Zinnia, tall cutting mix
Tall plants with long stems and big flowers in a mix of colours, from lime to burgundy. Pinch once when a hand tall, then keep cutting.
Growing
- annual
- Full sun
- After last frost
- 4 weeks before last frost
- 6 mm (1/4 in)
- 3 to 5 days at 27 to 29°C (80 to 85°F)
- 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in)
- 76 to 127 cm (30 to 50 in)
- 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in)
- Benefits from support
- 75 to 90 days
- 7 to 10 days
Seed from a bed of Queeny Lime Red, Ballerina and Benary's Giant grown together, so it's sold as a mix. Expect tall plants with long, straight stems, and flowers ranging from the soft lime and burgundy of Queeny to the big doubles of Benary's. Zinnias cross easily. If you want one colour, buy a named packet grown on its own.
Sowing and starting
Sow 6 mm (1/4 in) deep, outside once the soil is warm, or indoors about 4 weeks before planting out. Don't start them earlier than that or they get tall and weak. At 27 to 29°C (80 to 85°F) they come up in 3 to 5 days. Cooler takes about a week and comes up patchy.
They sprout fast enough that a windowsill works. Get them under strong light as soon as they're up. Wait for warm soil before planting out, and harden them off first.
Care
Full sun, 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in) apart. They grow 76 to 127 cm (30 to 50 in) tall and flower 75 to 90 days from sowing. Pinch out the top when the plant is a hand tall and it branches into five or six stems. Keep cutting, or it slows down. Water at the roots, not the leaves, to help prevent mildew. Johnny's says zinnias don't need staking, but mine flopped. Lay Hortonova netting 30 to 46 cm (12 to 18 in) above the bed, then add a second layer higher up as they grow if needed. A string run between posts also works.
When to cut
Use the wiggle test. Hold the stem about 20 cm (8 in) below the flower and shake it gently. If the head flops, wait. If the stem is firm right up to the flower, cut it.
In the vase
When cutting a bouquet, strip any leaves that would sit under water. They turn the water murky fast. Change the water every few days for the longest lasting bouquet. As flowers fade, you can remove them and rearrange the remaining flowers.
Saving the seed
Let a few heads dry brown and papery on the plant, then pull them apart. The seed is the little arrowhead at the base of each petal. Saved seed from a mixed bed comes back as a mix, and some doubles will turn into singles.