how are everyone's zinnias doing?
Before the growing season began, I remember people got excited when they found out zinnias are butterfly magnets.
They also attract gold finches. Bonus!
'Giant Wine'
Can't really capture its glorious velvet texture or depth of color. Good year for magnificent blooms the size of softballs.
Did anyone give it a try?
Comments (31)
8 years agoI 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.
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Comments (2)I direct sow zinnias beginning the first of May. There are swathes of space in my beds reserved for zinnias. I sow a group of 6 or 7 seeds every 12 inches or so in these areas. Use the watering can each morning. Thin to one plant every 12 inches. Nothing could be easier. Not planting zinnias too close to lawns (where morning dew can sometimes cause mildew) and making sure the plantings have a modicum of good air circulation are key. Also, never overhead water zinnias past the seedling stage. I favor the giant zinnias. Why waste time with those small varieties? A good companion for zinnias is mexican marigold, a bush type marigold with small yellow flowers & potato-leaf foliage that goes about 3 feet tall. Looks very nice interweaved with zinnias that don't have yellow flowers. Cosmos are pretty much just as easy, but while I have seeds, I really have other priorities at the moment. I may sow some soon though. Once it heats up is when you sow both cosmos & zinnias....See MoreZinnia Profusion - how big do they get?
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8 years agoI 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.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Summer
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoAll 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.
8 years agoadellabedella: 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.
8 years agoMine have been growing well and butterflies are all over the blooms. I posted this one the other day.
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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!
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Pom Pom Zinnia
Thanks CindyMac....zinnias are very photogenic. :0)
- 8 years ago
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.
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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.
- 8 years ago
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.
phyllis__mn