Hi Moses !!

I will have pictures probably Monday or so. My inlaws are visiting so I won't have time to shoot some. It is going well, a little behind my usual timing . And as for expansion, that was not done because of my "landscaper" who despite me asking him to tell me when he would be tilling so I could be home and tell him how much I wanted done.. came and only did one row , and didn't come back as promised. He also never followed up for payment so I'm not too upset ( anymore). So one long row , same as last year! I did mix in left over sunflower seeds from the year before and none came up! Hmmm.

So next year , God willing I will be spending more money on this venture. I took cuttings of my back yard butterfly bushes to add and might see what else can go there. But I love love love the zinnias just as they are and all the butterflies they bring! My little girl just learned how to say "bufferflies" and it's so heartwarming to let her learn this way !

Thank you so much for asking , photos to come for sure :)

Nice Zinnia, Jim. I love Zinna, but cannot seem to be able to fend off various critters. How do you do it?

@farmerduck - I don't know what critters bother your zinnias. But here I have to start zinnias in cell trays. Once they are a few inches in size, I can plant them out. But I tried direct sowing & I think slugs took down any new growth. Once they are a bit bigger they do fine. The jbs do like the flowers too. But it's no worse than what they do to my roses and other things.

@lily - I never saw these previous zinnia pictures, but would love to see new ones!

Wow Jim, those are nice. As I sit here lamenting my thrip-filled rose garden, I've been thinking about adding other flowers that hold up better to thrips. My few Dahlias are holding up though filled with them -- but I can wash the thrips off if I want to cut some to bring inside. Did you start your zinnias inside like HalloBlondie?

Yes I started my seeds inside...

Only critters I can remember were...Well just bumblebees ,butterflies, and hummingbirds once in awhile but do not remembering having troubles with anything else...

I want to explore Zinnias more so can't wait to see Lilyfinch pics....:-)

Nice zinnias Jim, does anyone know how disease resistant zinnias are?

Patty,

Older, open pollinated varieties of zinnias can get powdery mildew badly. Powdery mildew is the foremost issue, be it an insect or disease, that can plague zinnias that I know of.

Newer varieties/hybrids show remarkable powdery mildew resistance, for which resistance they were bred. Unfortunately seed saved from newcomer zinnias may throw plants that not only vary considerably as to growth habit and flower size, but have powdery mildew issues inherited from an ancestor that mildewed.

In areas where the perennial Summer Phlox, Phlox paniculata, will mildew, look for mildew vulnerable zinnias to do the same.

Moses

Hello sweet Moses ! I have been taking photos , hoping to capture the peak as I find you often miss the peak of blooming while you wait , thinking it will get better . I still enjoyed my strip this year and want to do more but there is something about it's simplicity and wildness that I like a lot . Here you are , I hope you enjoy

Surprise sunflower :)

Still haven't seen the monarchs yet. But very happy with what I have seen !

Thanks for asking and looking!! Zinnias are so beautiful and easy. I just scatter the seed before a rain and that's pretty much it . Mine do get black spots on them , no mildew but I grow them for the wildlife not to cut and sell, so I don't mind . I love when I walk by and see all the butterflies and when they go to seed I see the finches fly out of them ! So gorgeous

Love your zinnia strip. I wish I had the space to do a large path like that. I only have space to dot them in among the other garden plants. I really like the cactus zinnia variety of them. They are really big ones. You're right about the easiness of them too!

Beautiful! If that isn't peak, I don't know what is.

Lilyfinch,

I now have gotten my 'Zinnia Entree,' for 2017, and it is delicious. Thank you, Lilyfinch. Zinnias send me straight into nostalgia mode, they and snapdragons, like no other flower.....unpretentious, charming, easy to grow, cheerful....

All your photos are beautiful; one is as nice as the other.

I can remember when I was about age 10, and anxious for spring planting to begin. I planting zinnia seeds in the ground in early March when the ground was practically still frozen!

Surprisingly, they germinated in about a week. There were frosts for a number of weeks more, but somehow the zinnia seedlings survived, grew nicely, and began blooming at the end of April, about two months ahead of their normal beginning here!

What a memory...I can still see in my mind to this day, the just sprouted seedlings, and later, the double pink blooms. The awe and wonder of if all still thrills me.

Roses came along a little later in my youth. They have always presented challenges, unlike zinnias, but well worth the effort in meeting their needs.

Thanks again for your zinnia photos, Lilyfinch. It was very kind of you to oblige me!

BTW, From the beauty of the landscaping of your garden, its beds, and of the lay of the land around you (I like that lake), seen in the sunflower photo above, and in many other shots you have shared with us, you live in paradise! I'll bet it is even more beautiful seeing and enjoying it with one's own eyes.

Moses

Jim,

I wanted to tell you your zinnias planted along your sidewalk are a beautiful sight. Not only can you enjoy them, but also people both walking and driving by. Everybody gets a treat.

Moses

Thank you Moses , I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos ! Do you still grow zinnias ? Amazing how a simple memory can stay with us so long . And bring us such joy! We live in the countryside and I do consider it such a slice of heaven! I always tell the story , because if it were up to me we wouldn't have seen this house. My husband insisted and I reluctantly went just to appease him. No photos in the listing included the yard, just a nice home with much older taste. When we pulled up , we didn't care what the house looked like, the land called out to us! What a lucky find. And our wink from God was a devotional we were both reading , had been left out on the coffee table . The home oozed of peace . We love it !

Hallo , I have to get a pack of those next year just to see! They look so interesting!

Jim love your zinnias as well, mine aren't the giant ones . Yours look huge ! Way to go!