There is a nursery out west that specializes in zinnias. I can't remember the name and have had no luck locating the site since. Maybe someone here knows what I am talking about and can help find the site. I'm sure they can answer your question.

I've never had a problem with Select Seeds' zinnias.

nan-6161 - selectseeds is just a few miles east of me. Want me to go buy you some zinnia seeds? (Hint, hint--looking for an excuse to go visit since I've never been and it's really close)

I normally don't do many full-sun annuals because I don't have much full sun in which to grow them but am intrigued by the profusion zinnias. Looks like they're low-growing and mounding which would suit me more than tall ones. Rather than steal nan-6161's thread, I'll start my own.

You could try a seller such as GeoSeed (a huge selection) or Johnny's Seed.

Goodluck!

I don't think I've ever had bad zinnia seeds from any company. Zinnias always sprout.

I stopped saving my own years ago, except profusions, because those always have come true to type and color for me. Others never did, too many disappointments.

Karen

I had a not so good experience with the large red zinnia's. I got al least 5 pack from Burpees' (store) and 1 pack from Week (another store). I got like 3 seeds to germinate out of 6 packs.

I got great germination of the Benary's Giant from Swallowtail. I'm going to try them next season for the Red Zinnia's.

I like Swallowtail, both for zinnias and other seeds, too.

Karen

I must say that some of the recent selections of zinnia seeds I bought from Swallowtail are very muddy and oddly colored. That is absolutely NOT Swallowtails fault - it is whomever selected these seeds to sell as a most stable cultivar. Because it certainly isn't. They are, however interesting and I am enjoying seeing how weird they start off. Some even "flower" without petals, just cones. An attractive feature of some plants, but for this zinnia? Not so much, lol!

This year I'm growing the biggest swath of tall Zinnias yet. The seeds are a mix of Cut & Come Again, State Fair, and some tall red ones. They are all commercial seed, purchased at stores off the seed racks.

I direct sowed them in early June, and they started blooming in mid-July. They are looking great, not a speck of mildew. The hummers and Swallowtail butterflies are already checking them out. Various shades of pink do seem to be the dominant color thus far.

Terrene, the pink Zinnia's are the dominant colors in my garden with the exception of the orange, Bright Light Cosmos.

I bought purple prince from dianeseeds and they are blooming now true to form, but only about half are double of the first blooms. One is a siamese zinnia with two heads...kind of interesting. I also bought Benary's giant from Johnny's seed and had a 90% germination rate in 3 days. These are doing great even though I seeded in late June, should be blooming in the next couple of weeks. This is my first year of growing them and I LOVE them. Lots of color to fill in a sparse bed.

The only cultivars I really like are state fair and profusion. State fair always germinates well from multiple sources, and the o ly problem I sometimes have with it is mildew (albeit in a hugely overgrown annual bed).

Spartan I love the State Fair too. They are tall, rich bright colors, and they have a lot of single and semi-double blooms. Many people like the doubles (like Benarys) but I actually prefer Zinnias with fewer petals, because they are easier for the butterflies and bees to nectar from.

I get my zinnia seeds from a variety of places. Mainly i check out the catalogs and other seed sites and make a list of the ones i want then go trolling for them at the cheapest place I can find them. I eally like the swallowtail seeds site but the queen lime seeds I recieved from them did not germinate so I then ordered from ebay and got a 50% germination so at least I will be able to collect seeds from them.

As for saving my own seeds I do not mind waiting to see what I get. It might be less than the parent or who knows it might become a new favorite.

Paula

There is a lot of interest in zinnias at Annuals - GardenWeb. Five threads on the first page a few minutes ago. I do not follow zinnias so I cannot vouch for the quality of the posts but most read quite well.

Had the some problem with Swallowtails as did girlgroupgirl. My State Fair mixes have been mainly purples and pinks; sometimes, the Benary mixes produce the same. I appreciate this post.