Zinnia: varieties, growing and uses

Double, compact or airy

Benary's Giant Salmon Rose is tall with large salmon-pink cutting flowers. Profusion White is much lower with white singles. Red Spider has small single flowers and slender form. Photos must show flowers and growth: one large zinnia image misrepresents these choices.

A dedicated picking row

Put tall plants in accessible beds and support before top-heaviness. Horizontal mesh lets stems grow through. Leave paths avoiding root trampling. Do not top all plants together if spreading flowering; compare topped and untopped plants locally.

Water beneath the leaves

Dense foliage staying wet after rain increases problems. Space and watering at bases improve conditions. Strong varieties guarantee no mildew freedom. Remove severe damage and assess site and airflow before adding feed.

Seeds for another summer

Let a few healthy flowers mature and bring in only dry, ripe seed. Record the mother plant and year. Hybrids and cross-pollination can produce a different next generation. Anyone wanting exactly the same colour and height again buys seed of the named selection. A seed-saving trial is particularly enjoyable when variation is welcome.

Scent, flavour and use

Zinnias are grown here as ornamental and cut flowers. No edibility or culinary flavour is claimed for these selections.

Care, cutting and harvesting

Sow under cover in late spring, grow on in good light and plant out after hardening off once the danger of frost has passed. Provide sun, warmth and well-drained soil. Water at the base and avoid prolonged wet foliage.

If needed, pinch out young cutting plants once sturdy and about 20–30 cm tall. Remove faded flowers. Compact bedding selections do not automatically need the same pinching as a tall cutting row.

Cut flowers regularly with clean scissors. Leave enough foliage and young shoots behind. For seed, choose only fully ripe, dry flower heads; ripening does not always succeed in a cool, short season.