Zinnia favorites

It’s probably no surprise I love zinnias. I talk about them on the Gardenangelists podcast every chance I get, but these are my zinnia favorites, the varieties I want to always grow no matter what.

My zinnia plan failed, sort of.

Gardening is a love story, and as the kids would say, I’m here for it. I had a zinnia plan for this year, which kept being sabotaged by weather and insects. Let’s not even discuss the armadillos. Does that sound familiar in your garden too?

However, in spite of these challenges, I still prevailed by planting zinnias in alternative places. Crop rotation is a “thing” you know, and zinnias are a crop just like summer squash, green beans, or tomatoes.

Sometimes, gardeners need to relearn old tricks.

I planted some seeds in the kitchen garden or potager, and I also started a few seeds in pots and transplanted them larger into the garden. But, before, I transplanted them, I took a cue from cut flower farmers. I pinched them several times to make them grow bushier. The rabbits, deer and armadillos didn’t mess with them as much this way.

Here are my current zinnia favorites:

Meteor Shower Mix and Meteor from Eden Brothers Seeds. These were my favorite zinnias last year. They had great disease resistance, and the colors were magical in the garden as you can see below.

Tidepool Mix. I shared these many times in my Instagram stories. They are my favorite zinnias this year, and I purchased seeds from Siskiyou Seeds after listening to an interview with Don Tipping on A Way to Garden. This series is not as mildew resistant as the Oklahoma series, but they make up for it with wild colors and crazy shapes. These zinnias offer plenty of carnival vibes. Yes, I saved some seeds.

The Oklahoma Series. Of course, the ‘Oklahoma Series’ zinnias are never outdone, with ‘Oklahoma Salmon’ being the most prolific and disease resistant of all. ‘Oklahoma Pink’ is a close second.

Benary’s Giants are the largest zinnias I grow with ‘Benary’s Deep Red’ being my favorite color this year.

Two separate sowings of zinnia favorites.

I sowed zinnias at two different times. First, I sowed seed after frost. Then, when the bunnies ate those, I sowed them again and covered them. In late June, I sowed another zinnia crop. When one series began to poop out due to insect damage or mildew, I had new ones just starting to flower. I will do this again.

I have cut so many zinnia bouquets I can hardly count. Below are a few of them.

So, to finish up, my favorite zinnias are all of these, but almost any zinnia is a good one. Let’s all have a fun fall full of friends and family along with our favorite zinnias. Winter will be here before we know it.