Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Tender
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Slightly acidic to neutral
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Well-drained loam
PREFERRED LIGHT: Sun
ATTRIBUTES: Profuse flowers in many colors and shapes; for beds, pots, cutting
SEASON OF INTEREST: Midsummer to fall
FAVORITES: Ruffles, Blue Point, and Cut and Come Again for cutting; dwarf Dreamland; Oklahoma, Profusion, and Z. angustifolia for disease resistance
QUIRKS: Grows best in hot, dry weather in midsummer
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Gomphrena, lady's mantle, lavender, verbena
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: Well-drained soil that is not high in nitrogen
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Foliar fungal diseases in hot, humid climates
CRITTER RESISTANCE: Good
SOURCE: Seeds, bedding plants
DIMENSIONS: 12-36 in (30.5-91.4 cm) tall, 12 in (30.5 cm) wide
Zinnia in the Landscape
Impatient gardeners love the instant gratification zinnias provide. These care-free annuals are a cinch to grow from seed and blossom weeks after sprouting. Adaptable and prolific, zinnias range in height from 1 ft (0.3 m) dwarfs, such as Peter Pan and Thumbelina mixes, to 3 ft (1 m) tall head turners, such as Candy Stripe and Ruffles. All of these seed mixes boast a broad range of shades including every color except blue. While the first zinnias on the market had single flowers, pompon, dahlia-flowered, ruffled, and quill-petal types are now gaining supremacy.
Zinnias make the strongest splash if you mix their festive colors together in masses. For the middle of the garden, select a taller type, such as Oklahoma, a bright beauty with good disease tolerance. Use dwarf zinnias, such as Dreamland, to edge in a ribbon of blooms. All zinnias naturally develop numerous flowering stems, so no pruning is required. They also don't need staking.
A Fiesta of Cut Flowers
Zinnias are one of the easiest and most plentiful cut flowers to grow for fresh arrangements. Given fresh water every couple of days, zinnias will stay in prime condition in a vase for more than a week. Spend a few minutes collecting a fistful of zinnias, stripping the lower leaves as you go, and you have an instant bouquet. Ruffles, with its large, 3 in (7.6 cm) wide double blossoms, and the stiff-stemmed Blue Point, are popular for cut flowers, as is the aptly named Cut and Come Again mix.
Growing Zinnia
Zinnia seeds germinate quickly and easily in warm soil, so wait until summer is in full swing to sow seeds or transplant seedlings. Although zinnias withstand drought with a stiff upper hp, they perform best if given supplemental water early in the season if rain doesn't fall regularly. Later on, dry weather will prevent fungal diseases like leaf spotting and powdery mildew, which often causes white powdery patches to form on leaves in humid weather. To prevent it, keep leaves dry by watering at soil level, avoid watering in the evening, space plants 12-14 in (30.5-35.6 cm) apart to allow air circulation, and choose disease-resistant types, such as Oklahoma and Profusion, and the straight species Zinnia angustifolia.
Lesser-Known Care-Free Zinnias
Although Z. degans is great for eyecatching color and cut flowers, the more petite Z. angustifolia, also called narrow-leaf or spreading zinnia, is a hardworking annual for the garden. Naturally disease resistant, it's ideal for adding to borders in midsummer, when perennials sometimes stop blooming. It stands 12 in (30.5 cm) tall, with small flowers in white, yellow, and copper. New interspecies hybrids, such as the Profusion series combine the flower size and colors of regular zinnias with the care-free culture of narrow-leaf zinnia.
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