Zinnias are yearly summer flowers that originated in Mexico and other areas of South and Central America . These daisy - type flowers are found in a kind of bold colors , including red , orangish , pinkish , purple , yellow , and white-hot , and they have hundreds of tiny petals surround a yellow - bordered central disc .

old maid plants grow to between 12 and 39 column inch tall , count on the variety . The plant rise seasonally in all zones .

Types of Zinnias

There are more than 20 species of zinnia flowers in the wild . Only some of these specie are grown in gardens , but many have been bred to bring forth century of dissimilar hybrid and cultivars — there are zinnias of all colors and sizing available to grow in your backyard .

Most cultivated species originate from the coinage Zinnia elegans , which has a black and xanthous central disc wall by empurpled petals . unmarried - flowered zinnias have a single row of petals . Double - flower old maid have numerous rows of petals . Semi - double - flower zinnias are a cross between the single- and double - flowered kind . There are also different zinnia shapes , like “ release , ” “ beehive , ” and “ cactus . ”

Some of the most democratic varieties of zinnias are :

Grow your own zinnia seedlings

When to Plant Zinnias

The best sentence to institute zinnia is in the late spring , when the soil is strong and the last frost has passed . Ideally , plant your zinnias directly into well - draining soil in a fix that receives at least eight hours of full sun .

Zinnias favour to be planted like a shot into the garden bed rather than being transplanted . However , if plant direct into the ground is n’t possible , plant old maid flower seedlings in a potting mix in container in late May . await for the seedling to develop three full set of leaves before transfer the flowers into a large outdoor good deal or into the earth .

Growing Zinnias From Seeds

Zinnia semen can be grown in a quite a little or planted straight into the dirt . If you choose to engraft seeds in a tidy sum , make certain there ’s enough elbow room in the pot for the works to grow . One zinnia plant demand , at lower limit , a 6 - in pot .

Planting Zinnias in the Soil

Zinnias grow best when seed straight off into the ground instead of being transplanted because lineal seeding avoids the risk of infection of ancestor damage . To set old maid flower in the soil , follow these stair :

Sowing Zinnia Seeds Undercover

To get down zinnias in your household under cover so as to transplant them later , take these steps :

Planting Zinnias in Pots

Zinnias can be sown now into outdoor sight when ground land is n’t available . To plant seed in mass , follow these step :

Caring for Growing Zinnias

To give care for old maid that are grow in your backyard , irrigate the dirt when the top in feels ironical to come to . Fertilize the land once a hebdomad to keep the efflorescence blooming throughout the season .

Keep the plants clean up and encourage recollective stalk growth and lots of blooms by abstract off blossom as they die . When the plants reach a tiptop of between 8 and 12 in , snip the top 3 to 4 in off the plants with penetrative pruners .

Saving Zinnia Seeds

Zinnia come can be save for next yr ’s planting . To keep your seeded player , wait for your old maid flower blossom head to become brown and frizzy in late summertime . Cut your opt flowerhead and bring it inside , then break reset the flowerhead and sprinkle the seeds over a projection screen , and leave the source on the screen in a nerveless , dark location for two calendar week to dry . The dry seeds can be moved to an airtight container and stored in a colored cupboard away from passion or humidness until the following spring .

Pests and Diseases

There are several pests and disease that are hump to regard zinnias :

FAQs About Zinnia

Here , you ’ll find the result to common questions about zinnias .

Are Zinnias Perennial?

No , zinnias are n’t perennial — they ’re yearly , which entail they need to be re - sown from seed every year . recurrent plants regrow every bounce , but yearly plants like zinnia pall off after one full growing season . If you opt perennial plants , consider Dahlia pinnata , which look similar to zinnias and grow for many year without being re - sown .

How Tall Do Zinnias Grow?

Zinnias grow to between 10 inch and 4 feet tall , count on the zinnia variety show . The shortest variety is the dwarf zinnia , which produce as improbable as 10 column inch . One of the tall varieties is Benary ’s elephantine old maid , which grows to more than 4 feet tall . To get the longest bow from your zinnias , cabbage the plants ( remove the ship’s boat , new ontogenesis at the end of the primary stem turn ) when they ’re young .

Do Zinnias Self-Seed?

Yes , zinnias ego - seed by developing flowers and then set down their cum into the dirt . However , the likelihood of the seeds germinating and growing the following spring is slender . Most likely , the seeds will be eat up by birds and bugs or damaged by the hoarfrost over winter . To relish your zinnias year after twelvemonth , collect the cum from the soil and lay in them in an airtight container in a cool , dark cupboard until it ’s time to plant them .

Are Zinnias Poisonous to Dogs and Cats?

No , zinnias are n’t venomous to hotdog or cats . However , your pet should n’t overly eat zinnia because this could make an upset stomach . Most animals do n’t eat on lots of these plants , but puppy and kitty may eat too many . manage young pet while they play near garden flora to insure the pets do n’t eat toxicant plants .

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