Zinnias have turn out to be one of the vital essential components of my summer time and fall backyard. Yearly, I dedicate extra space to rising these lovely, long-lasting flowers. They thrive within the warmth, entice pollinators, and convey vibrant shade to the backyard—and the extra you chop them, the extra they bloom. In the event you’re on the lookout for a flower that’s simple to develop and rewarding to reap, zinnias are an awesome alternative.
Whether or not you’re planting a chopping backyard or simply need to add a pop of shade to your beds, right here’s find out how to develop zinnias efficiently—even in sizzling climates like mine.
What We’ll Cowl:
1. Begin zinnia seeds indoors or within the backyard
In the event you’ve tried nursery transplants and been dissatisfied, attempt rising zinnias from seed as an alternative. Zinnias are simple to start out from seed, and ranging from seed provides you extra management over the varieties you develop, whether or not you need tall stems for chopping or compact crops for borders.
Favourite Zinnia Varieties
Zinnias are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. Whether or not you’re filling vases or flower beds, listed below are a few of my favourite sorts:
Tall varieties for minimize flowers:
Benary’s Large – the minimize flower commonplace, with giant blooms and lots of colours
Aurora – tall and showy with full, ruffled petals
Queeny Lime – distinctive ombré shades in inexperienced, pink, and peach
Ballerina – frilly blooms with nice vase life
Oklahoma sequence – smaller blooms than Benary’s, however lengthy, robust stems and good vase life
Queen sequence – shorter crops with largely double blooms in smooth, antique-looking colours like lime, peach, and blush
Zowie Yellow Flame – Brilliant yellow and orange blooms, and a favourite of butterflies
Compact bedding sorts:
Dreamland – full-size blooms on compact crops, nice for small areas, good for edging beds or rising in containers.
Zahara sequence – low-growing and ideal for containers or borders
The right way to Plant Zinnia Seeds
Zinnias thrive in daylight and heat soil. Plant seeds outdoors after the hazard of frost has handed and soil temperatures are constantly above 60°F (16°C). Sow seeds ¼ inch deep and 6–12 inches aside, relying on the range. For bigger sorts, house 12–18 inches aside to make sure good air circulation.
To sow seeds indoors, poke the sharp finish of the seed into moist seed-starting combine and canopy it calmly with soil. Plant them in trays 4 weeks earlier than your final frost date. Don’t let the seedlings turn out to be pot-bound. I prefer to transplant them when they’re nonetheless younger and solely have a pair units of leaves for the most effective outcomes.
Basic planting window:
Begin seeds indoors: 4 weeks earlier than your final frost
Plant outdoors: After final frost and as soon as soil is heat
Within the low desert of Arizona:
Zinnias develop properly alongside flowers like gomphrena—learn to develop gomphrena right here.
2. Look after zinnias as they develop
Zinnias favor well-draining, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and seven.0. Earlier than planting, amend the soil with compost and worm castings. You too can add a granular flower fertilizer at planting, however zinnias don’t want a lot feeding throughout the season.
Sizzling Local weather Tip: As soon as seedlings are a number of inches tall, add a thick layer of mulch to assist retain moisture and maintain zinnias rising robust by means of the summer time warmth.
Zinnias don’t like to remain moist, particularly on their leaves, which might result in illness points. Powdery mildew is a standard downside, particularly later within the season or in humid circumstances. One of the best prevention is to house crops correctly, keep away from overhead watering, and maintain the foliage dry. If powdery mildew seems, don’t fear—it’s treatable. Right here’s how I handle powdery mildew within the backyard.
Water deeply and constantly, however let the highest inch or so of soil dry out barely between waterings. Zinnias don’t like soggy circumstances. Use drip irrigation or water on the base of the plant to maintain the foliage dry.
Sizzling Local weather Tip: Smaller bedding forms of can tolerate extra solar. Bigger varieties do greatest with afternoon shade.
Taller varieties might have staking, particularly in gardens that have robust winds or summer time monsoons. Supporting the stems helps forestall breakage and retains your blooms trying their greatest. Be taught extra on this information to supporting minimize flowers.
Zinnias pair fantastically with greens like cucumbers. See find out how to develop cucumbers with flowers and herbs.
3. Lower zinnias again when younger for extra blooms
Zinnias reply extraordinarily properly to pinching. Pinching encourages branching, which implies extra stems, extra flowers, and stronger crops general. I prefer to pinch about half of my seedlings once they attain 6 to eight inches tall. This offers me a head begin on blooms from the unpinched crops, whereas the pinched ones grow to be bushier crops that produce extra over time.
To pinch, use clear scissors or pruning shears to chop off the highest a number of inches of the primary stem simply above a leaf node. This easy step encourages the plant to type a number of branches, every with the potential to bloom.
Even should you don’t pinch early, zinnias nonetheless department naturally after harvesting. In actual fact, if you minimize a bloom from an unpinched plant, it primarily acts as a pinch and encourages facet shoots to develop from that time.
Sizzling Local weather Tip: Take care when pinching zinnias throughout sizzling climate. Younger crops are extra susceptible to emphasize and might burn or die again if pinched throughout excessive warmth. For greatest outcomes, pinch earlier than planting them out and permit the crops to harden off naturally.
Be taught extra about this system in my information to pinching flowers for extra blooms.
4. Harvest zinnias typically to maintain them blooming
How and if you harvest zinnias relies on the kind you’re rising. Harvesting (or deadheading) is vital to encouraging extra blooms.
For Bedding Zinnias
Bedding varieties like Zahara and Dreamland are low-maintenance however profit from common grooming. Deadhead spent blooms by gently popping them off together with your fingers. It’s not completely needed, nevertheless it retains crops tidier and encourages extra blooms as an alternative of seed manufacturing.
For Lower Flower Zinnias
When harvesting for minimize flowers, timing is all the things. Zinnias is not going to proceed to open after being minimize, so wait till the bloom is as open as you’d like—however earlier than the small yellow florets (stamens) across the heart start to indicate. That’s an indication the bloom is beginning to decline.
Use the “wiggle take a look at” to verify for stem maturity. Gently shake the stem—if it jostles or wiggles, it’s too early. Mature stems really feel stiff and upright.
Sizzling Local weather Tip: For the longest vase life, harvest zinnia blooms early within the morning. Harvesting throughout sizzling climate can scale back the standard and look of the flowers.
Use clear, sharp snips and make your minimize low on the plant, on the base of the stem. This encourages new facet shoots to develop, leading to extra stems and blooms all through the season. Take away decrease leaves promptly after harvesting.
Place freshly minimize zinnias immediately into clear water. Zinnias can last as long as 10 days in a vase if correctly conditioned. Soiled water may cause stem points, so change the water each 1–2 days. Including a florist chlorine pill and floral preservative can lengthen vase life.
5. Save zinnia seeds every season
Saving seeds from zinnias is straightforward and rewarding. Right here’s how:
Select wholesome blooms and permit them to dry fully on the plant.
As soon as the heads are brown and brittle, minimize them off with clear scissors.
Allow them to dry additional indoors for 1–2 weeks. I put them in a paper sack to proceed drying.
Break aside the flower head to search out the arrowhead-shaped seeds on the base of every petal.
Separate seeds from particles and allow them to air-dry for an additional day or two.
Retailer in a labeled paper envelope or jar in a cool, dry place.
Saving seeds allows you to take pleasure in your favourite varieties once more subsequent yr—and helps protect their distinctive traits. Learn extra about find out how to save seeds right here.
Sizzling Local weather Tip: Depart the most effective early blooms on the plant to go to seed. As temperatures rise, seed improvement typically declines, so saving early provides you the most effective probability at viable seeds.
Need one other nice minimize flower? Discover ways to develop strawflowers for dried and contemporary preparations.
Bonus: Mix zinnias with daring summer time foliage
Zinnias look lovely when paired with daring, textural foliage. I like including Mahogany Splendor Hibiscus to my summer time backyard. Its deep burgundy leaves make zinnia colours pop. Discover ways to develop Mahogany Splendor Hibiscus.
Zinnia Rising FAQs
Why don’t my zinnias get tall?You could be rising a compact selection like Zahara or Dreamland. To develop tall zinnias for minimize flowers, select varieties like Aurora, Queeny Lime, or Ballerina, and make sure to develop them from seed.
Can I develop zinnias in containers?Sure! Use compact varieties like Zahara and Dreamland, and select a big container with good daylight and well-draining soil.
Do zinnias reseed?Sure, zinnias can reseed within the backyard, particularly should you depart a number of spent flowers to dry and drop seed. Nonetheless, hybrid varieties could not develop true to sort.
Can zinnias survive excessive warmth?Zinnias are the most effective flowers for decent climates. With constant watering and afternoon shade, they bloom by means of the most popular months. Discover extra flowers that love the warmth.
Need extra flower inspiration? Discover the Arizona Annual Flowers Visible Information or browse the Low Desert Flower Planting Information.
In the event you loved this publish on find out how to develop zinnias, please share it. Rising zinnias has introduced shade, pleasure, and pollinators to my backyard—and I hope they’ll do the identical for yours.
