Zinnia

( ZINN - ee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of flowering annuals and perennials needs full sun and regular water. The bright flowers on these plants will attract pollinators such as birds and butterflies to your garden. They are classic garden flowers that bloom in summer and early fall. Use Zinnias in mixed beds and borders, raised planters and containers, or simply to add pops of color around the landscape. Take care when planting these flowers in the landscape; they are not toxic to humans or animals, but can cause skin and/or mouth irritation when handled or consumed.

Zinnia Species and Varietals

The genus Zinnia is a member of the plant family Asteraceae and includes 22 species. The genus is named for German scientist Johann Gottfried Zinn. The best growing zones for Zinnia are 1-24, H1 and H2, though this varies somewhat depending on the species. See the descriptions below for more information. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Zinnia acerosa (Desert Zinnia, Wild Zinnia, White Zinnia, Spinyleaf Zinnia)
This perennial is best in zones 10-24 and is native to southern Arizona, Texas and Mexico. It reaches 6-10 inches tall and 2 feet wide. Leaves are needle-like and flowers are creamy white; petals are veined with green underneath. Blooms pop intermittently from spring through fall and respond to moisture. These plants will go dormant during extended drought.

Zinnia angustifolia (Narrowleaf Zinnia)
This compact annual reaches 16 inches tall and just as wide, with narrow leaves and orange flowers. Each petal has a pale orange stripe. Bloom continues into late fall. Popular varieties include 'Golden Eye' and 'Star White' (both with white rays that are yellow towards the center of the flower head) and those in the Classic and Star series (which bloom in shades of orange, yellow and white).

Zinnia elegans (Common Zinnia, Youth-And-Age, Elegant Zinnia)
This native of Mexico varies in height from one to over four feet tall and about half as wide. Flowers bloom in summertime and range from 1 to 5-7 inches across. Flower forms include double, cactus-flowered, and crested, and can come in a range of colors including white, pink, rose, red, salmon, lavender, yellow, orange, and purple. Flowers can be solid or multiple colors. Variety 'Envy' has green flowers.

Zinnia grandiflora (Prairie Zinnia, Rocky Mountain Zinnia, Plains Zinnia)
Best in zones 2-24, this species is native to the Rocky Mountains south into Mexico. It reaches 4-6 inches tall and has bright green leaves. Flowers bloom spring through fall and are bright yellow with orange eyes. Can get by with little supplemental water, but performs best with regular water.

Zinnia haageana (Mexican Zinnia)
This annual species of Zinnia is native to Mexico and the Southeastern United States and reaches 2 feet tall and half as wide. They bloom over a long summer season. Varieties include 'Persian Carpet' (to a foot tall) and 'Old Mexico' (to 16 inches tall) both have flowers in red, yellow, and orange, usually all mixed into the same flower.

Zinnia spp. Hybrids and Cultivars
This group of flowering plants includes those that are hybrids of species in the genus as well as cultivars bred for flower color and size as well as disease resistance and growth habit.

'Agave'

'Aurora'

'Ballerina'

'Benary Giant Coral'

'Benary Giant Golden Yellow'

'Benary Giant Lime'

'Benary Giant White'

'Cactus Snowman'

'Canary Lime'

'Cherry Queen'

'Chippendale Daisy'

'Cresto Cream'

'Dream'

'Envy'

'Exquisite'

'Golden State'

'Holi Scarlet'

'Illumination'

'Isabellina'

'Jazzy Red'

'Lilliput Rose'

'Lilliput Salmon'

'Lilliput Scarlet'

'Lilliput White'

'Luminosa'

'Macarenia'

'Magellan Coral'

'Mazurkia'

'Meteor Shower Mix'

'Miss Willmott'

'Oklahoma Salmon'

'Orange King'

'Oriole'

'Peppermint Stick'

'Persian Carpet'

'Polar Bear'

'Profusion Apricot'

'Profusion Cherry Bicolor'

'Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor'

'Pumila Salmon'

'Pumila White'

'Queeny Lemon Peach'

'Queeny Lime'

'Queeny Lime Blush'

'Queeny Lime Orange'

'Queeny Lime Red'

'Salmon Queen'

'Senorita'

'Scarlet Flame'

'Sombrero'

'Super Cactus Lilac Emperor'

'Swizzle Cherry & Ivory'

'Swizzle Scarlet & Yellow'

'Tequila Lime'

'Uproar Rose'

'Zahara Double Raspberry Rose'

'Zahara Starlight Rose'

'Zinderella Lilac'

'Zinderella Peach'

'Zinderella Purple'

'Zinderella White'

'Zowie Yellow Flame'

Zinnia marylandica (Zahara Zinnia, Profusion Zinnia)
This annual Zinnia hybrid cultivar was developed to be mildew-tolerant and comes in a range of colors, including white, red, yellow and orange. Flowers can be solid or bicolored, and plants reach 1.5-2 feet tall and wide. Flowers are usually double. These plants are valued for their compact size and suitability for container growing.

Zinnia peruviana (Zinnia pauciflora) (Bonita Zinnia, Peruvian Zinnia)
This annual flower is native to Argentina through the Southern United States and reaches 3 feet tall and just as wide. Flowers are red or gold, blooming profusely in summertime. The flowers are great in dried arrangements.

Caring for Zinnia

Zinnias are popular garden ornamentals, available for purchase at most nurseries in spring and summertime, and are also very successfully grow from seed. The best time of the year to plant Zinnias is in the late spring or early summertime. The ideal place to situate your Zinnias is in a spot in the garden that receives full sun. These flowers can take some partial shade, especially in the warmest hours of the day, but will flower and grow the best in full sun. Ideally, they should be getting between 6 and 8 hours of sun each day. Their soil should be well-draining, moderately fertile, and have a pH of between 5.5 and 7.5. If local soils are particularly poor in nutrients or do not drain well, make sure to amend the planting area with plenty of organic compost before installing. Mulch around the base of plants to increase soil moisture retention, maintain constant soil temperatures, and to suppress weed growth. Water new plantings regularly as they develop a strong root system. At maturity, Zinnias are considered to be drought-tolerant, getting by on rainwater alone for most of the year. In extended times of drought, provide enough irrigation to these flowers to avoid them becoming stressed.

Fertilize these flowers yearly in early springtime with an application of about 2 inches of compost around the planting area. Gently work it a bit into the soil, after pulling up mulch, and then replace the mulch afterwards. These plants are not heavy feeders, and compost is sufficient to provide all nutrients required for the growing season. Deadhead Zinnia plants to encourage them to produce more flowers during the growing season. At the end of the year, annual plants can be removed and composted. Perennial species are typically pruned back in early springtime each year to remove the previous year's growth and to encourage a flush of new growth.

Propagation

Zinnia plants can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Zinnia flowers, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Zinnia by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 3-4 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new flower.

Propagating Zinnia by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. Zinnia plants will begin flowering between 8 and 12 weeks from sowing.
Harvest your seeds. The seed pods are pretty easy to spot, they're left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 4-7 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.