Calhoun County, AL – New Gardeners always ask me, “What is your favorite perennial seed”? My answer is, “Zinnas”! There are dozens of choices in seed packages and brand names for zinnia seeds. Zinnas offer numerous colors of blooms, sizes of stalks, and sizes of blooms. If you have empty corners in your landscape scatter zinna seeds. What you will enjoy about Zinnas is their bounty of continuance of blooming during summer. The secret to more blooms is to cut bouquets frequently to stimulate the Zinnas to produce more flowers. If you neglect deadheading the Zinna flower they go to seed quickly. However! going to seed is not a bad thing in gardening. I collect Zinna seeds every fall of the year. My personal secret is to plant Zinnas in several locations. I prune the locations that are eye candy sooner than the backdoor Zinnas. My landscape perennials determine how many Zinna packages I plant in a particular spot. My all-time favorite Zinna is called, Double Giant Scarlet Flame. These Scarlet Flames grow stalks up to hip high, tall, and sturdy. The Scarlet Flames produce flower heads the size of some dahlias. I use the early blooming Zinnas to create bouquets until my dahlias start summer production. Seasoned gardeners have mistaken Scarlet Flames in my bouquets as dahlias! I always smile and inform them so they can buy Scarlet Flames to enjoy. Most retail box stores during Spring have seed racks that sell all types of Zinnas, including Scarlet Flames. I hope you add Zinna seeds to your 2025 landscape plans.
Betty Clark is a contributing writer. She has been an organic gardener since 1998. The signature flower she grows is Dahlias. She has a straw bale garden, a raised bed garden, and an in-ground garden. Both her surnames are agricultural farming families (8 generations). Her hobbies include ancestry research, antiques, continued education classes, and workshops. She also has a background in marketing & promotions including expos. To contact Betty Clark with gardening questions: bettyclark2151959@gmail.com