I just have tons of Zinnias from 20 years or so of reseeding. Nothing as pretty or fancy as yours. The pollinators love them and the finches have already stripped a lot of them of the petals.

Forgot to add that from time to time some different ones show up.

I planted zinnias (Short Stuff and Profusion) this year for the first time, hoping to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Unless I'm just completely missing when the critters come through, I feel my zinnias are largely being ignored. My little duranta tree has been attracting every type of butterfly that comes through the yard: Giant and Eastern black swallowtails, monarchs, and various skippers.

I always grow Zinnias as they are excellent cut flowers. The butterflies are attracted to my dahlias and the hummingbirds to black and blue Salvia. Zinnias ....not so much!

Here's a pink, I grow every year.

All beautiful!! This is the first year I didn't grow zinnias, or anything else. I hope to get back in the groove next year. I definitely miss zinnias. My favorites are Burpee's Big Tetra, Burpeeana Giants, Giant Cactus Flowered, and Benary's in various colors. Is your Giant Wine a Benary's, Rob? It's fabulous!

Here's one from a previous year.

Mine have not done well this year. It's a combination of earlier weather, new mulch, and the bunnies eating everything. I've decided not to deal with it.

adellabedella: I don't think I'm far from you and, boy, do I hear ya! It got hot so early, I must've overwatered my newly planted zinnias and they almost succumbed to powdery mildew -- they looked just awful:

(I thought dead heading might give them a fighting chance.)

It took a couple of months, and the ones that didn't outright die are thriving. This is the plant from above, now:

The little yellow guy to the left will just have to play catch-up. :) Maybe next year will be better.

Mine have been growing well and butterflies are all over the blooms. I posted this one the other day.

Mine seem shorter, than years past.

Alisande, I suddenly don't remember. Probably Benary's, yes

Phyllis, I love that. Thank you for sharing.

In years past, I always grew zinnias.

My new house(closing Friday), has "no" landscaping. I'm ready to start anew!

Rob....the size of softballs?! HOW cool is that!

Off topic but are zinnias hard to grow?

I too lost a daughter who delighted in zinnias. Each Christmas I got her several varieties and tried to find a book about their culture. You would certainly think there would be a book out there on this popular flower but I could never find one. Her favorite was that gorgeous fuchsia colored one---thank you for posting that picture. She passed away just six weeks ago from cancer.

Dolly, they're incredibly easy to grow. They purported to despise transplantation, so you're supposed to toss seeds where you want them to grow. I actually do germinate and transplant, but I admit they do sulk a bit more than other flowers. So either way you want. Once you plant some and let go to seed, you'll have Zionists as much add you like. The reseed quite easily.

Nicole, I would send everyone bouquets of them if I could. Just came in from watching a hummingbird. Agastache, buddleia, blue salvia, and red crocosmia were its choice today.

Once you plant some and let go to seed, you'll have Zionists as much add you like.

Hmm . . . so that's how you get Zionists! :-)

Gotta love Autocorrect . . .

Phyllis and Joan Eileen,

I'm quite sorry to hear of your loss. (((hugs to you))) and fields of sunflowers in my thoughts for you.

Alisande, I don't believe in any dictionary that doesn't include zinnia. Stupid phone. It also changes it to zombies. Really NOT the same

;)

Nicole, that's a gorgeous shot!

The zinnia seeds I bought from Johnny's were a bust. The few that germinated were quickly dug up by squirrels.

Last week I tossed a handful of very old seeds from Wildseed Farms and it seems like the majority germinated. I thinned them today and will probably thin more in another week or two.

Pom Pom Zinnia

Thanks CindyMac....zinnias are very photogenic. :0)

Here's a pic of my Aunt Elsie (on the left) with my mom (center) and a family friend at Elsie's beautiful flower garden, c. 1945. The zinnia variety she liked was Cut and Come Again, still available today.

Javiwa, I tried deadheading. The rabbits ate all of the green parts that regrew. I sprinkled the old flower head seeds around and the rabbits ate the seedlings. I remulched this spring. My beds that got the new mulch aren't doing as well. I don't think I will use this mulch again. My flowers that did live are stunted. I'm going to wait for the cooler temps an try again.

Awww, sorry to hear that, adellabedella. I ended up collecting (and drying) a lot of seeds from my various zinnias, but haven't decided if I want to give them another go next spring. I don't have any more space in the yards to plant new seed as I've managed to fill every gap with milkweeds, in anticipation of the monarch's autumn trek south.

On a side note, we laid down shredded hardwood mulch for the 25+ years we've lived here, and decided this spring to collect leaves from neighborhood and use that (after running through a shredder). We hated how the hardwood mulch quickly got matted/compacted to the point where water just didn't penetrate. Our beds got progressively worse and worse, and I had neither the energy nor desire to 'fluff' the mulch regularly during our hot summers. Plus, it was getting expensive! The beds have looked amazing this year with the shredded leaves (mostly live oak and silver maple). I won't be going back to hardwood mulch again, except a sprinkling in the front beds where the HOA prohibits dried leaves as mulch.

Summer and ladypat1, I really, really like those bright pink ones. Do you know the variety? I would like to grow them next year.

Ava,

'Purple Prince' looks like that in person. I know it says purple, but really, it's more on the dark pink side. Beat up, but here he is.

Ava, in the picture is one I get from Stokes Seeds.

Phyllis and JoanE, I am so sorry for the loss of your daughters.

I grew some mixed petite zinnias this year. They have done well as have most all my flowers. This pic shows mostly the deep pink ones. The bugs have loved them too.