based on the type. Some types are small, growing only 6 to 12 inches tall and wide, while others can reach heights of 4 feet and 1 to 2 feet.
Characteristics:
There are many different flower shapes that zinnias can take, including stars, daisies, dahlias, spiders, buttons, domes, and quill-leaf cacti. There are also singles, semi-doubles, and doubles within those shapes.
Do zinnias return each year?
One of the simplest flowers to plant, zinnias grow quickly and provide a lot of blooms. Additionally, they will continue to bloom right up until the first fall hard frost. Consider trying zinnia flowers this year to add a huge splash of color to your yard.
About Zinnias
Since zinnias are annuals, they will only produce blooms and seeds for one season before dying. The original plant will not reappear the following year. They are excellent for use as a cutting flower or as food for butterflies since they have vivid, solitary, daisy-like flowerheads on a single, tall stem.
Types of Zinnias
Zinnia elegans, the most widely grown zinnia species, has been developed to produce a large number of distinctive variants.
Single, semidouble, or double zinnia blooms are the three most common varieties. The number of petal rows and whether or not the flower’s center is visible serve to distinguish between these forms:
- A single row of petals and the center are both visible on single-flowered zinnias.
- Petal rows abound on double-flowered zinnias, and their centers are hidden.
- Between the two are semidouble-flowered zinnias, which have several rows of petals but discernible cores.
In addition to these shapes, zinnia flowers also occur in “beehive,” “button,” and “cactus” forms. Additionally, the plants themselves come in various heights: taller types function best as a garden bed’s background, while shorter varieties are useful as a border. There is a zinnia for every garden, in fact!
In an annual or mixed border garden, plant zinnias. Smaller zinnias work well as window boxes, edging, or in other containers.
To have a lot of flowers all season long, choose a place that receives full sun (6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day). Additionally, later in the season, foliar diseases like powdery mildew can be avoided by planting in an area with sufficient air circulation.
Although zinnias can grow in a variety of soil types, they prefer organically rich, well-draining soil. The optimal pH range for soil is between 5.5 and 7.5. The blooms will grow more quickly if compost (humus) is added to the soil. Find out more about soil improvements and getting the soil ready for planting.
When to Plant Zinnias
- Because they dislike being transplanted, it is advised that you start your zinnia plants from seed directly in the garden bed. If the correct circumstances are present, they will develop quite quickly from seed.
- It should be noted that zinnias can be grown from seed inside if you like. Just make sure to transfer them gently and young.
- Because zinnias are delicate to frost, wait to plant them until after the last frost in your area. See the frost dates in your area.
- Zinnias can tolerate daily temperatures as low as 60F (16C), although a range of 7484F (2328C) is ideal.
- To prolong the flowering time, sow a new crop of seeds every week or so for a few weeks.
How to Plant Zinnias
- Depending on the kind, place plants 4 to 24 inches apart. (Many common kinds are planted 2 feet between rows and 6 inches apart within the row.) For information about each variety, consult the seed packet’s back.
- Plant zinnia seeds no deeper than 1/4 inch.
- The majority of zinnia cultivars will produce seedlings in just 4 to 7 days, but it may take up to two months or more for blooms to appear (depending on planting site and climate).
- To promote air circulation, thin seedlings when they are three inches tall, spacing them 6 to 18 inches apart. As a result, powdery mildew is less likely to grow.
- To promote development and blossoms, keep the soil’s moisture level moderate and apply a mild fertilizer.
- Deadhead zinnias once they have finished blooming to facilitate the development of new blossoms.
- Since zinnias are annuals, they will perish with the first fall hard cold. Let the final blooms of the season fully mature before dispersing their seeds if you want them to reseed.
Zinnias still not your thing? In your garden, try them out for the following six reasons:
- With cultivars from the Dreamland Series, you can have a full-sized flower on a little plant. These zinnias are compact and dwarf, with stems that are 812 inches tall and totally double flowerheads that can be up to 4 inches across with a variety of colors.
- The dwarf, spreading cultivars of the Thumbelina Series have weather-resistant, solitary or semi-double flowerheads in a variety of hues. Their stems can reach a length of 6 inches, and their petals are 1-1/4″ wide.
- One of the largest and tallest of them all, the State Fair Series has huge, double flowerheads that measure 3 inches in diameter. Stems can reach a height of 30 inches.
- Typically, it takes zinnias 60 to 70 days from seed to flower (though it depends on conditions and variety). They are fantastic in a bunch of flowers!
- The tiny, narrow-leafed zinnias are great for hanging baskets and also make lovely dried flowers.
- Zinnias are considered to represent memories of those who have passed away. Discover more about the significance of flowers here.
- Zinnias may be harmed by bacterial wilt, powdery mildew, and bacterial and fungal spots. To prevent illness, keep leaves from getting too damp and correctly space your plants.
- Problems can also be brought on by caterpillars, mealybugs, and spider mites. Spraying should be avoided unless there is a real infestation because some leaf damage is not a problem.
- Thanks to their resistance to deer, zinnias may be able to prevent surrounding flowers from being eaten.
Do zinnias grow in size?
I don’t know about you, but a zinnia was among the first flowers I ever raised from seeds.
I was amazed by how quickly the State Fair zinnia patch took off after buying it from a cheap ten-cent packet with the worst picture ever on it. The zinnias grew enormously and blossomed with ease over the heat, muggy summer, covering the garden and landscape in their vibrant, fiery hues.
There is unquestionably something about the vibrantly colored blooms that is simply breathtaking. They are a beautiful flower, and I’m glad we can regularly grow them wherever we live. And because they are so simple to grow, I believe we will continue to plant them every year.
The workhorse of most flower farms, zinnias produce season after season of limitless, plentiful bucketfuls of large, fluffy, bright blossoms with little effort. As I produce more flowers, I find that zinnias are my favorite variety to grow because of how well they perform both in the garden and when cut into arrangements.
Selecting your Variety
There are many different zinnia varieties available, seemingly for every need and circumstance.
There are large, enormous zinnias like the “Benary Giant” series, which have beautiful double stunning flowers in a wide range of colors and can measure around 3–4 inches across. They are almost like Gerbera daisies in appearance—fully double in most cases, with those same fluffy outer petals that resemble a tutu—making them the ideal zinnias for cutting and utilizing in arrangements.
However, there is also the “Queen” series. The “Queen” series is a lesson in subtlety as compared to the “Benary Giant” series’ vivid and striking hues. These zinnias are unlike the ones you see in home gardens and landscapes because they have a lovely tarnished, heirloom quality to them. They come in subdued dusty pink tones and pair beautifully with the delicate light green of viburnum and hydrangea petals. They also have excellent form, sometimes taking on an almost spherical, ideal shape.
If you prefer smaller blooms to the enormous ones, there are lesser varieties of zinnias available. The ‘Oklahoma’ line of zinnias, which come in all the hues of the zinnia rainbow, are particularly noteworthy. These miniature double flowers bloom profusely and abundantly, resembling tiny macarons on top of the stems.
Another option is the “Zinderella” series, which is distinguished by its puffy, scabiosa-flowered forms. Even though we rarely get the cupcake-shaped scabiosa flowering forms after growing these for several years (less than 5% of all the plants we grow have any sort of double nature, instead usually ending up as singles), they are still stunning with the pale light lavender of Zinderella lilac and pale peach of Zinderella peach, respectively, that add a certain elegance and lightness to any arrangement.
It’s interesting to note that the ‘Cresto’ series of zinnias are also purported to flower in the scabiosa form, purportedly at a greater rate of 75%. We’ll expand this year to determine whether or not it’s true.
The haageana group of zinnias are the last group. Although they are short and prolific, these zinnias are typically better suited for the front of the border or as bedding plants. However, if they are pinched firmly and given enough water and fertilizer to thrive, they may eventually produce flowers that are tall enough to be used in arrangements.
The ‘Jazzy’ mix, a warm-toned haageana group zinnia with lots of doubles and bicolors in little sizes that work well combining into bouquets and arrangements all season long, has captured my heart in particular.
Scheduling
Zinnias may bloom from seed to full bloom in around 75 days, which is very quick for such a lovely flower. They grow from seed incredibly quickly and readily, so you’ll get a plant that will develop soon and become rather enormous.
Zinnias are a typical example of a hot annual that thrives in the heat of July and August because they are native to Mexico. So they require heat to germinate when you start your zinnias. If you’re starting zinnias early in the season, you can use a heat mat; alternatively, when the ground is warm enough, you can direct-sow them (my favorite way of doing so).
I’ll really start early to make sure the “fancy zinnias”—the Benary Giants, the Queen series, and the Zinderella series—get a little bit of cooler weather when they’re first growing because it helps them develop the wonderful double flowering forms at a faster rate.
Seeding
Because they are so big, zinnia seeds are simple to handle. They are the perfect size for gripping between your thumb and forefinger and planting into the ground; they resemble sunflower seeds in size. They are one of the few plants that I direct sow, which is one of the reasons.
Remember that heat is necessary for the zinnia seeds to germinate, whether it comes from a heat mat, the sun’s rays, or the residual heat from the sun-warmed ground. You can surface plant zinnia seeds as long as you keep them moist and warm, but I prefer to cover mine with a small layer of mud or soil to keep them moist during the germination process.
Keep an eye on them and plant them out immediately if you are planting into trays or soil blocks. Zinnias can become root-bound because of their rapid growth and ability to outgrow tiny soil blocks or cells. We often transplant them out after they develop their first pair of genuine leaves, so you don’t want that to happen.
Growing Out
Since most of us don’t live in the Pacific Northwest near the beach, we can still produce wonderful zinnias as they can survive a very wide range of circumstances. The optimal climate for zinnias is around 70-80 F during the day and enough of moisture and air movement.
Once they start growing, zinnias take very little maintenance. They manage heat, sun, drought, and even rain reasonably well. They will develop into large, bushy plants that can occasionally reach 3′ broad and as tall as long as they have a reliable source of nutrients and water.
Given our generally dry location, we don’t use netting, but if your zinnias grow too tall and succulent, you might want to. Personally, we like to plant our zinnias just far enough apart to ensure that they sustain one another.
Harvesting
Because they are one of those flowers that bloom again after being cut, zinnias are definitely a fantastic flower for cutting. The plant will continue to produce flowers for you all season long as long as you keep cutting them.
It’s crucial to cut the first stem all the way to the plant’s base because it is the largest and most magnificent stem you will ever receive, sometimes measuring about half an inch thick.
In essence, the zinnia plant is being pinched in this way to encourage the growth of multiple side shoots. In spite of the fact that it may seem counterintuitive and be excruciating to do so, especially after waiting so long for the first flower to blossom, I tell you that it is crucial to do so in order to ensure that your zinnias continue to produce.
Avoid the error of leaving your zinnia plants’ blossoms on them for an excessively lengthy period of time. First of all, blooms that remain on the plant begin to deteriorate and make a patch of zinnias appear worn-out or obsolete. A zinnia will begin producing seed if you leave old flowers on it, which means that it will focus all of its energy on creating seeds rather than continuing to produce flowers for you to cut.
The optimal time to pick zinnias is when the outermost petals are open or nearly open but the interior coiled firmly. The stem test, which involves jiggling the zinnia back and forth while holding it by the stem, is the best way to find out. The zinnia is ready for harvesting if the stem is quite sturdy and the top of the flower doesn’t shift around too much. It’s not nearly time to harvest a zinnia if the stem flops back and forth, making the flower’s head flap around like a muppet.
Zinnias should be cut into cool, fresh water. The water must be extremely clean because zinnias are known for being “dirty flowers,” which quickly sully their water. The cleaner the water, the better. We are aware of numerous flower farmers who use zinnia chlorine tablets to keep their water sparkling and fresh.
Arranging
Because of their complementary colors and their disc-like form, which mimics the pattern and shape of other prominent flowers, zinnias make excellent supporting or secondary flowers.
Having said that, a Senora or a Benary Giant can be utilized as the focus flower on their own, depending on the size and style of your arrangement.
The larger zinnias, such as the Queen series or the Benary Giants, are typically used as the primary supporting flowers, and the smaller zinnias, such as Jazzy Mix, Oklahomas, and Zinderellas, are used as the secondary supporting flowers. It again serves to generate rhythm and pattern within an arrangement, which really helps to bring arrangements together and make them feel very cohesive, when comparable flowers of various scales and types are mixed together.
Fresh zinnias should be used in your bouquets. Although some people have claimed to preserve zinnias for up to seven days, we find that they often only endure for three to four days for us. To guarantee that florists receive the freshest zinnias possible, we often strive to cut them the night before delivery.
If you’ve been hesitant to grow zinnias because you believed they were too basic, only came in gaudy bright colors, or weren’t deserving of your attention, I hope this year will be the year that you give it a try. No other flower can genuinely provide you with as much beauty and production while being as simple to grow and happy to thrive in both humid and rich soil and drought-prone environments.
Check out our eBook series on growing cut flowers for profit and success if you’re interested in flower farming and want to learn how to cultivate zinnias and other flowers as a business.