For years, I ignored these very popular annuals, thinking of them as low-rent versions of dahlias. I chased after dahlias instead, starting them inside in April, planting them out, staking them, attempting to overwinter the tubers, failing, rinse and repeat. I did get some lovely blooms, but not a profusion and they took their time. Eventually I started buying well-budded dahlia plants when I saw them in the garden center and stopped looking at dahlia catalogues.
Zinnias came to my attention when seedlings were offered by a gardener friend who grows hundreds in his basement. I put in a few here and there, and they did … okay. This year, though, I preordered seedlings from the Botanical Gardens and then I was seduced by a late spring offer of plugs from Select Seeds. I wound up with ‘Benary’s Giant Orange,’ (at top) ‘Queen Lime w/Blush,’(above, I think) ‘Queeny Orange Lime,’ and ‘Raspberry Limeade.’
This time I planted them in containers and they did spendidly. There’s been no mildew so far, maybe because they are not crowded by the foliage of taller plants and are getting more sun than they would in a bed. Best of all, they’ve been in bloom nonstop since late June. Butterflies love them.
I don’t bother with seeds as I do not want the trouble of a basement greenhouse and don’t want to wait for an outdoor sowing to come into bloom. Our season, even with climate change, is still rather short for that. My experience with starting from scratch with plants hasn’t been great. Maybe when I retire, I’ll get into seeds. That will be a nice hobby.
Between the zinnias, the phlox, the hydrangeas, the double rudbeckia, and dozens of other annuals, the August garden fully lives up to June and July. That’s the one thing I never got about Tony Avent, before all this catalog cover brouhaha: his tee shirts that said “Friends Don’t Let Friends Buy Annuals.” If you want to be able to look at your garden without sighing, annuals are the insurance policy you need. Especially annuals like zinnias.
Valid point! I put in Profusion zinnias every year, in any small space I can find between perennials, they draw all the smaller butterflies and give the overfull, more natural effect I prefer, without crowding perennials’ roots. I’ve also wanted to try a method I saw on YouTube, a lady in Wisconsin buys multiple zinnia seed packs every year and just dumps them in a small empty plot, spreading seeds like she’s feeding chickens, runs the watering wand over them now and then, and Presto, a full to overflowing garden of zinnias!
I don’t know if you have tried growing Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) but they are a nice addition to an annual garden. They definitely compliment Zinnias and look great with white flowering Hydrangeas. I start them in early spring indoors from seed.
Yes, zinnias are absolutely bullet-proof. Starting each May I grow zinnias from mixed color seeds sown directly into the garden and toss a thin layer of composed cow manure over them. They grow like gangbusters and really brighten up the cottage garden (a complete lack of color coordination). The “Oklahoma Mix” resists mildew, but I’ve not had any problems with “Benary’s Giant” either.
I’ve been told japanese beetle magnet. True?
Not in my experience. I see very few of them. I don’t have a grub-friendly habitat (guessing).
Japanese beetles do like the zinnia leaves, but not enough to do serious damage. A spray of Pyola gets rid of them, and a temporary expedient is a quick shot of water from the garden hose.
I’m interested in the 2 sources you mentioned. Details?
Thanks
Select Seeds is a vendor you can easily find online. The local Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens sale all but requires one to live in WNY, as the plants must be picked up.
I *love* zinnias, but for some reason, the Japanese beetles loved them this year too. I start from seed in pots on the kitchen counter around May 1, too early to plant in the ground, but they can be transplanted once they have two “real” leaves, a couple of weeks later. I love sunflowers as well.
Annuals – always a deer magnet in the foothills of the Sierra. Thank you for allowing me to catch a glimpse and enjoy them a bit here.
I never “got” dahlias, to me they look stiff and artificial and now they are the “It” flower. Love zinnias and have no patience for plant snobs. Zinnias do a lot for the August garden.
For several years now, I have said I am going to plant zinnias, but haven’t. I just visited White Flower Farm in Morris, CT, and saw many varieties of zinnias in their display gardens. I really must try next year. They mix so well with so many other plants and are perfect for the colorful cottage garden style that I adore. I have horrible luck with seeds, so I may go with plants.
Add a gardenrant link to “ Tony Avent, before all this catalog cover brouhaha”?
Done!
I, too, ignored zinnias for years. Then last year, deprived of many of my usual diversions, found myself craving all the hot colors I could find. Zinnias won me over. This year, I planted more of them. While the monarchs have mostly ignored my milkweeds, they really like the zinnias, so that’s a plus. And they flower so profusely I don’t feel my usual guilt at cutting them to bring indoors. So yes, bring on the zinnias!
I used to think zinnias were uninteresting. My next-door neighbor cured me of that by growing a beautiful patch of them next to the fence. I’ve been growing them ever since, from seed (plenty to time to seed outdoors in Texas), mostly the Benary’s Giants. (Not all BG colors do well for me, but most do, certainly including orange.) I grow a lot of other annuals too. I LIKE annuals. I buy them at the nursery, I plant a few from seed (mostly zinnias and sweet peas and morning glories), I grow some in the ground and some in pots, and some of them even come up the next year from self-sown seed, thus giving perennials a good run for their money. Besides all that, it turns out that Vita Sackville-West liked zinnias too. I found a book called “Some Flowers” with text by V S-W and watercolors by Graham Rust, published by Harry N. Abrams in 1993; the text had been published originally in 1937. It’s a lovely book, worth looking for.
posted that too soon–I meant to add that the book has a chapter on zinnias.
I’ve gone the opposite way – always loved the ease and joy of zinnias, and have come to adore dahlia, which I always considered the pretentious “high-rent” version of zinnia. Great post – made me think about some other prejudices. – MW
Great article! I have always loved zinnias. “Giants of California” give months of bright color for me and delicious food for the pollinators — all for a $3 pack of seed, and often come back next year.August is a dreadful month in my coastal zone 8A; a lot of plants are petered out. Zinnias save the scene.
When I planted them this time, I did it in containers, and they thrived Mildew hasn’t appeared, Most importantly, they have been blooming continually since late June. beautiful butterflies are attracted to it