Zinnia
Zinnia elegans
📖 About this plant
One of the easiest and most rewarding annual flowers, zinnias produce brilliant, long-lasting blooms in nearly every color of the rainbow except blue. Available in diverse forms from tiny button flowers to large cactus-flowered doubles, zinnias bloom continuously from summer until frost. They are outstanding cut flowers with exceptional vase life, attract butterflies and pollinators, and thrive in hot summer conditions where many other flowers fade.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (40-60%)
18-30°C
Well-draining, average to fertile loam; pH 5.5-7.5. Tolerates drought and poor soil once established
Light balanced fertilizer at planting; zinnias bloom best in average soil without heavy feeding; excess fertilizer produces lush foliage with fewer flowers
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Mexico, Central America, southwestern United States
- 📏 Max height
- 15-90 cm depending on variety (from compact Profusion series to tall Benary's Giants)
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer - Fall
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Annual
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans and pets; all parts safe. Zinnias are one of the safest annual flowers for gardens with children and animals
- 🌱 Propagation
- Direct sow seeds 0.6 cm deep after last frost when soil reaches 21°C; germinates in 5-7 days; thin to 15-30 cm apart depending on variety; can start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost but handle transplants carefully — resent root disturbance
🛡️ Health & Safety
Non-toxic to humans and pets; all parts safe. Zinnias are one of the safest annual flowers for gardens with children and animals
Common issues
- Powdery mildew in humid conditions (resistant varieties available)
- Japanese beetle feeding on flowers
- Bacterial leaf spot (angular brown spots)
- Spider mites in hot dry conditions
💡 Care tips
- One of the easiest annuals to grow from seed
- Blooms continuously from summer until first frost
- Space plants properly for good air circulation
- Great cut flower that lasts over a week in a vase
