Zinnia elegans
Elegant zinnia, Mexican marigold, beauty of Mexico: native to the Mexican highlands, the zinnia was considered by the Aztecs to be such a common flower that they called it “the one that hurts the eyes,” because of its vivid colors. Today’s gardeners do it justice: it is one of the most generous summer cut flowers.
Characteristics:
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Brilliant blooms: single or double flowers in vivid shades, all summer until the first frosts.
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Fast growth: from sowing to the first flower in just a few weeks.
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Excellent cut flower: the more you pick it, the more it reblooms.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: sunny and warm, essential — this is a flower that loves hot weather.
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Soil: ordinary, loose and well-drained, preferably cool and enriched with organic matter. Unlike many annuals, zinnias appreciate well-nourished soil: adding compost benefits them.
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Method: sow in late March in a seed tray under warm cover (20 °C), then transplant after the frosts, or sow directly in place in May. Handle young plants carefully: zinnias do not like being disturbed, so individual pots are preferable. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant after the last frosts, spacing plants 30 cm apart, and make sure they have good air circulation: overcrowding encourages powdery mildew on the foliage.
Care advice:
- Water at the base without wetting the foliage, which is sensitive to powdery mildew. Cut the flowers regularly; this is the best way to encourage more blooms.
Beneficial combinations:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- It is one of the best flowers for butterflies in the summer garden: its broad, flat flower head provides an ideal landing platform, and single varieties are the most accessible to pollinators.
- Its seeds, left standing in autumn, feed goldfinches.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Leave a few faded flowers to dry completely on the plant until the flower head turns brown and crumbles: the seeds, shaped like small arrows, then come away easily by hand. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, sorted and carefully packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Treat yourself to brilliant bouquets all summer with these zinnia seeds.
