Oh my goodness, the new zinnia varieties this year! Anyone who listens to my podcast, The Gardenangelists, with Carol Michel knows I love zinnias; this, my friends, is the year to grow them.
Zinnias are one of ten easy flowers to grow in Oklahoma.
Of course, that’s just my opinion, but since you’re here, you must like my opinions, so let’s go! How about starting with Zinnia elegans varieties first because they’re my favorites?
I am growing a ridiculous number of tall, elegant zinnias this year.
I’m starting my zinnia seeds indoors this spring. You can easily grow many summer flowers from seed. Normally, I just sow the seeds directly outside, but in the last couple of years, we’ve had torrential spring rains that washed my new zinnia seeds down the hill. Last spring, I had to replant twice. I also have a multigenerational family of crows who love to pull up my seedlings–they must love microgreens–and my white tags. If I grow the plants a little larger, hopefully, I’ll have even more success.
The drawing of my six raised beds where I grow cut flowers.
New zinnias for me.
I’m not saying these are all new to the market. They’re just new zinnias for me like: ‘Oriole,’ ‘Uproar Rose,’ ‘Meteor,’ and ‘Meteor Shower Mix.’ You can find many of these at Eden Brothers.
Queen Lime series
As I’ve noticed in previous years, the Queen Lime series has spotty germination. I’m not sure why, but I will still have plenty of plants. I see the Queen Lime series is also listed as Queeny Lime. I don’t believe there is any difference. Queen Lime zinnias can be a little harder to grow than others- they are easily crowded out, but people truly enjoy their soft colors. Last summer, I grew the Queeny Lime Mix and got mostly yellow flowers in it. I also grew ‘Queen Lime Orange.’ They are all beautiful and worth trying.
Territorial Seeds has a lot of the Queen Lime series. This year, I am growing ‘Queen Lime with Blotch’ and ‘Queen Lime Blush.’ All zinnias make for beautiful butterfly watching in September, the most beautiful month.
The Oklahoma series
I’m continuing to grow the Oklahoma series. The flowers aren’t as large as Benary’s Giants, but they are more mildew resistant. I’m growing ‘Oklahoma Scarlet,’ ‘Oklahoma Salmon,’ which is the most beautiful, soft peachy pink, and ‘Oklahoma Carmine.’ I may also grow ‘Oklahoma Pink’ because it’s good too. I just don’t know if I have enough room.
I see you laughing. I mean, at 1.5 acres, the garden is large but not infinite.
The Oklahoma series is great for new zinnia growers.
The Oklahoma series is the one I always suggest to new zinnia growers or those who tried in the past and failed. It is extremely powdery mildew resistant, but always plant zinnias in full sun. There are several other varieties that also make the claim to powdery mildew resistance. I can attest that the Profusion series is very powdery mildew resistant. I believe the Zahara series also is. True Leaf Market has the Zahara series, which I’ve successfully grown before.
Creeping zinnias
Then, there are the Z. haageana varieties which some consider synonymous to Z. angustifolia. These are shorter and should be planted at the front of your beds and borders to enjoy them fully. I’m sowing Aztec Sunset mix. I’ve noticed these don’t like being started indoors, so maybe just sow them directly outside or winter sow them.
You can also find a lot of great zinnia varieties at Botanical Interests.
So, those are the new zinnias for me this year. What are you planning to grow? Don’t forget, if you need extra help with your garden plans this year, contact me for garden coaching. I have times available, but they are filling up fast.
My zinnias, usually reseed each year, but this past year we had new puppies and they seem to run rampant through the garden, and the seedlings did not survive. I really missed having zinnias for cut flowers and hope to have them this year.
Love them all! Thank you Dee for all of the helpful info.
I thought I was through buying any seeds, much less zinnias (I must have 20 varieties of seeds in my stash), but those Meteor zinnias . . . . I had a strange zinnia season last summer–almost none of mine doubled up, even the ones that reliably had in years past. I usually sow the Aztec zinnias in late summer for fall bloom.