It's not too late to grow zinnias from seed! Which is just as well because I goofed. Let me explain. Zinnias hate cold, wet weather almost as much as I do. In the Seattle area we need to wait until night temperatures are stable at 55'f or above before planting out – which is typically June 1st. (This is at least two weeks later than less fickle annuals such as geraniums as they are happy with night temperatures of just 50'f). Zinnias (and basil) need to wait that little bit longer. For that reason, when we grow zinnias  from seed we should be starting them around the end of March, although personally, I like to set out larger plants and so start them early March. But like I said, I goofed: I used old potting compost. It had been kept in the greenhouse all winter but it was an opened bag. Since my greenhouse is not weather tight, the soil had doubtless been subject to overheating, condensation, and freeze-thaw cycles. The  seeds I sowed in it all germinated quickly, assuring me of the seed viability. But then they just didn't grow at all! Slowly they turned yellow and began to show evidence of some fungal disease. Ugh. (I always wash the seed trays in hot soapy water with some bleach added so knew that wasn't the issue). So I quickly sowed a second batch in fresh, new compost and they are doing nicely. Lesson learned.

Why Grow from Seed?

Certainly you can buy zinnia starts at good nurseries but the varieties offered are usually limited to a psychedelic color mix of the Profusion series. If you favor that wild color blend that's great, but I prefer to select specific colors or shades – and the heights of the zinnia that I grow. By growing from seed I have far more options to choose from – and they are so easy to grow, even a child can be successful – assuming they use sterile soil to start with! PS Zinnia are reliably deer-resistant and manage with minimal supplemental water in my moisture retentive soil once roots are established.

Zinnia Selection

Before you purchase seeds, think about what you want from your zinnia. Are they going to be primarily a cut flower? Then go for one of the taller varieties – Benary's Giants are my favorite but there are many others. Would you like to add some to containers or edge a pathway? Then the shorter, bedding type would work best.

In the Garden

If you primarily want these for cutting you may prefer to mass plant zinnia in one dedicated area to make watering easier. Tall varieties need some sort of support, so if growing as a block you could add strong bamboo canes at each end and use garden twine to create an enclosure. If, like me you prefer to integrate zinnias into your mixed borders you may need to add a bamboo cane adjacent to each plant and tie it in as it grows.

Plant Companions

This is where I have so much fun: choosing colors and textures of companion plants to really make the zinnias shine. Here are a few examples from previous years in my garden plus some ideas I'm playing with for this year. Coral, silver and cream was a gentle-on-the-eye combination in 2018. If you fancy something brash and bold then the fiery shades above may be more your style. These zinnias change color as they fade – from gold, to orange then hot pink, all with a darker eye.       I'm trying a new one this year: Queeny Lemon-Peach. This is a mid-height at 1.5-2 feet tall but looks to have good stems for cutting with flowers being 2-4" across. I can see this with blue catmint (Nepeta spp.) and perhaps a low growing silver wormwood (Artemisia) but may also try it near something with dark red foliage. What would you combine it with? Give me some ideas!!

Seed Suppliers & More

Floret Flowers is a cut flower grower in Skagit County. It was her blog post on growing zinnias that encouraged me to expand on that and share these ideas with you. She also offers seed for sale, online workshops and her book is breathtakingly beautiful. All America Selection  Check out their award-winning selection of zinnias that underwent extensive trailing and judging. I have also purchased zinnia seeds from Renee's Garden, Harris, Johnnys , Eden Brothers

Which varieties are you growing this year?