Bold and Beautiful Zinnias

If color is what you’re after, then zinnias are what you need. These easy-to-grow, reliable plants burst with bright, bountiful blooms in mid- to late summer. Few annuals can hold a candle to zinnias’ floral displays, which come in a rainbow of colors and an array of shapes and sizes; they’re also a huge butterfly magnet. Whether peppered through borders and containers or planted in huge masses, zinnias supply us with cheery, long-lasting flowers that beautifully complement other annuals and perennials. Their long stems make them a great addition to cut-flower bouquets. And judging from their long history, I’m not the only one who gets excited by these colorful annuals.

Zinnias have been in cultivation for hundreds of years, likely beginning alongside dahlias and sunflowers during the height of the Aztec civilization. It wasn’t until 1763 that zinnias were officially named by the “father of modern taxonomy,” Carolus Linnaeus, in honor of Johann Zinn, a German professor of botany and medicine. The first double forms were introduced in France in 1856. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, zinnias became popular in the United States, where breeding efforts lead to the development of quilled and striped varieties. The diversity of zinnias today just keeps getting bigger and better. Whether you’re looking for a simple single or a flashy double, there’s a zinnia out there for you.

Zinnia elegans holds the spotlight

For those gardeners who find zinnias to be ordi­nary, stiff, or garish, perhaps it’s time to recon­sider. Breeders have had a field day with the classic daisylike flowers of Zinnia elegans, developing wonderful variations of its form that come in just about every color imaginable (except true blue) and that have increased disease resistance. The advances made with these cultivars offer single, semi-double, double, dahlia-flowered, and cactus-flowered blooms in various colors, sizes, and heights. Even bicolored varieties are available.

Zinnia elegans cultivars range in height from 8 to 48 inches tall with ovate leaves and hairy stems. Some of the most favored at the tall end of the spectrum are those belonging to the Benary’s Giant series formerly known as the Blue Point series. These dahlia-flowered beauties have 36- to 48-inch-tall, strong, multibranching stems. The double, 3-inch-wide flowers are available in 13 brilliant hues from across the color spectrum. They have better mildew resistance than older, large, dahlia-flowered types. Some seed growers package different Benary’s Giant cultivars into specialized color-scheme mixes, such as Hot Crayon Colors, which combines warm shades of red, yellow, and orange, or Berry Basket, which brings together flowers with grape, pink, and raspberry hues.

Cactus-flowered zinnias are often a popular choice for their unique, slightly curved and twisted petals that resemble quilled chrysanthemums. They generally grow 36 to 48 inches tall with 4-inch-wide, semi-double and double blooms that dazzle with their bright colors: canary yellow, gold, orange, crimson, scarlet, apricot, coral, carmine, lilac, rose, pink, and white. They are usually sold under the generic name Cactus-flowered mix. As with some of the dahlia-flowered varie­ties, seed growers package cactus-flowered zinnia seeds into customized color mixes, like the exuberant, jewel-toned Raggedy Ann.

‘Cut and Come Again’ is a noteworthy heirloom cultivar that stands 36 to 42 inches tall and produces blooms in shades of cream, salmon, rose pink, scarlet, butter yellow, magenta, crimson, and orange. It’s an oldie but a goodie with semi-double to fully double, 2- to 3-inch-wide flowers that are in bloom for much of the gardening season. Plants are sturdy and well branched; they are not, however, particularly disease resistant in excessively humid climates.

For a dwarf variety with an almost identical color mix as ‘Cut and Come Again’, look to the Thumbelina mix. The semi-double flowers are only about an inch across with 6- to 10-inch-tall stems. This selection is a good choice for the edge of plantings, while ‘Cut and Come Again’ can be placed closer to the back. Both varieties combine well in beds and vases with black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp. and cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 3–11), sunflowers (Helianthus spp. and cvs., Zones 5–9), and tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis, Zones 7–11).

The novelty bicolored mix ’Candy Cane’ offers 2- to 3-inch-wide double flowers that are either white streaked with bronze, red, or pink like pepper­mint candy, or yellow splashed with red or pink. Plants grow 18 to 24 inches tall. The 30-inch-tall hybrid Zowie!™ Yellow Flame, however, is a superior bicolor. A 2006 All-America Selections award winner, this vibrant plant features semi-double, 3- to 4-inch-wide, scarlet-rose blossoms with warm yellow edges and, like other zinnia hybrids, is remarkably mildew resistant.

Going from wild to mild, ‘Envy’ is a chartreuse zinnia that has been a longtime favorite among flower arrangers. The improved selection ’Green Envy’ (syn. Benary’s Giant ‘Lime’ and ‘Envy Double’), on the other hand, is a must-have zinnia for any gardener. It offers the same unusual, vivid color only in a consistently fully double form. The 3-inch-wide flower heads sit atop 36- to 48-inch-tall plants with long, branching stems. ‘Green Envy’ sets off bright summer flowers and harmonizes well with soft pastels.

Lesser-known species and hybrids shine just as bright

While Zinnia elegans seems to get all the press, don’t overlook some of the lesser-known species and hybrids. Zinnia angustifolia, for example, is 12 to 18 inches tall and has linear leaves and single, 1 1/2-inch-wide, star-shaped flowers. Named varie­ties include the Crystal series, which contains orange-, yellow-, and white-flowering cultivars with orangish centers. This is an excellent bedding plant. It stands up well to extreme summer conditions, is resistant to common fungal diseases, and requires no deadheading.

The hybrid Profusion series (Zinnia angustifolia × Z. elegans) is also a superb low-growing choice, especially for containers. The 2-inch-wide flowers are single or semi-double and cover the 12- to 15-inch-wide mounding plants for months. The All-America Selections award-winning series has cultivars that come in shades of orange, cherry, white, and apricot, all of which partner well with other colorful plants, like pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis cvs., annual) and blanket flowers (Gaillardia × grandiflora cvs., Zones 3–8). Best of all, Profusion zinnias are highly disease resistant and require little maintenance because they are self-cleaning, dropping their blossoms after they fade.

Two uncommon, old, single-flowering species are Zinnia peruviana (syn. Z. pauciflora) and Zinnia tenuiflora (syn. Z. ‘Red Spider’). Zinnia peruviana blossoms are 2 inches wide and a warm brick red or sulfur yellow with raised brown centers. Plants grow 18 to 24 inches tall. Zinnia tenuiflora is slightly shorter at 15 inches tall with candy red flowers. Both plants are simple but contribute to the diversity of the genus.

One look at Zinnia haageana or its cultivars and you’ll think you’re at a fiesta. While the species produces golden yellow flowers, the cultivars are generally bicolored in shades of yellow and mahogany. The oldest heirloom mix from this species, ‘Persian Carpet’, creates a mosaic of chestnut, mahogany, bronze, orange, and rust-colored petals with contrasting yellow or cream edges. The 1 1/2- to 2-inch-wide blooms are a potpourri of singles, semi-doubles, and doubles. They grow on 12- to 18-inch-tall, multibranching stems. Newer but with the same color range is Aztec Sunset™, a petite selection that stands 6 inches tall with 2-inch-wide, double flowers. If a single is more your speed, consider ‘Chippendale’ with its 2-inch-wide, mahogany red blooms and golden tips. It tops at 18 to 24 inches tall.

Zinnia haageana and its cultivars will add a little zing to plantings and pair well with tried-and-true petunias (Petunia spp. and cvs., annual) and salvias (Salvia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–11). Perhaps the next time you are looking for a splash of color, you’ll add these along with other striking zinnias to your gardening repertoire.