Zinnias at the Delaware Botanic Garden
Zinnias – I’m reading everywhere about their fabulousness in attracting pollinators, especially butterflies. In fact, when I googled the topic I surprised myself by finding my very own post, from 2015. I won’t repeat any of that but still recommend that link for info about which varieties are best at that, at least in the informal trials of one Maryland gardeners near me.
(I was also surprised that in that old post I pledged to grow Zinnias as part of a new pollinator garden, which I don’t believe I ever did. Never mind!)
The chorus of praise for Zinnias seemed to grow louder this year and recently Elizabeth declared her love for them, saying she’ll never be without them again! She reported on success with seedlings (not seeds), and planting them in containers.
Even one Zinnia in a border catches the eye, right? So next year – MORE!
And she’s not the only GardenRanter taking up the cause. This year I experimented with both Zinnias and Marigolds directly in my borders, something I’d never done, and was wow’d by the impact they had. Okay, not the Marigolds – too small – but even just one Zinnia can pack quite a punch. Or to speak in HGTV lingo, they POP!
So my question is – when did they get so great-looking? So large, with such vibrant colors? Is it new hybrids are catching my eye or have I just been immune to Zinnias’ charms all along?
Above, the other orange Zinnia I planted in that border, popping even more next to an errant Morning Glory and some White Wood Aster, and being visited by a butterfly.
Care and feeding – apparently not much needed!
According to American Meadows, which sells Zinnias, these annual don’t need the daily watering that I normally give to container-grown flowering annuals.
To grow Zinnias, make sure to plant them in an area that gets full sun (at least six hours per day). Although they prefer well-draining soil, they’ll grow almost anywhere as long as they have plenty of sun. They don’t need a lot of supplemental water in the summer months, which makes them a great candidate for hard-to-reach areas or for gardeners who are trying to conserve water.
I suppose they still need to be fed, which I try to do twice-monthly for flowering annuals like the container-grown Petunias shown above.
Planning for 2022
Like most avid gardeners, I’ve been fantasizing all season about the improvements I plan to make next year. Because we obsessively do that, right?
Well! This little border in my front garden, which for so long held Arborvitaes (that were ugly) and Black-eyed Susans (that ran amok), now holds Russian Sage, Little Bluestem grasses and Sedum. I planted two clumps of ‘February Gold’ daffodils there but you know what else that spot needs, right?
Fuchsia Zinnias like these babies! So when people approach my house they’ll see them and in the background, metal chairs in the same color. But best of all, I’ll be wow’d with that color all season long.
Ah, 2022…
I think zinnias have improved over the years. In the past they got powdery mildew horribly. I tried some this year and none. I’m hoping they self seed.
Thanks for this column! I’m going to use them next year, too.
They’ll be great to help bridge the limited flowering times of
my perennials.
If you like Zinnias- you will adore Mexican Sunflowers-Tithonia. Butterfly & hummingbird magnet.
I am going to make a note in my garden journal to plant some next year. I have NEVER grown them, ever, and every year I kick myself when I see them flourishing in their cheerful Crayola colors in other gardens. I think like one commenter said above, I have been deterred in the past by the ugly powdery mildew, but I am going to give them a try.
The same as others have mentioned, the dreaded powdery mildew plus thinking the taller ones at least are late bloomers up north. Want to try this year as I am on the hunt for things that will be showy and can take the sizzling high heat of a south west facing patio second story up. Not needing constant watering would be a nice bonus. This year was a wash out for many between extremely hot weather and heavy smoke from wildfires.
I was taken with your comment that marigolds are too small to make much of an impact in the borders. Do you remember the large marigolds of olden days? Three foot bushes! tried to find seed last year but with limited success. Maybe next year. . .
My zinnias are still blooming their hearts out with only a touch of mildew noticed last week for the first time (Oklahoma and Benary’s giant mix). They should have been dead a week ago (zone 5 first killing frost date Oct. 15). I’ve never had any luck with them re-seeding in past years, probably because they’re hybrids.
I tried planting zinnia transplants from the garden center fir years with not much luck. Three years ago I took a packet of zinnia seeds and just sprinkled them in a flower bed along my driveway. I was astonished at my success. Now they reseed themselves and come back beautifully each year.
Donna, which variety of Zinnia came back?
Jack I don’t remember what variety I planted three years ago. It was a mixed packet with singles and doubles. They have come back two years in a row.
Years ago I gave up on zinnias because the colors were always so muddy. But this year my 4-year-old granddaughter wanted to plant seeds and we planted some zinnias in her flower garden. I was astounded by their height, for one thing (some are 4 feet tall!), and for some reason all of ours were varied shades of pink (her favorite). We had so many seedlings that I planted them in a corner in front of our patio chairs, where my husband and I discovered that pollinators of all kinds could not stay away. Then, when I told a butterfly-raising friend that monarchs never came near my milkweed, planted just for them, she suggested planting zinnias near them. So that’s what I’ll do next year.
I let mine go to seed in my 7a garden and they reseed themselves every year – same with tithonia. Monarchs, Swallowtails, and lots of different bees cover them.
My zinnias grow in corner larger pots on my deck. In the yard I think animals eat the plants. Zone 5B
I lived up the road from you in Laurel for 10 years and zinnias often reseeded themselves. I never fertilized them in the ground but did topdress the beds with Leafgro every few years.
I found some AFRICAN MARIGOLD at Lowe’s this year. Gorgeous . They are about 12 “tall,have sturdy stalks & dont fall over in the rain! 2- 4″pots totally filled my 18 to 20” pot.
We love growing Zinnias in our backyard garden (our front yard too). Our favorites are the giant ones. We grow in them in a flower bed, in some colorful pots that we like to move around the yard to keep people on their toes. We don’t have a sidewalk at our new place so we line the driveway with them at times.
I just love Zinnias they provide so much color to any garden, border or planter they are just my favorite flower.