Once Again, Zinnias Save the Day

Zinnias stand out because they can handle most garden conditions, even when other flowering plants struggle to get established. Many gardeners appreciate them for this reliability, as they deliver color and performance without much fuss or maintenance.

Zinnias are one of the few flowers I don’t mind leaving to open pollination. This is partly because most of the zinnias I’m hybridizing are doubles with closed centers, which makes them more complicated to use for specific crosses.

My philosophy has always been to cull out any zinnias I find unappealing. That usually means singles, standard blooms, or certain colors like orange. On the other hand, I make a point to tag zinnias with standout traits. These might include oversized blooms, striped petals, cactus forms, strong stems that support larger flowers, or striking color combinations. It could be any characteristic that makes a plant extra special.

One reason I like having open pollinated zinnias is that they often create surprises I didn’t know I wanted but turned out to really love. For example, I now have what I call “hot poker” spheres.

These appeared from the mini pom pom zinnias that grew by accident a few years ago, and I kept them because I didn’t know I wanted zinnias that look like lollipops. For perspective, those blooms are about 1.5 inches across.

One thing I’ve noticed with zinnias is that in almost any patch, a couple of blooms will usually stand out for different reasons. I’ll be walking the dog through neighborhoods and see people growing zinnias from packets they bought at Home Depot or wherever. I’ll take mental notes about how one bloom has a deep red color and a large, full double form, or how a random semi cactus purple has an interesting shape. Anyone can do this in their own garden, because every zinnia patch shows variation. You might find just one bloom you like for any reason at all. Save the seeds from that flower and regrow them the next year. Then pull out your favorites again, and regrow those the following year. Or regrow everything if it all appeals to you.

But definitely remove any plants with traits you don’t like. That pollen shouldn’t go anywhere except the trash. I wouldn’t even put those plants in the compost pile, just to be safe.

If you want something very specific, like a striped purple cactus zinnia, you’ll probably need to take more deliberate measures such as hand pollinating and bagging the blooms to prevent contamination. That means covering both the pollen flower and the seed flower. A bee can land on either and carry pollen from your neighbor’s single yellow zinnia, ruining your effort. If you’d rather not hand pollinate, you could try planting purple cactus alongside peppermint zinnias, then save and plant those seeds the following year to see if striped purple zinnias appear. Save only from the striped flowers and replant again the next year. Over time you’ll tend to get more of what you want, though the color can be easy to lose. If that happens, reintroduce the missing color back into your patch to restore it. Or, if you prefer the more exact approach, stick with bagging and hand pollination. I know pollination methods can stir debate — some growers are purists, while others are just having fun with the process to see what happens.

I also go through and tag each plant I want to save seeds from, so I can decide over the winter which varieties to try the next year. It doesn’t have to be complicated unless you need more detail for a specific cross. I’ll often write a description like premium huge pink “mum” style bloom.

Any flowers I like, but not enough to mark as their own line, I’ll keep together as one collection or mix. Those are always useful if you’ve planted all your favorites but still have spaces you want to fill with good zinnias.

I should also mention that zinnias will vary in size depending on the quality of your soil. They can still grow in most conditions, unless the soil is absolutely terrible. In rich, light, fertile soil, they can grow fast and large, almost like flowering shrubs, sometimes reaching shoulder height. In tougher soil, they may stay closer to 2–3 feet.

Some of my best zinnias this year got hammered by rain and didn’t make for good photos, but I did collect plenty of seeds from these beauties for next year. And the circle of life continues. I usually know the end of the season is near when I see powdery mildew on my zinnias. It’s often a sign we’re just a couple of weeks away from the cooldown that leads to winter. I store my saved zinnia flower heads and seeds in paper bags and envelopes, since plastic can cause them to mold.

Finally, zinnias are great for migrating monarch butterflies. Each fall, monarchs make an incredible journey from the northern United States and Canada all the way to central Mexico, where they spend the winter. Along the way, they need plenty of nectar-rich flowers to fuel their flight, and zinnias are among their favorites. Having a patch of zinnias can give them an important food stop and help them along on their long journey south. I don’t think I’ve been out in the garden in the past two weeks without seeing at least one monarch floating around the zinnias. They seem to be ignoring everything else.

© Copyright Terry Aley

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