(Zinnia elegans) Whaaaaaat?! These beauties are ridiculous. And to think I was keen on cutting them all down and calling it a wash after the first blooms appeared. How boring. So dull. At best uninspiring. But then, I cut them all back. Every. Last. One. And, Boom! They appreciated the attentiveness (and of course many plants do like to be pinched back) and then, the untended abandonment because, after all that, they popped. The scabiosa type blooms are my favorite and I selected hard for these. We shall continue to see the outcome of that, but you should expect single, double and fully double flowers. Some are upright tufts of creamy yellowy peachy pink w/a dark center and a smattering of larger petals, some are just creamy, others mostly the kind of pink that pink gets when it’s been pink for too long near a hot fire (singed pink?), some are fewer tufts and more petals, and some are teeny tiny while others are poofy with nary a petal and others still with long petals and nary a poof. In a word (of which I am not known for being short on), they are variable. Enjoy them. They will last all season long until frost or mildew (airflow people!) consume them. Stands 3-4’. 75-90 days. UO
Note: Take care to keep plants from becoming root-bound and be very gentle when transplanting. If desired, you may sow/transplant every 2 weeks for production flower farming.
PLANTING DEPTH:
1/4"
SPACING:
9-12" in rows 12-18" apart.
EMERGENCE:
3-7 days @ soil temp 75-85F
LIGHT:
Full sun to part shade
FERTILITY:
Medium. Tolerant to most soil types but prefers rich, evenly moist soil with a pH between 6.0-7.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
While not absolutely necessary, you may stake or provide netting to keep them upright and tidy.
Be gentle with the roots when transplanting to avoid stress that can cause more single (as opposed to doubled) flowers.
To encourage branching, pinch when 12" and remove initial bud.
Zinnias appreciate some cooler time and/or shade.
Continue to cut and deadhead and the plant will be wildly floriferous!
