Bushy stems carry flower after flower in red, yellow, orange and pink, some so full they could pass for dahlias. Native to Mexico, zinnia (Zinnia elegans) is an annual for beds, boxes and pots that butterflies love; give it the warmest, sunniest spot and it blooms from summer into early autumn.
| Name | Zinnia elegans |
|---|---|
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Type | annual |
| Height | 12-28 inches (30-70 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | rich, well drained |
| Flowering | summer → early fall |
Favored for its many colors, it is great for flower beds, garden boxes and pots.
Whether in a flower bed in your garden or to decorate a pot or garden box, zinnia is to be sown in spring, actually starting indoors if the climate is too cold to start it.
The zinnia flower fears the cold and must be sown in a sheltered place if temperatures don’t yet exceed 65°F (18°C).
It’s perfectly possible for you to collect Zinnia seeds from wilted flowers and store them over the winter in a paper envelope kept away from moisture. That way you can sow them in the following year.
After having prepared your seedlings in nursery pots, or if ever you’ve purchased ready-grown zinnia plants in a horticulture store, wait for late spring before transplanting them to the ground.
Zinnia can be started under cover, sown straight into the ground or set out as young plants. The date and the temperature are what separate the three.
| Method | When | Conditions | Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing under cover | early spring | Greenhouse at least 60°F (15°C) | — |
| Direct sowing in the ground | From late spring | Outdoor soil | — |
| Transferring your own seedlings | From late spring | Sheltered start if below 65°F (18°C) | 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) |
| Planting ready-grown plants | late spring | Warmest, sunniest spot | 8 to 12 inches (20 to 40 cm) |
Whichever route you take, zinnia fears the cold and should never go out before the weather has properly warmed.
Zinnia is very easy to care for, but a few rules are applicable to maximize its beautiful blooming.
Zinnia will die if it freezes and must be pulled out and thrown to the compost after the first frost spells.
Before that, though, shake the seeds off the plants to let them fall to the ground, and cover them with a layer of dead leaves. It’s more than probable that they’ll self-sow every year.
Zinnias range from knee-high bedding types to tall cutting varieties with dahlia-like heads. The table below sets out the ones most often found on British and American seed racks, by flower form, colour and height band.
| Variety | Flower form | Colour | Height band | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uproar Rose | Large double | Vivid rose-pink | Tall | Beds, long-stemmed cutting |
| Zowie! Yellow Flame | Semi-double bicolour | Scarlet with yellow tips | Medium | Beds, butterfly planting |
| Queeny Lime Orange | Fully double, dahlia-flowered | Lime ageing to coral-peach | Medium | Cutting, florist’s work |
| Purple Prince | Double, dahlia-flowered | Deep rose-purple | Tall | Borders, cutting |
| Zinderella Peach | Crested, scabious-like | Peach with rose centre | Medium | Cutting, cottage planting |
| Cut and Come Again | Semi-double to double | Mixed | Medium to tall | Repeat cutting |
| Giant Cactus Flowered | Quilled, cactus-type petals | Mixed | Tall | Cutting, informal borders |
| State Fair | Very large double | Mixed bright shades | Tall | Borders, cutting |
| Polar Bear | Large double | Pure white | Tall | White schemes, cutting |
| Benary’s Giant | Fully double, dahlia-flowered | Wide range, sold singly or mixed | Tall | Cut flowers, back of border |
| Oklahoma Series | Small double to semi-double | Salmon, pink, scarlet, white, mix | Medium to tall | Bunching and cutting |
| Envy | Semi-double | Chartreuse green | Medium | Arrangements, foliage contrast |
| Lilliput | Small pompon, button-like | Mixed | Medium | Borders, small posies |
| Magellan Series | Large fully double | Broad colour range | Dwarf to medium | Bedding, large containers |
| Dreamland Series | Fully double, uniform | Single colours or mix | Dwarf | Bedding, pots and boxes |
| Thumbelina | Small semi-double to double | Mixed | Dwarf | Edging, window boxes |
Learn more about zinnia
Native to Mexico, Zinnia is an annual flower that comes in a host of colors ranging from red to yellow and orange and pink.
It grows quite bushy and is perfect for flower beds. It will decorate your edges and beds just as well as it will enhance your garden boxes, pot arrangements and containers.
There are a great many varieties, some tall, some dwarfish, and the most common one is Zinnia elegans.
Hybrids will also come in many colors and sizes, you can mix them all together in a flower bed and the result will look astounding. The first few flowers look shy, but it quickly grows lush and bushy with many blooms.
Cut wilting flowers off as they die off, and you’ll always have the zinnia on its best for show!
