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As a young girl, I spent a week or two at my grandmother’s house every summer. I remember her flower garden, every detail like it was yesterday. It was a huge circular garden. In the middle stood the tallest flowers including hollyhocks, next the brightly colored zinnias, then celosia and marigolds. I loved the smell and I loved the color. Perhaps those memories were filed and later became my craze for growing flowers, including these stately zinnias.
I have planted more zinnias in my garden this year than ever before. So happy i did. They are a real workhorse in the dog days of summer.
In the Georgia summer, gardening requires plants with three key qualities; after all, it’s hot out there. The best flowers for hot summers are low-maintenance, tolerant of heat and drought, and produce brilliant colors. Zinnias fit the bill on all three points. And more. In fact, they are one of the best flowers to put in your garden.
Is there an easier flower to grow? Maybe not. Zinnias are annual, which means they can move from seed to flower to seed quickly. The pointed seeds of zinnias, shaped like tiny arrowheads, only require basic garden prep to germinate: sow them in well-drained soil, where there is full sun and lots of summer heat, and you will have tiny seedlings in a few days, their flowers bloom in just a few weeks. No perennial can claim this speed!
Zinnias work wherever you need color. They come in almost every imaginable color, except blue. The classic ones are large and can reach up to 8 feet. There are other varieties that are more compact but bloom profusely. Think of zinnias galore.
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Easy-care
Zinnias are easy to care for. Because they grow quickly, they shade weeds. They don’t need a lot of fertilization (just an occasional balanced mix) and they don’t need mulching.
Deadheading helps produce more flowers.
Wet summers can take their toll. And that can lead to powdery mildew and leaf spots.
- Water only when necessary and then only at the base of the plants. Wet leaves can encourage mold growth, and splashing water can transfer fungi from the ground to zinnia leaves in no time.
- Camouflage tall, mold-prone varieties with other plants in the foreground.
Zinnia bonuses
They make great cut flowers.
It’s easy to save zinnia seeds. Simply let the buds dry completely on the stem, then collect the seed heads and lightly mash them in your hand to release the next year’s seed harvest. Store it in a cool, dry place like you do with other seeds.
One final reason to plant zinnias year after year: they are butterfly magnets. The larger-flowered varieties act like landing places for nectar-seeking butterflies and hummingbirds.
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