Zinnias

Zinnias are one of those annuals that offer something for everyone. If you love bright colors, or large flowers, or tall plants, there's a zinnia for you. If you are a pastel person, like simpler flowers, and want something small for a container, there's a zinnia out there with your name on it, too.

Zinnias come in almost every color of the rainbow, including everything from pure white to brown and bright green. There are three general forms to the zinnia blossoms themselves: single, double, and cactus flowered. Singles are reminiscent of daisies, while doubles offer nice sized pompoms of color. Cactus flowered zinnias have petals that roll under themselves, giving them a kind of spiky look. Zinnias range in heights of six inches all the way up to three feet, and generally have a spread of twelve inches. The foliage is nondescript, and is prone to powdery mildew. I recommend planting zinnias where their stems and foliage can be disguised by other plants. For example, last year I planted a bed with zinnias at the back, salvia and marigolds in the middle, and petunias flooding across the front. This arrangement gave me the best of all the flowers, since I wasn't looking at very many stems at all.

Zinnias prefer full sun and average, well drained soil. As noted above, they are prone to powdery mildew, but this can be avoided by not watering from above. Use soaker hoses or water the soil around the plants rather than sprinkling the plants. To keep them blooming, deadhead the flowers after they are past their prime. Save these! After a while, the petals will fall off, leaving you with tons of zinnia seeds for next year. I just stuffed all of mine in a brown lunch bag in the refrigerator, and then several weeks later I separated the seed from the chaff. I have more than enough seeds for this year. Fertilizing every two weeks with a diluted fish emulsion will keep your zinnias (and most other annuals, for that matter) growing happily.

Zinnias are very easy to start from seed, whether you start them indoors in late winter or direct sow them after all danger of frost has passed. I've done it both ways, and honestly haven't seen much difference in which blooms sooner. If you are planting a large area, I'd recommend just waiting and direct sowing them. If you need zinnias for a container or small area, start a few plants inside.

New Introductions:

Zowie Yellow Flame: tall, bushy plant with three to four inch blooms with orange-magenta centers and yellow tips. All American Winner 2006. Available from Stokes Seeds, Territorial Seed Company and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Zowie Zinnia: Three to five inch blooms with scarlet and yellow petals. Flowers all summer atop two to three foot tall plants. All American Winner 2006. Available from Burpee Seeds.

Peppermint Stick: Red, cream, yellow, or orange zinnias with speckled petals. Double blooms on 24 to 28 inch plants. Available from Stokes Seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Profusion Apricot: A new addition to the All American winning Profusion Series. These are small, 12" plants that are loaded with scores of single blooms all summer long. They are self-cleaning, so these are very low maintenance plants. Perfect for containers. Available from Stokes Seeds, Territorial Seed Company and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Profusion Fire: See above. Bright red version of this AAS winner. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, Stokes Seeds. ITGO