Native to Mexico and Central America, the genus Zinnia was named after an eighteenth-century German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn.
During the nineteenth century, European hybridizers worked on Zinnia elegans, to develop brightly-colored double forms, such as dahlia-flowered zinnias we have today.
The W. Atlee Burpee Company picked up the torch during the 1920s and introduced large cactus-flowered zinnias.
They are heat-tolerant and highly resistant to powdery mildew. Flowers are up to 3” across on 12-18” plants.
Seeds are widely available.
These wonderful little annuals are enjoying popularity as more colorful, disease-resistant varieties appear on seed racks.
Zinnias are a natural for the butterfly garden, attracting many butterflies throughout their long bloom season.
zinnias are quick to germinate and easy to grow. They excel as cut flowers.
Zinnias will reward you with bundles of colorful blooms from early summer until frost, if you give them rich, loamy soil in a sunny spot.
Don’t overwater, zinnias like hot, dry summers.
Cutback often to encourage branching and to prolong blooming.
Zinna's are more appealing as a mass planting.
I plant masses of bright red Zinnia's in my garden, and have noticed even hummingbirds enjoy their nector.