A Guide to Growing Zinnias for Beginners: Easy Steps to Success

Zinnias should be at the top of your flower-growing list! These vibrant beauties are incredibly easy to care for, making them perfect for beginners. With their dazzling array of colors, they’ll transform your garden and are a must-have for any cutting enthusiast

Zinnias: A Burst of Color and Benefits in Your Garden

Need a splash of color that’s easy to achieve? Zinnias are the answer! These beginner-friendly flowers thrive with minimal care and explode in a rainbow of hues. They’re a fantastic solution for filling out your garden and creating stunning bouquets

Zinnias are celebrated for their ease of care, making them perfect for beginner gardeners. They thrive in most sunny spots, tolerate heat and even neglectful watering, and rarely succumb to pests or diseases. Plus, they sprout quickly from seed, often blooming within weeks!

But the real showstopper is their dazzling variety of colors that you can grow: from vivid reds, fiery oranges, sunshine yellows, cool purples, and even lime greens. The bloom sizes range from petite 2-inch charmers to whoppers like the ‘Benary Giant’ series of zinnias.

These beauties aren’t just eye candy; they also attract butterflies and bees to your garden, serve as long-lasting cut flowers, and are even deer-resistant.

A pack of zinnia seeds is just a few dollars, making them an affordable way to add a burst of color and benefits to your garden. Best of all, they’re easy to grow from seed, whether you start indoors early or sow directly outdoors in warmer months.

Essential Growing Tips for Lush Zinnias

When to Plant

One thing to know about growing zinnias is they love to be warm. Zinnias prefer warm soil so it is worth your while to hold off on planting your seeds until your soil heats up to around 70°.

I live on zone 5b/6a line with the last frost day in mid-May and I hold off on putting my zinnia seeds in until the first week of June with fantastic results.

Check here for your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out when it is safe to plant annuals in your area.

Best Soil Conditions for Zinnias

Zinnias aren’t very fussy in general. In my raised garden beds I add a new layer of organic compost and organic fertilizer in the Spring before planting.

You want a well-draining bed to plant your zinnias, you don’t want them sitting in water.

While they’re remarkably adaptable, remember even forgiving zinnias have limits. Ensuring proper drainage will help prevent root rot. Don’t stress too much, though – even in less-than-perfect conditions, these cheerful blooms will likely reward you with a vibrant show!

Watering

While known for their drought tolerance, zinnias do appreciate consistent moisture, especially during their early stages of growth and during hot, dry spells. After planting seeds, I give the bed a good soak to ensure consistent moisture for germination.

Once seedlings emerge and establish themselves, natural rainfall often suffices.

However, this past summer’s exceptional heat and dryness in New Hampshire required occasional supplemental watering for all my garden beds, including the zinnias.

Here’s a helpful rule of thumb: water deeply and infrequently rather than frequent, shallow watering. This encourages deeper root growth, making plants more resilient to dry periods.

Aim for 1 inch of water per week, delivered either through rainfall or manual watering. Feel the soil with your fingers – if it’s dry 2-3 inches below the surface, it’s time to water. Avoid overwatering, as soggy soil can lead to root rot.

Zinnia Diseases

While zinnias are generally tough, giving them the right conditions is the best defense against disease. Powdery mildew (look for white, powdery spots on leaves) is a common concern, along with others like Alternaria blight, bacterial leaf spot, and Botrytis blight. Here’s how to minimize problems:

• Space for Success: Plant zinnias with good spacing to improve airflow.
• Water Wisely: Water at the soil base, avoiding overhead watering.
• Be Vigilant: Remove any infected leaves promptly to prevent spread.

These preventive measures have helped me maintain healthy zinnia beds for years. If you do encounter disease, consider the following:

• Organic Options: Research organic fungicides suitable for your specific issue.
• Homemade Solutions: Explore safe, homemade remedies (e.g., a baking soda spray for powdery mildew).
• Prioritize Prevention: Remember, a healthy garden starts with good practices!

Pinching back

Although this seems counterintuitive a way to get fuller zinnias with more blooms is to do something called “pinching” the plant.

When the zinnia plant is around 12 inches tall you will want to take a pair of sharp, clean garden snips and cut off the stem right about a set of leaves. I know, I know…it feels wrong but it will lead to a better crop of zinnias for you!!!

Time to Plant

For the best results, I recommend directly sowing your zinnia seeds outdoors once the soil warms up.

Zinnias thrive with direct sowing, and their seedlings can be surprisingly quick to emerge – often within a week!

While indoor seed-starting is possible (especially in cold climates), zinnia transplants can be delicate and prone to transplant shock. I’ve started zinnias both inside and out and I prefer direct seeding.

To plant your zinnia seeds:

• Wait until after the last frost and the soil has warmed.
• Gently plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep.
• Follow the spacing recommendations on your seed packet for optimal growth.

Best Zinnia Varieties for Your Garden

Zinnias offer a dazzling array of shapes and sizes! Discover the charm of double blossoms, the playful splash of two-tone varieties, and the whimsical look of fluffy centers. And with heights ranging from petite 1-foot varieties to towering 4-foot giants, there’s a perfect zinnia for every garden space

I think it looks so pretty to grow a bunch of different colors and heights to create a cottage garden look and feel.

Here are some of the zinnias I have grown that I just love!

01. Queen Lime Orange

The Queen Lime Orange has a limey-yellow center and beautiful coral orange petals. Such a fun flower to have in the garden!

I got my seeds from Floret Flowers. Their seed sale starts in January until they sell out. Sign up for their emails to be notified of the dates.

02. Cupcake Pink

Another fun and colorful addition to my zinnia beds. The pollinators love this one! This is a midsize variety of zinnia getting to about 3 feet tall when full grown.

03. Isabellina

This year I planted 2 different yellow dahlias. The soft buttery yellow of the Isabellina is so lovely. You can see that the bees loved resting between the petals for the night!

Seeds were from Select Seeds

04. Benary’s Giant Lime

The bright lime yellow of these Bernary’s Giant Limes look magnificent in the zinnia bed next to the bright pinks and oranges of the surrounding zinnias. Some of my flowers are almost 3 inches wide!! Really a garden stunner!

You can get them at Select Seeds

05. Benary’s Giant Salmon

This may be my favorite flower in my garden this year! I’ve taken about a million pictures of them so far this Summer! There is someting about how the color runs through the petals with different variations of salmon that I just am in love with!

Another pack of seeds that I bought on Select Seeds

06. Benary’s Giant Carmine

If you are looking for a bright pop of color you have to try the Benary’s Giant Carmine. Definitely a garden show off!

You can find seeds at Select Seeds, Johnny’s, & Floret Flowers.

07. Queen Lime Blush

The Queen Lime Blush zinnias send up a variety of yellowy and pink flowers. Some of the flowers are double flowers but this one is just a single layer of petals.

You can order these seeds from Johnny’s Seeds

08. Jazzy Red Zinnia

The Jazzy Red zinnias are a Mexican zinnia and are much smaller and have compact flower heads. The flowers are only about and inch wide but are quite abundent. The plants themselves are under 18 inches tall. They are perfect for the front of a border or flower bed.

You can find Jazzy Red Zinnia Seeds at Select Seeds

09. Benary’s Giant Bright Pink

The Benary’s Giant Bright Pink is just a gorgeous flower!! It is perfect to use in a bouquet with all of the pretty petals!

My seeds were from Johnny’s Seeds

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Once your zinnias start to flower make sure that you are deadheading the spent flowers but I encourage you to cut them and bring them inside to enjoy them! Cutting will encourage more blooms too.

Growing zinnias is one of the most satisfying gardening experiences. Their quick growth, minimal care requirements, and stunning blooms offer a big reward for minimal effort. Add some zinnia magic to your garden this year and discover the simple pleasure of these delightful flowers

If you want to start a cut flower garden but are not sure where to start then check out How to Start a Cutting Garden to see how I turned this patch of grass into this beautiful space! Can you believe this is only the second season of this garden?

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