken and fried. I attribute that to the postal system. Only about 10 of the bulbs (out of the 500 or so I bought) are living. I am not impressed. In my excitement upon their arrival I neglected to save the "original packing label" and can not get my $ back, orrrrr get replacement plants. A word to the wise...save those darn packing labels! Thankfully, my mother-in-law is an avid gardener, and has supplied me with her "extras" and I have wound up with several beds FULL of pretty plants and flowers. I have learned patience, tolerance, and the value of saving packing labels...lol. Oh yeah...and to NEVER mail order plants! The company I used was a reputable dealer, and you probably have their catalog on a table by your favorite chair! Buyer BEWARE!!