I read in another thread that some people are still struggling with this level, so I thought I'd post how I managed to get expert in this level - hope it helps!

Here is what I did..

As soon as the level starts, attack some bugs, attack some weeds and start digging the red rings. Try to clear the weeds nearest those rings first, to help the plants grow without drying out so fast.

As soon as you can, upgrade your weeder, shovel and bug spray all one time.

Plant the pink flower seeds that you get in the pink rings right next to the red ones. Then clear the weeds and rocks and plant the purple seeds as shown above. Use as many rings as you can. Buy 2-3 bunches of the CHEAP seeds to fill in the spaces between the rings to maximize harvests.

Total flowers planted for this level -

3 cheap purple flowers (2 in rings, 1 between them)
7 cheap pink flowers (2 in rings, the rest around those 2)
5 cheap red flowers ( 2 in rings, the rest surrounding them)

That's it! Don't buy any other flowers for this level.

Get ready for the bug waves and upgrade your bug sprayer as much as you can - at LEAST until you get the black can (level 6 or 7?). The black bug spray will kill the bigger bugs in fewer sprays, which really helps.

I upgraded my watering can right after the first bug wave to level 3 and did NOT buy any rainstorms. If you keep your plants to a minimum, you won't need more than a level 3 watering can and you won't need any rainstorms.

By the halfway mark, I had a level 5 weeder, 2 shovels, level 6 (or 7? the black can) bug spray and a level 3 watering can. Don't start building the statues until you've gotten those things.

Dig all the stones for extra mana but don't plant extra plants now. Just focus on harvesting them in large groups as quickly as possible and attacking all of the weeds and bugs.

You'll get plenty of bug waves to give you lots of mana and if you're quick, you should be able to make the expert score with a little time to spare!

Good luck!

hmmmmmm....ok i'll try that....thanks! however according to Jen you need at least 20 roses but i am not doubting you...different strategies work for different people

I copied the wrong level.. that's the walkthrough for 5-10, lol. Definitely won't work for 5-9.

Here's what I did for 5-9, sorry!

There are several different ways to finish this level - but the only thing that worked for me was to focus on roses. Lots and lots and lots of roses.

When you start the level, you'll see a few plants, LOTS of weeds and a bug wandering around here or there.

In the image below, I've circled the plants that you need to save from dying. You have 3 watercans and if you're quick, you can save them all.

While you're frantically watering those plants, get rid of the weeds down by the red tomatoes first, then the ones by the pink rose and blue cactus up at the top.

As soon as you can afford it, buy 1 wheelbarrow and move one red tomato so its in between the other 2, creating a chain of three rings.

Keep watering, weeding, digging rocks and tending to the bugs quickly. When you can, upgrade the weeder and sprayer.

Buy 2 wheelbarrows and move the blue cactus over to the blue ring left from the cabbage that you saved down by the red rings. Move the pink rose next to the blue cactus, just to keep all the plants close together at first. (This will help fend off the bugs!)

By this time, you will probably have enough mana for a set of roses. Get them and plant them, but make sure you leave room between the reds and yellows to plant lots more of them! It's really important to keep all the colors together to get the biggest bonuses at harvest.

Get as many roses planted as possible before the waves of bugs start.

Get ready for two waves of bugs. When the clouds appear, make sure you have 5 sprays and a rainstorm or two (they're only 250 for this level!).

When the bugs appear, focus on saving your flowers! Only spray the bugs that are ON the flowers, so that you won't have your sprayers busy elsewhere if your plants are being attacked.

Hit the weeds as you can and keep those flowers watered.

The second wave will come immediately after the first, so don't let your guard down!

Now that those are done - focus on planting roses.. as many as you can! Upgrade your shovel so you can dig holes faster, keep at the weeds and use rainstorms to water.

When you buy new roses, if you wait to plant them until right after you harvest the existing flowers, they will bloom more closely together, so you can get the better bonuses. Keep watering often as it will help them bloom faster as well.

As you see in the top image, the only plants I had were roses and the 2 plants I saved from the beginning of the level. I was able to get expert with only seconds to spare and after the "Timer almost out!" warning.. so it definitely is tricky!

Good luck~

Heather, that's not the same level that you're talking about. Thanks for trying to help. Level 5-9 is the one where you have to plant so many roses and by the time I get them all planted the time runs out. I've tried your method and Jen's and can't get expert.

yea i followed your walkthru on quite a few of the levels on GC and even tried Jen's strategy....just not in the same league as you ultimate gamers lol....i really admire your high scores...i got expert on all but 5-9 but can't come close to your high scores, thanks for offering help...ill get it eventually....any tips or hints for the challenge games?

Don't feel like the lone ranger feisty's mom, i still haven't beaten it either after trying both strategies....only level i have left to get expert on so i WILL get it one of these days....trying the challenge levels right now but can't get past level 10 on any yet

I'm glad to know that it's not just me, Andie. I think I need a break for awhile tho. If I don't, I'll go batty and I may not be far from it now. lol

yea i totally understand, but everytime i say that i find myself going back for more torture lol...by the way....what's your first name so i don't have to keep calling you by your username...i will be taking a break this weekend, going out of town to visit my mom for mother's day....hope if you're a mom you have a wonderful mother's day as well....oh yea, i have been trying the challenge levels, finally got past level 10 on them, made it to 13 on a couple and 19 on one and i think 16 on one...only have one more hidden flower to find!

I can't even reach starter level and recreate both statues. I've been trying for three days and I'm ready to turn it in. At the moment I hate Playfirst and I'm never going to buy any game of theirs ever again! Lol

Sorry! I can't see an image either, so your walkthrough doesn't really help.
I recognise the two flowers at the top. Do I try to save the cabbages and both tomatoes as well as the two from the top?
Thanks.