Zinnias, Zinnia – sowing, care and wintering

The annual garden flower reaches a height of between 15 and 100 cm. Their stems are erect and sometimes appear a bit stiff. The leaves of the zinnia are simply shaped and have a smooth edge. They are opposite on the flower stalks. The stems and leaves are hairy and slightly rough to the touch. The foliage of the zinnia shows particularly beautiful shades of color in a wide variety of shades of green.

The small-flowered, low-growing varieties in particular form compact flower carpets made up of many individual flowers. These varieties are also ideal for planting bowls and flower boxes.

Heyday

Zinnias show their blooming splendor from June to late October. The many flowers of the zinnia are a welcome source of nectar for butterflies, bees, bumblebees and other insects. Beneficial organisms such as lacewings and ladybirds are also attracted to the plants. That is why the zinnia is also very suitable for natural gardens.

Location and soil conditions

Zinnias love warmth and need sunny and sheltered locations in order to thrive optimally. In keeping with their original homeland, they can cope well with heat and temporary dry ground in summer. You should only pay attention to wind protection with these garden beauties. As robust as the zinnias are in general, they don’t like wind at all.

The plants love well-drained soil. Zinnias also tolerate slightly loamy soils. Since the plants grow vigorously and need a lot of nutrients, it is advisable to enrich the soil with compost before sowing or planting.

Zinnias look particularly pretty in association with other sunnies. Excellent neighbors are, for example, the coneflower (Rudbeckia) and the sun bride (Helenium). Planting zinnias and ornamental grasses is also attractive. Magnificent colorful flower beds can also be created with the zinnias in combination with low dahlias (Dahlia), coneflowers (Echinacea), marigolds (Tagetes) or marigolds (Calendula officinalis).

sowing

You can easily grow zinnias yourself from seeds. The seed sachets usually contain one variety of zinnias, but they will bloom in a wide variety of colors. Zinnia seeds have a very characteristic appearance because they grow as triangular axles. This is the name given to a nut fruit that arises from an ovary. They look like apple pits that are too large and less like the seeds of tender summer flowers. Due to their special nature, the seeds can be brought into the soil particularly well.

Zinnias can be grown indoors in small seed pots from February. The best way to grow them is in special cold frames for the windowsill. To this end:

• Fill peat growing pots with seed compost, which should have a pH value between 5.8 and 6.2
• Put a maximum of 3, even better just one seed in the pot
• Cover the seeds with some soil (dark germinator)
• water well
• Place in a cold frame with a lid that is easily opened in a warm place on the window baking
• Peck out after germination if several seeds per pot have sprouted
• As soon as the outdoor temperature has reached over 18 degrees, transplant outdoors

The large zinnia varieties should be transplanted at a distance of 30 – 40 cm so that they have enough space to develop magnificently. A planting distance of 20 cm is sufficient for smaller varieties. They form dense flower pillows that are even able to suppress weeds.

The soil in the planting bed should be loosened well. To improve the soil and to meet the nutrient requirements of the plants, it is advisable to mix in ripe compost.

Alternatively, in the warmer regions, zinnias can be sown directly in the garden bed from the beginning of May. One often reads tips that the zinnias should be sown over a large area in the open. In retrospect, this procedure removes plants that are too close together until only the most splendid remain.
However, out of respect for nature, it is better to sow the plants in rows with a planting distance of 20 – 40 cm. The seeds are placed about 3 cm deep in the ground and watered thoroughly. Freshly emerged plants do not have to be separated and “disposed of”, which is more in line with today’s ideas of sustainable gardeners.

Alternatively, pre-grown zinnias can be purchased in gardening shops from the beginning of May. These plants can be planted directly in the flower border.

maintenance

Withdrawn flower heads should be removed regularly. This procedure stimulates the plant to produce more new flowers. When it is dry, the plants must be watered regularly. This is best done in the morning or evening hours. If you water around noon, water droplets could remain on the leaves of the zinnia. The result is heat damage from burns. In spite of its modesty, the zinnia is grateful for regular fertilizers and is worthwhile with a particularly magnificent flower floor.

Numerous seeds are formed on the inflorescences, which can be used to sow a new generation of zinnias. The seeds are stored in a cool, dry place over the winter. When collecting seeds, pay attention to dry weather, because seeds removed in rainy weather tend to rot and lose their ability to germinate. In contrast to other summer flowers that develop seeds, zinnias are not suitable for self-sowing in the flowerbed. This is due to the plants’ sensitivity to frost. Newly sprouted seedlings wither in spring when the temperatures drop again sharply at night.

Balcony planting

The versatile zinnia is also suitable as a rural balcony planting. The robust plant survives hot phases or thunderstorm summer without any problems, even on the balcony. This also makes them interesting for beginners in balcony gardening. As a perennial flowering plant in window boxes, the zinnia absolutely needs sufficient water and fertilizer in order to develop magnificently. Then the zinnia will continue to bloom in the balcony box well into autumn.

A combination of zinnias, elven spur (Diascia), magic snow (Euphorbia) and magic bells (Calibrachoa) looks particularly pretty in the balcony box.

wintering

Since they are extremely sensitive to frost, we consider zinnias to be annual plants that cannot be overwintered. You leave the plants in the garden bed until they have become unsightly and then dig them up with the root ball.

If you want to try to overwinter zinnias in the house, they should be brought into the house before the first frosts. After a thorough check for pest infestation, place the zinnias in a cool, bright room. The water supply is greatly reduced in winter. It is enough to make sure that the root ball of the plant does not completely dry out.

Diseases and pests

Zinnias are extremely robust plants that are rarely attacked by pests. They are also very rainproof and therefore extremely rewarding garden flowers.

In warm and humid summers, however, powdery mildew can be a threat to the beauties. Heavily infected parts of the plant should be removed immediately. It is important to ensure that the powdery mildew-infected plants are not placed on the compost in order to prevent the fungal disease from spreading.

If the infestation is light, there is also the option of combating the fungus on the plants. A distinction must be made between real and downy mildew:

• You can recognize powdery mildew by the flour-like coating on the top of the leaves. This topping gave the mushroom its characteristic name.
• Downy mildew can be recognized by reddish-purple or yellow-brown spots on the upper side of the leaf.

Milk has proven itself as a home remedy for powdery mildew. One part milk is mixed with nine parts water. The infested plants are sprayed evenly with this mixture. It is important that fresh milk is used! The milk’s microorganisms fight and destroy the mycelium. At the same time, the sodium phosphate contained in milk strengthens the zinnias. As a rule, treating the plants two to three times with an interval of 3 days is sufficient.

particularities

The small composites are avoided by nematodes (roundworms). That is why they are suitable as biological protection against pests.

You should regularly supply yourself with bouquets from your own zinnia population. The thinned plants quickly set new flowers and thrive even more splendidly.

sorts

• Dahlia-flowered giant zinnias, 90 cm height
• Chrysanthemum-flowered giant zinnias, 90 cm height
• Scabiosa-flowered zinnias, 80 cm height
• Liliput zinnias, 60 cm height, small flower heads
• Zinnia “Zinnia haagena”: “Persian carpet”, 40 cm height, small, daisy-like flower heads
• “Old Mexico”: 40 – 50 cm height, small flowers that are reddish brown in color and taper to golden yellow at the tips
• Thumb: 15 cm height, is particularly suitable for edging beds and for planting flower boxes
• “Cherry”, 90 cm height, large-flowered, cherry-red, perfect cut flower
• “Green Envy”, unusual, green flower color