Zinnias are such a fantastic option for even the most beginner gardener! They are super easy to start from seed and if you take care of them properly, you will get blooms all season long.
I tried growing all types of greenery and flowers before I had kids but never had much luck with keeping them alive. I always bought the plants, which can get expensive! Then I tried again when I had newborns and well, they died as well from lack of watering them.
This is the first year I’ve tried really hard to have some flowers in my yard. So far, success! Zinnias have been by far my favorite flower as far as looks and amount of effort they take.
They are extremely easy to start from seed. Skip the plant section and go straight to the seed packets. In a short amount of time, you will get flowers compared to other kinds. If you dead head them, meaning removing the flowers that have finished blooming and are wilted and or dead, new ones will come in.
You can plant these in early spring here in Southeastern Oklahoma, or zone 8a. They love the heat, so these are a great option for the high heat zones. Depending on your zone will determine how early you can plant. I got the California Giant variety but there are many different varieties, 21 to be exact!
The California Giant variety loves full sun, and the blooms last 10 weeks. It takes about 75- 90 days until you will get blooms according to the package. I would say they don’t take that long. I planted mine at the beginning of April and I had blooms by the end of May!
You can start these inside 4 weeks before you would originally plant them to get a few weeks head start though! I personally have not tried that way. I planted my seeds straight into my flower beds will zero issues. 100% of my seeds germinated which doesn’t happen very often, at least for me it doesn’t. They have bloomed all sorts of pinks, purples and white flowers.
It’s so fun watching them bloom and seeing what color you will get next! I can’t wait to try the other varieties and see how they compare to the California Giants.
If you want a super colorful, low expense, can take up a lot of space if want, easy to grow, gorgeous flower set up, these are it!
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