How to grow zinnias

Zinnia is an upright, fast-growing annual flower grown from seed each year, valued in home gardens as a reliable source of cut flowers from midsummer through the first fall frost. It germinates quickly in warm soil, blooms within weeks, and keeps producing new flowers as long as spent ones are removed, making it a forgiving choice for a bed set aside for cutting rather than for vegetables. The flower heads come in a wide range of colors and sizes and draw butterflies and other pollinators, so a zinnia planting doubles as a pollinator draw as well.

The hardest part of growing zinnia well is keeping the foliage dry. North Carolina State Extension notes the species is susceptible to powdery mildew, leaf spot, and blight, and that fungal problems are common in shaded or crowded plantings where moisture lingers on the leaves. A second-year gardener who waters the bed overhead in the evening, out of habit from other crops, keeps the foliage wet overnight, and by midsummer the lower leaves are spotted and dropping even as the plant keeps flowering. Watering at the soil line and spacing plants for airflow keeps the foliage clean all season.