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bellarosa009

WS Zinnias

bellarosa
12 years ago

Hi everyone,

Can you WS zinnias? Are there some varieties that germinate better than others? Also, what's a good source for them?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

Bellarosa

Comments (19)

  • kqcrna
    12 years ago

    Absolutely. I don't sow them until around March to avoid the late frosts after germination.

    Zin seeds are pretty basic, and seeds from any favorite seed company should be OK. I like Swallowtail, Pinetree, Stokes.

    Karen

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Karen,

    Thank you for the info. Wow..Swallowtail has 33 varieties of zinnias! It's going to be difficult to decide which ones to get. :-)

    -B

  • ladyrose65
    12 years ago

    Hazzard's has some nice selections. I order a large pack of the giant red zinnia's.

  • kqcrna
    12 years ago

    I do like Swallowtails. I've had good luck with their seeds too.

    Karen

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you both for your suggestions. I've never heard of Hazzards before. It's going to be tough deciding which ones to buy!

  • docmom_gw
    12 years ago

    You might also try trading or see if anyone has some for SASBE. I actually have more Zinnias than I'll ever be able to grow. I moved to a very shady yard this fall, so I'll be concentrating on getting shade-loving perennials started this winter. Do you have any favorite Zinnias? Maybe I already have them. Let me know.

    Martha

  • micki
    12 years ago

    Hazzards has free shipping New Years Eve, I've heard from Gardenweed, that is one of her favorite places, and she puts her order in on that date and gets the free shipping, if thats any help.

    Docmom, I'd like to have some salmon zinnias, or a mix is fine too. Do they come in tall and short? Both would be wonderful. Can you email me if that's okay. Zinnias are a real staple around here. Love how they bloom all summer and make nice cut flowers. And the more you cut them the more they bloom.
    Micki

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I like the really large flowers in vivid colors. I've never grown them before, so I'm not sure what varieties to try. Any suggestions?

  • magpie_grower
    12 years ago

    Last year my favorite was the Giant mix. They have big 5 inch flowers and grow about 3 to 4 feet high. You also cannot go wrong with the Cut and Come Again Zinnias. The only bad thing I can say about them both is they are susceptible to powdery mildew.
    I cannot say enough good things about the Pinwheel Zinnias. They are mildew resistant! I use them around the garden�s edge. They grow about 1.5 to 2 feet high and wide, are bushy and covered with daisy like flowers. The colors are really vibrant too. I read the Profusions are similar to the Pinwheels. I will try a pack of Profusion this year.
    Although I buy all my seeds locally, I do like to look at online catalogues for ideas. Burpee has nice pictures of zinnias.
    Lisa

    Here is a link that might be useful: Burpee Online

  • cactusgarden
    12 years ago

    You do not need to WS zinnias. They need 1 to 3 weeks at warm temperatures to germinate.

  • terrene
    12 years ago

    Every year I grow a large patch of tall Zinnias, because they are much loved by butterflies, bees, and even the hummingbirds nectar regularly from them. When the soil warms up around June 1, I direct sow them about 3 inches apart or so. They are easy to direct sow. Also, I've read you can minimize the chances of mildew by growing them in a new spot each year and that has worked for me.

    If you are going to sow a few special varieties for containers or edging, then I would start in containers. As Cactus says, they don't need to be sown in the cold weather. I sow most annuals in early Spring.

    Here's a pic from last October - tall Zinnia patch which was direct-sown and some other annuals which were sown in cups in the Spring -
    {{gwi:449961}}

  • tomva
    12 years ago

    That is very pretty Terrene,check this zinnia out I wintersowed last year.I wintersowed it because I wanted it in a certain spot and I didnt want the seed to be washed away to a diff spot.It was a new to me zinnia

    {{gwi:453074}}

  • kqcrna
    12 years ago

    I like the narrow leaf zinnias for their powdery mildew resistance. Profusion zinnias are my favorites.
    {{gwi:453075}}

    Karen

  • tomva
    12 years ago

    very nice Karen,beautiful entrance..

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you everyone for your advice and wonderful pics!

  • terrene
    12 years ago

    Thanks Tom, everything in that pic was started from seed! Only way you can grow big gardens on the cheap. The morning glories would have been much bigger except the deer ate them down TWICE. Then I barricaded the back of the trellis and foiled those 4 footed pesks, haha!

    Your zinnia is very pretty - where did you get the seeds? I agree if you have few seeds of a special variety, you would want to sow them in containers and baby them.

    KCQ, is that Profusion Apricot? - they look good with the crimson perennials. I ws'd those the first year WSing. They did great, but the tall Zinnias seem to attract more of the bigger butterflies.

    {{gwi:453076}}

  • tomva
    12 years ago

    ohhh that's a very nice photo,terrene.I can't remember what the zinnia above was called but it came from burpee.Here's another from burpee I grew this past summer.I just found them on the seed racks.This one is called candycane.I'm a sucker for zinnia's
    {{gwi:453077}}

  • kqcrna
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the compliments. Yes, those zins I posted are dark apricot produsions.

    Karen

  • gardenweed_z6a
    12 years ago

    Tomva - oh wow!! Pink & white always gets me right between the sensors!! I'm definitely going to look for candycane zinnia seeds after seeing that picture. I normally don't do annuals--too busy growing bee, hummer & butterfly perennials the past couple years--but this year I want the flower power now that my beds are (more or less) established and I can play a little just for the fun of it.

    Karen - your profusions grabbed my eye because (a) your entrance & walkway are gorgeous; and (b) I like low-growing varieties. I traded for seeds with another WSer year before last so maybe I'll whip up a container with the seeds and see what I get. The PM resistance appeals to me as well.

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