One of the few gateway flowers that started me down the path of cultivating cut flowers was the zinnia. You would be aware that when I first started producing veggies, I exclusively grew flowers for companion planting if you had read any of my previous writings. If you haven’t been following my previous blog postings (and who wouldn’t? ), I’ll explain. Here is a brief summary:
I had made an effort to focus on cultivating flowers that would assist my veggies in some way, whether it be medicinal, gastronomic, or through partner planting (if you want to know my top five flowers to grow in your vegetable garden read my blog here). (I know, it’s like you don’t even know me!) Fresh flowers weren’t a top concern. With the exception of their potential usefulness to pollinators, zinnias weren’t really on the list. Since I’ve always adored the zinnias in my in-garden, law’s I couldn’t help but buy that Burpee packet of zinnias.
Let me also tell you. I bought that zinnia seed packet really late in July. Do you recognize the bravery in that? possibly the idiocy. When someone informed me it was too late, I assumed they were probably correct, but what could it hurt for a few dollars? I had a lucky year. It also gave me the impression that cultivating zinnias would be simple going forward. They ought to be simple. They grow quickly, can be planted directly, and aren’t as voracious as some other flowers. Yes, it’s simple. they were in their first year! Man, I picked those folks up till November of that particular year. That small arrangement of salvia, marigolds, zinnias, and snippets of calendula inspired me.
Yes, I’ll demonstrate that configuration once more. I received a fistful of flowers in a vase from my sister-in-law who had delivered flowers for my birthday a few months earlier. She gave me some flowers and a straightforward hourglass vase, which I treasured. Her gift had changed that frigid November night into something different. My life changed and became something new. It was those zinnias.
It’s crazy! It always astounds me how much the flowers and I have changed when I go down memory lane with the flowers.
Even though I adored zinnias that year, I had grown to dislike them over the previous few years. True, it’s crazy! Who could be against simple-to-grow, prolific flowers? Me. The three flowers cosmos, sunflowers, and zinnias are listed as the basic package for a flower farmer when you search “start flower farming” on Google. Foolproof. Not earwig and frost proof, that is.
We have seen early and then late frosts during the past few years. Even when planting zinnias outside while according to the Carson Valley golden rule for tomatoes (for those unfamiliar with our local regulations, plant after Carson Valley days). My poor zinnias were still stunted, purple, or blackened by it. The earwigs chewed, nibbled, and eventually scarfed down the ones that did live. The earwigs proceeded to eat their petals after the sad few that passed that test. I obviously didn’t have as many zinnias as I had hoped.
I was annoyed. Heartbroken. I was prepared to give up on the zinnias, but Graham persisted in reassuring me that they would be worthwhile with a little perseverance and good fortune.
I have lovely zinnias this year! It was the magnificent queen lime series, not just ordinary zinnias. I can only grow so many different kinds because to my restricted space, so I just grow what I enjoy (and I hope you do too!). Some cultivators adore the queen lime varieties, while others don’t. It’s me, camp love. Each flower is unique and has lovely coloration that occasionally even seems vintage! Additionally, I can never have enough flowers that serve as a unifying element in my design work. These “bridge” colors provide a pleasing flow and bridge the gap between other hues that would otherwise be glaring. I have to admit that this year, “Queen Lime Orange,” with her sherbet-colored designs, has definitely won my heart.
Enough with the philosophical ramblings. Talk about zinnias now. Like the majority of our favorite heat-loving flowers, zinnias are native to Mexico. This explains why they dislike frosts but thrive in our summer heat. The Aztecs raised zinnia plants. Not shocking. The Aztecs were masters at cultivating and raising a wide variety of favored crops (like amaranth and tomatillos). Eventually, zinnias were introduced to Europe, where they received the name we now use for them—Professor Zinn, a botanist.
So how do you raise these gorgeous plants? This section is really simple. Prior to the last frost in your area (about four weeks), you can start them indoors. You can direct seed them in the garden after the last frost. Sow new seeds every four weeks for a constant summer crop. Pro tip: don’t let them get root bound if you want those fluffy double zinnias instead of those nasty singles! Is the weather not permitting you to plant outside? Boost them. It will be rewarding.
Zinnias enjoy direct sunlight because they enjoy the heat! Plant in well-draining soil and use drip irrigation for optimal results. Powdery mildew and rust are only a couple of the diseases that can be brought on by overhead spraying. Ick. Beware of my enemies, the earwigs, and ravenous caterpillars! They will chomp those delicate seedlings to the ground, especially. Just seed again if they are indeed devoured! What do you have to lose? You will win in the end! Read my Nitty Gritty blogs on Battling Earwigs and Natural Pest Control Part I and Part II to discover how to get rid of different pests organically.
Zinnia harvesting can be a little challenging. Harvest early in the morning, and do the “wiggle test,” to prevent them from falling limp on you one hour after harvest.
This wiggling test is what? A rain dance of some sort? Not exactly. When doing the wiggle test, carefully grab the zinnia about midway down the stem and shake it back and forth. The zinnia is not ripe for harvest if the neck flops. Harvest the zinnia if its neck is rigid. When zinnias are harvested too early, the outcome is limp, lifeless blossoms. Be patient, then!
Another picky flower that doesn’t like using store-bought flower food is the zinnia. They are also regarded as “dirty flowers” since their hairy stems quickly make the water smelly, thus placing them in plain water isn’t the best option. The amount of germs can be reduced by adding a tablet of CVBN or a splash of bleach to the container. You may also prepare your own flower food at home by using this recipe, which I prefer.
Zinnias should last around five days in a vase with adequate care. The wonderful thing about zinnias is that they bloom more the more you cut them! Therefore, be sure to routinely deadhead or trim away. Don’t be afraid to cut deeply from the plant for the optimum stem lengths during the entire growing season. You will acquire more useful stems the deeper the incision. Your forearm’s length approximately constitutes a nice length. I know, it sounds scary. Try it; you won’t regret it!
Although zinnias are lovely, I wouldn’t suggest using them for boutonnieres or corsages. Use the unopened bud or insert a damp cotton ball into their hollow stem if you must have them. These guys hate being left without water!
I hope you incorporate a few of these lovely blossoms into your cutting garden now that summer is just around the corner!
The Lowdown:
Seeds can be directly sown after the last frost or started 4 weeks beforehand; germination takes 3–7 days. To improve the yield of fluffy doubles, avoid letting the plants get root-bound.
Every three to four weeks, we sow a succession; we try for a minimum of two, and three if we can.
Extremely sensitive to frost; if your region frequently experiences late frosts (like ours! ), plant beneath a double row cover or at the very least, frost cloth. In our region, we start planting in early May.
Plant Spacing: 6–9 (we suggest 8); take note that disease may spread more readily the closer the spacing.
It is possible for seemingly healthy zinnias to be picked and turn to mush within 24 hours due to a certain bacteria. A CVBN pill might be useful. Holding zinnias for at least 24 hours after harvest will help to prevent zinnia meltdown.
Pests include grasshoppers, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, earwigs, blister beetles, aphids, mites, and spider mites. be vulnerable to harmful nematodes.
Storage: Does not keep well in a refrigerator below 45 degrees F. (like most warm loving flowers). Maximum storage time is 5 days; we personally never keep anything more than 2 days.
Our must-have varieties include the Queen Lime series (all of them! Red, orange, blotchy, and lime). (Especially ivory and salmon, love!) Oklahoma series Persian carpet and Aztec burgundy are the cutest small button filler flowers.
Harvest: Do the wiggle test and pick early in the morning if possible! Avoid using commercial flower food and choose CVBN tablets instead.
What is the vase life of zinnias?
Zinnia seeds can still be planted now for late summer color that will endure until the first frost. Additionally, they produce stunning cut flowers with a lengthy vase life.
Even the most inexperienced gardener should grow zinnias because they are one of the tried-and-true garden flowers. My first memories of gardening are when I first encountered zinnias. The bush beans and tomatoes set aside for zinnias were a constant source of conflict. My favorite annual flower is still the zinnia, and they now have a prime location next to my back deck where I can enjoy them in the warm weather.
Growing zinnias is simple; they prefer full sunlight and well-drained soil. They may be planted directly in the garden or transferred. Plant them in a peat pot that can be placed directly into the garden or planting bed if you decide to have a head start and want to transplant so as to avoid disturbing the roots.
There are many different types of zinnias. They come in sizes ranging from 6 inches to nearly 4 feet, from dwarf to enormous. The flower heads are available in many different forms, including single and double flowers, spidery shapes, and domes.
The amazing variety of hues is the best feature. The palest pastel hues to the brightest hues are all available in zinnias. They come in solid, multicolored, striped, and specked patterns.
Dead heading zinnias is advised by Michigan State University Extension to ensure flowering from early summer through frost. Zinnias are encouraged to continue performing by dead heading throughout the season. But because zinnias fatigue, I advise putting them in succession every two weeks. I intend to plant in succession beginning in late May and continuing until the first week of July, roughly. This ensures spectacular blooms through the end of September. It’s not too late to plant some zinnia seeds for color that will persist through the first frost in the late summer.
In addition to their amazing garden display, zinnias make fantastic cut flowers and may be used anywhere you need a splash of color. Many zinnia cultivars can stay in a vase for seven to twelve days. The mainstay of the farmer’s market is zinnias as well. Flower farmers would tell that zinnias are one of the most profitable flowers to grow due to their vibrant colors, ease of maintenance, and extended vase life.
The zinnia variants “Benary’s Giant” and “Cut and Come Again” are two of my favorites. Their surnames are biographical. On tall stems that stand between 40 and 52 inches in height, “Benary’s Giant” has huge blooms and dazzling flowers. Cutting the stem just above a bud junction will encourage “Cut and Come Again” to produce continuously throughout the growing season, as will all zinnias.
After being cut, how do you keep zinnias fresh?
Don’t just snip zinnias for bouquets; take your time. The lifespan of the zinnia vase can be greatly increased by correctly cutting the stems. The Old Farmer’s Almanac advises going outside to cut your zinnias early in the morning or later in the evening. You want to avoid the midday sun. Additionally, keep an eye out for blossoms that have begun to open but are still closed, since these will stay longer.
Use pointed pruners or shears to guarantee a clean cut while trimming the zinnias. Chicago Botanic Garden advises cutting the stems at a little slant immediately above a bud junction. When arranging your flowers, leave as much length as you can so that you can trim it to a vase length afterwards. Make sure to remove all of the stem’s leaves, excluding those closest to the flower. To keep the zinnia cut flowers hydrated, place them in a jar with lukewarm water as you work.
To avoid sap loss once inside, recut the stems under water and then scald them. To achieve this, place the stems over a candle flame or into a pot of boiling water for 20 seconds. To encourage hydration, leave the chopped zinnias in a jar of lukewarm water for several hours or even overnight. The process will be aided by placing the container in a cold, dark environment.
Are zinnias OK for cutting?
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.