Zinnias appeal to pollinators. They are an excellent source of food for pollinators and bloom from May through October on average here in the Oklahoma garden. Many bees and butterflies that work hard in the garden producing food for humans are drawn to zinnias. Our garden is much more fruitful as a result.
Since they self-seed each year, zinnias are a need in the garden. The seed heads renew on their own after falling. I love that I can save money this way!
In any weather, zinnas are resilient. They can withstand both mild frost and intense heat. I merely fail to see a drawback to them.
Zinnias are a need in the garden because they provide an unparalleled explosion of color. Considering how little effort is required to maintain them, they are a genuine workhorse.
Which vegetables are zinnia’s beneficiaries?
Garden of vegetables Planting zinnias alongside vegetable crops like tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, beans, etc. has several advantages. For example, zinnias can stop worms and pest beetles from damaging crops like tomatoes. Numerous zinnias are known to draw aggressive wasps that hunt tomato and tobacco worms.
Do zinnias work well in veggie gardens?
I am certain that zinnias are good for vegetable gardens after many years of gardening. Zinnia flowers are beloved by many pollinators. It is simple to raise zinnias. They are a vibrant choice to plant alongside vegetables, enhancing the garden’s aesthetic appeal. More pollinators will likely stop by your vegetable flowers as they visit the zinnias more frequently.
Benefits of Planting Zinnias with Vegetables
Most gardeners understand how it feels to have so many plants and so little room (or time!). Recently, I learned that growing zinnias alongside vegetables in the garden has a number of advantages.
Here are some of my favorite arguments for why you ought to plant zinnias in veggie gardens as well:
- Zinnias are fantastic pollinators that zinnias attract to the garden! You almost certainly will witness something buzzing, from bees to butterflies and beyond! You might find these garden companions amusing, but I bet your vegetable garden plants will adore them even more!
- Lovely Pop of Color
- The garden is enhanced in many ways by the stunning zinnia flower hues. Zinnias make excellent vegetable plant companions, just like marigolds do.
- Vegetable plants to go to seed covertly
- A border of vibrant zinnias can serve as a visual diversion if your lettuce, cucumber, or other vegetable plants have gone to seed and are producing seeds for the following year’s crop.
- Potential of Trap Crop
- I had not realize that zinnias make an excellent Japanese beetle trap crop. The bugs definitely took a toll on my green beans in my pole bean teepee, but I could tell they also succeeded in luring quite a few of them away.
- Without shading, tall
- While still allowing light to reach your vegetables and other plants, zinnias can provide some wonderful height to your gardens. Zinnias are an adaptable option for the garden because of their capacity to grow tall without obstructing other plants.
According to some gardeners, zinnias are an effective natural insect deterrent in the yard. I haven’t personally encountered this yet, and I can’t locate a reliable site with conclusive information.
For the time being, I’ll note that your results may vary. Please share any personal experiences in the comments section below.
Why are zinnias planted by farmers?
Zinnias that are nectar-rich are excellent pollinators and will draw bees throughout their growing season, which is from May to October. They also draw wasps, hummingbirds, ladybugs, and Japanese beetles. In a garden, zinnias can be planted anyplace. Since Japanese beetles adore beans, planting zinnias around them will keep the beetles away from your beans and prevent an infestation.
Growing zinnias in your garden is a need if you prefer fresh cut flowers. When zinnias are trimmed properly and placed in a vase, they can last for days or even weeks. Zinnias’ rich hues add warmth to any room in the house.
For gardeners searching for a minimal maintenance flower, zinnias make a wonderful addition to any flower bed. Because they only live for one season, zinnias are simple to grow and you may save their seeds for further plantings and growing cycles.
Zinnias aid tomatoes in any way?
Zinnias are fantastic for having fresh cut flowers all year long and make an excellent border plant for gardens. But they can also aid in preventing several common garden pests from harming your tomato plants.
Should I surround my veggie garden with flowers?
Nearly every aspect of American life has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including how we see food.
The victory garden and its indoor twin, the victory sill, have both been brought back by fears of scarcity. People who had never thought about raising their own fruits and vegetables are now taking care of their first gardens and discovering that it’s not as easy as it seems. Did you know, for instance, that it’s ideal to put flowers alongside your vegetables?
According to Good Housekeeping, experienced gardeners employ the simple technique of companion planting, or growing bee-friendly flowers and vegetables together, to increase harvests and maintain the health of their crops.
Your vegetable garden will attract native bees and other beneficial insects if you grow flowers in it. These beneficial insects aid in the distribution of pollen, which promotes the growth, reproduction, and food production of your vegetable plants.
Maggie Saska, a plant production specialist at the Rodale Institute organic farm, gave Good Housekeeping some advice on how to execute successful companion planting.
Choose flowers first that will blossom at the same time as your vegetable harvests. Make sure the timings on your seed packs line up. Additionally, you should pay attention to the type of flowers you plant. The greatest flowers for drawing pollinators are those with composite shapes, such as purple coneflowers, zinnias, cosmos, daisies, and sunflowers.
You can also look at the Xerces Society’s guide of pollinator-friendly plants, which is broken down by region. It provides details about height, blooming period, and irrigation requirements.
Why are zinnias suitable as companion plants?
Please note that some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you click an affiliate link and buy something. I make money from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. —
The sunflower tribe includes the genus of plants known as zinnias. It is grown all the way down to South America and is highly well-liked there. In other regions of Mexico, the zinnia is also highly varied.
The plant’s long-stemmed, distant-growing blossoms are possibly its most well-known feature. There are many various colors that are available for them. The plant bears Johann Zinn’s name, a well-known botanist.
The zinnia is frequently recognized as the summer garden flower that works the hardest. You should choose plants for your garden that have three major characteristics during the summer.
Your plants should be drought- and heat-tolerant and have vibrant colors. Additionally, you’ll want to reduce the amount of work necessary to develop the plant because many people have major maintenance concerns.
The zinnia enjoys working exceedingly quickly. One of the simplest flowers to grow is this one. Before you begin to grow it, you don’t even need to worry about preparing the soil all that much.
But the zinnia prefers a little bit of well-drained soil to flourish in. It can thrive anywhere that receives a sufficient amount of heat. However, you don’t need to be concerned about your garden’s zinnia growing by itself.
The zinnia can be grown with many different kinds of plants. Here are just a few examples of the numerous plants you can grow alongside zinnias.
Can zinnias keep bugs away?
In addition to adding color to your fall garden, flowers help protect your food from pests. Here are a few flowers you might want to put beside each other.
Marigolds are well-known for keeping insects away. They work well at preventing beetles from damaging produce. Nematodes from tomato and eggplant worms are also deterred by marigolds.
Family of Cabbage plants (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) This flower has the power to deter squash bugs, cutworms, and cabbage worms. Tansy can also help fend off ants if they are still present in the fall.
In a fall garden, zinnias aid in luring predatory bugs that consume damaging pests. To draw ladybugs, which devour many of the insects that damage cauliflower, plant zinnias close to cauliflower.
Bright, cherry-colored Nasturtium blooms have a purpose. Aphids, bugs, and beetles can all be repelled by them.
Can you grow peppers and zinnias together?
Gardening with zinnias Typically, seeds germinate quickly and reliably, but to thrive, seedlings require lots of light. My zinnia seedlings are grown alongside tomato and pepper seedlings since they both prefer warm temperatures and bright light.
What kinds of flowers shield tomato plants?
Marigolds, a floral plant belonging to the daisy family, are frequently found with tomatoes. The marigold is said to help tomatoes escape pests, according to a long-standing legend among gardeners. It’s not just lore, according to recent research.
Marigolds were put to the test by Newcastle University researchers to see exactly what kinds of gaseous compounds the plants produced. The most notable of these substances was limonene, which is also a significant part of the oil found in citrus peels.
They found that marigold pots do, in fact, prevent whiteflies, microscopic insects that are typically located on the underside of plant leaves, in a few greenhouse studies. Whiteflies are a major pest of ornamental plants and fruits and vegetables, however when marigolds grow close, the whiteflies’ population is considerably reduced.
That first trial, however, is only relevant to preventative actions. What if you already have a whitefly infestation? Is it okay if I place a marigold plant in a planter next to my tomato plant?
Adding a “emergency marigold had only a small effect,” according to results of another experiment that was also included in the same journal. However, the researchers also developed a limonene dispenser that spewed out lovely lemony limonene and functioned almost like an air freshener. Even when whitefly populations have been allowed to accumulate, that dispenser has proven to be far more effective at reducing them.
Aside from looking attractive, employing another plant as a pest repellant is a much better alternative than applying a pesticide, which kills both useful and dangerous insects, the researchers say. If you can, put marigolds alongside your tomatoes.
What makes zinnias so well-liked?
It’s hot outside, so gardening in the summer calls for plants that are minimal care, drought and heat tolerant, and have vibrant colors.
The better, the brighter.
On each of the three criteria, zinnias were suitable. plus more. They’re among the best flowers that savvy gardeners may use in their gardens, in fact.
If there is a flower that is simpler to grow, please let us know. Since zinnias are annuals, their life cycle from seed to flower to seed is short. Simple garden preparation is all that is needed for zinnias’ arrow-like, pointy seeds to germinate. Simply place them in soil that is well-drained, in full sun, and in an area that receives a lot of summer heat, and you’ll soon see small seedlings and blooming flowers. No enduring can boast of that speed!
One gardening buddy just scatters seeds wherever she wants a few zinnias, watered those areas for a few days, and then lets the zinnias’ naturally easy-to-grow nature take its course.
“Candy Cane,” “Green Envy,” “Persian Carpet,” and “Pop Art.” When a variety has names like those, color is guaranteed. The ridiculous color palette of zinnias includes every vivid and pastel shade (aside from blue), as well as bi-, tri-, and crazy-quilt combinations made for cutting, luring pollinators, etc.
Many new zinnia series give options for height and width in addition to vibrant color.
- While Zinnia elegans tall varieties continue to be the preferred option for the back of the border, shorter series are now challenging the low ground once held by marigolds and petunias. The Thumbelina Series of dwarf zinnias reach their highest point at 6 to 8 inches, whereas the Magellan Series remain roughly knee high at 14 inches.
- The Crystal Series and other creeping or spreading Zinnia angustifolia are a revelation for the front of the border, raised beds, containers, and even ground coverings. The fact that its native to Mexico is even more drought tolerant than regular zinnias makes it the preferred choice for hot locations like sidewalk beds or that no-man’s-land next to the garage.
- With a height of about 8 to 12 inches, ZaharaTM zinnias are renowned for their resistance to powdery mildew and leaf spot (see below). In the entry beds of the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, we paired Zahara Yellow, which is brief but sweet, with tiny sunflowers.
Zinnias are obviously meant for the vase because they have style and long, sturdy stems.
The words stars and daisies, dahlias and spiders, buttons and domes, and quill-leaf cactus are all used to describe zinnia blooms. Flowers come in different varieties: “singles,” which have their petals arranged in a row around an open center; semi-doubles; and doubles. Each one is fantastic in floral arrangements.
The best zinnias for cutting are, of course, the tall kinds; “Benary’s Giant” is renowned for its three-foot-tall, robust stems and huge flowers. Just above a bud joint, angle-cut zinnia stems. Zinnias often stay a long time in a vase; thus, remove all but the most obvious leaves off the stems before placing them in water.
Zinnias require little upkeep. Because they grow quickly, they shade out weeds. They don’t need mulching, and the only fertilizer they need is an occasional application of a well-balanced mix.
Deadheading encourages the growth of additional blooms. Lack of time to deadhead? When it comes to a big bed, the Zaharas indicated in the sidebard are a significant time saver.
The Profusion Series, a cross between Z. elegans and Z. angustifolia, is resistant to powdery mildew, which is the bane of zinnias, just like Zaharas.
Zinnias are accustomed to dry environments because they are indigenous to the grasslands of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and South America. However, wet summers, like the one we’ve had so far, can be damaging. And leaf spot and powdery mildew can result from that. Three recommendations for surviving inclement weather:
- Only water as necessary, and then only at the plant’s base. Wet leaves can encourage the growth of mildew, and water splashing can instantly spread fungus from the ground onto zinnia leaves.
- Taller, mildew-prone kinds can be hidden by foreground plants.
- As one horticultural put it, “Even when zinnias are coated in powdery mildew, they’re covered with flowers,” do both #1 and #2 and accept that zinnia leaves (but not flowers) are impacted by wet weather.