People who know me will tell you that there isn’t much I’m ashamed of. I set a pretty low bar for myself and try not to think about things too much. Two things I’m especially okay with are snubbing snobbiness and snagging other’s good ideas. The computer just redlined “snobbiness.” Whatever. If it’s a word, great. If it ain’t, it should be. And if you are too good for Zinnias, you should get over yourself.

Zinnia Uproar Rose.
Zinnias are plenty good enough for fellow Ranters Susan Harris and Elizabeth Licata. Both of whom have recently revealed a fondness for these sturdy, sunny plants. Good idea, I thought when Elizabeth posted. Good idea again, I said when Susan followed with another. And then, as I sipped a scotch and stroked my chin, I decided it would still be a good idea when I do the very damned same thing. And here it is. Manifested. I’d type in that evil laugh right now, but I don’t know how to spell it.
By the way, don’t ever make the mistake of calling Elizabeth Liz if you can help it.

Zinnia Star Starry Night Mix.
And I’m hoping Marianne, Alan, and Anne will pick up the mantle and keep it going in the next few months because Zinnias are nothing but honest, hard-working, and awesome.
I see you rolling your eyes. “Old-fashioned,” you huff. Okay, I suppose grandmothers have grown them in the past. But, guess what? Totally willing to bet that your grandmother is (or was) way the hell cooler than you. In fact, your great-grandmother was too.

Zinnia Zahara Double Fire.
Think about this.
500,000 hippies at Woodstock in 1969 listening to Hendricks, The Who, The Band, and Santana. Average age, about 20. Nine months later, in 1970, half of them have babies. So now those hippies are parents. Fast forward 20 years. It’s 1990 and all those Woodstock babies are listening to hair metal. Despite this, some of them manage to procreate. And just like that, the hippies become grandparents. Another twenty years, what happens? Despite a new generation of awful music, more babies, and, ack, the hippies are great-grandparents. In fact, we’re mathematically entering an age where, well, let’s not talk about that.
So let’s be more careful about labeling plants our grandparents grew as old-fashioned because, let’s face it, Rick Danko was way the hell cooler than Taylor Swift and your grandmother was way the hell cooler than you. In fact, there’s no possible way that the world’s coolest millennial, or GenXer, or GenYer, or BroodXer, or whatever is even half as cool as the least cool person at Woodstock. If you exclude all the members of Sha Na Na.
So don’t give me no shit about Zinnias being old-fashioned. You should be so lucky to be that kind of old-fashioned.
Like Susan and Elizabeth, go the live plant route. Seed Zinnias are cheap and fabulous and I love the random, barnyard variation in the mixes, but they take forever to bloom. Simulate that look if you want by planting a mix of taller selections from the garden center and spreading some seeds among them. No doubt, the seed varieties have charm, but the new varieties are so incredibly good.

Oklahoma Pink.

Oklahoma Salmon and friend.

Oklahoma Scarlet.
Main thing, give your rigid opinions a break. Drink a beer, stretch out the butt cheeks, and go plant some Zinnias next year. Give them lots of sun and a bit of ground of the most dubious quality and enjoy. The pollinators will come for the nectar, the birds will chow on the seeds, and you will be pleasantly surprised by how many of your friends just happen to mention how much cooler you’ve suddenly gotten. Oh, and crank the Hendrix.
And one other thing. With Holiday gatherings coming up, be sure to nag your kid about needing a grandbaby.

What the breeders have been doing.
Daaaang, zinnias are hella lit, yo.
I won’t ever “do without” zinnias in my pollinator garden! At a minimum I always have the Zahara and/or Profusion zinnias, because the “little guys” I e. Buckeye, Painted Ladies, fritillaries, and skippers, just love them!
Thanks, Scott, for the perspective on oh, so many levels. I’ll give more respect to zinnias in the future.
If I.didn’t love zinnias, which I do, I would after reading this and the and seeing lovely photos. Thanks!
I have a space where I’ve been planting dahlias for 4-5 years. I’ve grumbled every fall and spring when I dig up/replant the tubers. I typically only get a few weeks of fairly sparse- but beautiful- blooms. For the last couple of years, I’ve been telling myself to go with zinnias instead in this spot.
And then of course this year we have a very delayed extremely late fall first frost, and my dahlias went on and on, many more blooms than I’ve ever had. When I dug up the tubers last weekend, they were plentiful and extremely healthy looking. Sigh, I’ll be sticking with the dahlias for at least another year!
I love zinnias. I could have so many more if my gardens weren’t already full of other awesome plants.
P.S. My daphne looks like it might be making a comeback.
There should be a law that everyone has to plant a couple of zinnias, marigolds and cosmos in their front yard.
My zinnias are still blooming today in my AZ garden
Love the photo
Of starry night zinnia mix. Will have to plant it.
Bold as Love. Zinnias and Hendrix. Just ask the axis. I’m all in. Thanks, Scott.
I love zinnias. Can’t seem to grow them at the coast though, probably not enough heat. In my hometown, Seattle, before I was much of a gardener, an acquaintance had a huge patch of them and I was completely smitten.
I have been picking zinnias from my sister’s yard for years because I just love them. But I didn’t have the sun to plant my own. But then, sadly, we had to cut down two very large oak trees, and wow, look at all that sun. Since you can’t get zinnia plants around here (I guess the nurseries think they are “old-fashioned”?), my sister gave me some seedlings that came up in her yard, which I shared with my son. What a joy those flowers brought to both my son and I all summer long. I’m quite sure there will be plenty of seedlings in the Spring.
I tried Zinnias years ago. Mildew everywhere. Had an addition put on house with a 3′ strip facing SW next to the concrete driveway. The “topsoil” backfill is crap and laughed at all the compost I’ve been working in. Did Zinnias this year and wow. No mildew. Poor soul, baking heat, new mildew resistant plants? Hope they self seed.
I am sorry you think it necessary to plant ready plants from the garden center. I’ve been planting zinnias from seed for, oh, 50 years or so, and they certainly do not take so long to bloom. Generally I find the garden center plants to take awhile to take off anyhow. But the best argument for seed is that it is very cheap. I love to try new varieties every year, although some always reseed. Such a wonderful return for the money and small labor. Definitely on Team Zinnia.
Personally, I love zinnias (and marigolds). I scattered some seed in one of my border beds in the spring, and they made such a cheerful display all summer. I know have some volunteers coming along in the space in front of the driveway that greet me every time I drive in.
Wonderful explanation of the coolness factor.
I am one of those hippies from long ago. Love zinnias and just love this post!
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I became a fan of zinnias in my grandma’s garden at a very young age, and have more recently come around to polka dots. Grandma was right on both counts! Blooms that I cut three weeks ago prior to leaving for my epic tree tour of Louisville and Nashville were still blooming strong in a vase on my kitchen table. They’re durable in the garden, and in the house!
I became a fan of zinnias in my grandma’s garden at a very young age, and have more recently come around to polka dots. Grandma was right on both counts! Blooms that I cut three weeks ago prior to leaving for my epic tree tour of Louisville and Nashville were still blooming strong in a vase on my kitchen table. They’re durable in the garden, and in the house! Thanks for tripling down!
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I believe the evil laugh can be written as “hehhehheh”. You must put them all together to get the effect. Zinnias are ever so much fun and make great cut flowers, too. Thanks for continuing to promote them.
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Personally, I love zinnias (and marigolds). I scattered some seed in one of my border beds in the spring, and they made such a cheerful display all summer.
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I initially thought these were daisies, but this one is absolutely stunning. I have no doubts that this the one of the best if not the best in the group.
And just like that, the hippies become grandparents. kitchen remodeling in Arlington TX
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Zinnias are my favorite flower. They don’t seem to grow at the coast, perhaps due to a lack of heat. Before I was much of a gardener, an acquaintance in my hometown of Seattle had a large patch of these, and I was utterly smitten.
thanks for sharing. to sum it up
1. Give your rigid opinions a break and enjoy the simple things in life, like planting Zinnias.
2. Zinnias are easy to take care of and attract pollinators and birds.
3. Planting Zinnias will make you seem cooler to your friends.
4. Crank up the Hendrix while you’re at it.
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The garden is best described as over-sized and under-maintained, which, actually, is also a pretty fair description of Scott.
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