Few annuals rival zinnias for steady bloom and their ability to get by, once established, on little water. These are sun worshipers of the plant world and they grow very quickly in warm sunny weather and will bloom from July until frost.
There are dozens of varieties and sizes of zinnias. The colors are warm and bright: orange, gold, yellow, scarlet, rose, cream and white with some bicolors.
One of the reasons for the popularity of zinnias is the diversity of its forms. Zinnias can be as short as 6 inches or as tall as 4 feet. The flowers range in size from an inch across to 5 inches wide. They can be simple daisy-flowers or fluffy blossoms with many petals.
‘Thumbelina’ has tiny flowers on miniature plants that are perfect for edging a sidewalk or flower bed. Dwarf bedding zinnias, like ‘Short Stuff’, ‘Magellan’ or ‘Pulcino’, are bushy plants that grow only 10–14 inches tall and cover themselves with bright, colorful 2- to 4-inch double flowers.
Tall cutting zinnias, like ‘State Fair Mix’, grow 3–4 feet tall with fully double, 3- to 6-inch flowers on strong stems. Their big, showy blooms make long-lasting cut flowers in all the bright colors.
Spreading zinnias have small flowers on 8- to 12-inch-tall plants that completely cover themselves with flowers in either golden-orange or white. A planting of mixed colors makes a colorful groundcover. They thrive in full sun and tolerate heat and drought very well.
Zinnias love sun and warm weather. They prefer regular watering and should be fertilized once a month
through the summer. Protect them from slugs and earwigs. Cut the blooms frequently to keep the plants compact and bushy and producing flowers all through the summer and fall until frost.