Oh Zinnias! We can't imagine summer without you!
And in this very unique seed collection, we are sharing another one of our secrets for taking a bouquet from simple to special: incorporate flowers with blended colors in their petals within your arrangement to serve as a bridge between flowers with solid-colored petals. The result is very harmonious, and in this blend you'll have quite the selection of colors to choose from when practicing your floristry skills!
Zinnias are super easy to grow at home, wherever you have a patch of sunshine. And the more you cut, the more they bloom. We recommend interplanting your zinnias with celosias, which will provide the zinnias with vertical support, give them some protection against fungus, and be a perfect compliment to them in arrangements. We would recommend spicata-type celosias from the Celway series if you are creating arrangements with just zinnias and celosia in, say, a glass jar. The size of the Spicata (spike) celosia blossoms in particular won't overtake your zinnias visually. :-)
Throughout summer expect a steady stream of butterflies like swallowtails, monarchs, and painted ladies. Beneficial hoverflies will also visit to not just feeding on nectar and pollen, but to also protect your garden against aphids, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied insects.
After your zinnias set seed in fall, you may see American goldfinches, sparrows, cardinals, and towhees visit to eat their seed. If you can't watch that show from your window during winter, just collect the flower heads and add them to your bird feeders for an all-natural, chemical-free bird food!
BASIC FEATURES
Bloom Season: Summer and Early Fall
Days to Flowering: 75-85 days
Photoperiod Classification: Short-day (flower best during short days). They are also facultative short-day plants, which means that they can still flower when days are longer, but they flower the most when days are shorter. Vegetative growth occurs when days are longer.
Pinch: Yes, to make plants branch and produce more stems (thus more flowers)
Deadhead: Yes, to encourage rebloom and delay seed development
Staking: Yes, unless you cut very deeply when picking to keep the plant smaller, or interplant with celosia as described above
Height at Maturity: 36" - 60"
Recommended Spacing: 9" - 12"
STARTING SEEDS INDOORS
When to Sow: late March - early April
When to Harden Off: About 4 weeks after germination
When to Transplant to Garden: About 5 weeks after germination, after final frost
STARTING SEEDS OUTDOORS
When to Direct Sow Seeds in Garden: late April - late June
FOR FLOWER ARRANGING
For maximum vase life (7 -10 days): Try to pick your stems in the morning, but it's most important to ONLY pick flowers with mature STEMS. Wiggle the top part of the stem and it's nice and stiff, cut your stem nice and long, keeping the overall size of your zinnia plant in check. BUT if it's still a soft stem near the blossom, that flower will not hold up for you. So move on for now. Cut any stems at a 45-degree angle for maximum water uptake, strip off any leaves that would potentially end up submerged in water, and place them directly into fresh, lukewarm water with flower food. Zinnias don't need to go into a cooler to stay fresh, but do keep them out of direct sunlight once inside. They also are one of the 'dirty' flowers that can make the water they're in a little yucky. So be diligent about replacing their water each day, and consider displaying them in opaque vases so as the water starts to not look so crystal clear, it doesn't detract from the flowers themselves.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO YOUR GARDEN
Attracts and Supports: birds (American goldfinches, sparrows, cardinals, and towhees), butterflies (swallowtails, monarchs, and painted ladies), bees (honeybees, bumblebees), hoverflies.