Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Zinnia Plant Features

It's hard to imagine a flower border without zinnia! These super easy annuals have been prized by gardeners for generations. Zinnia requires almost no care and will produce crop after crop of spirit-lifting flowers that work as well in the border as they do in containers. Zinnia comes in a wide range of sizes and shapes, from upright types that make excellent cut flowers to more compact, multi-flowered border plants. Height can vary from 8 inches to 36 inches tall. Flowers can be large or small, single, or double, and come in almost any color except blue. Plus, butterflies and hummingbirds love the plant's nectar-rich flowers.

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Zinnia Growing Instructions

Zinnias are a snap to grow in the ground or in containers. They only require a spot that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day and rich, well-drained soil. If you are growing zinnia in containers use a commercial potting soil mix. Some varieties of zinnia can be affected by Powdery Mildew. To prevent this, don't crowd the plants and make sure they have good air circulation. Zinnia flowers can be clipped at any time for fresh bouquets. In fact, the more blooms you cut, the more blooms zinnia will produce.

Zinnia is not recommended for human or animal consumption.

Water

Medium water needs
Light

Outside: Sun
Colors

Orange

Pink

Red

Variegated

White

Yellow
Special Features

Attracts butterflies

Attracts hummingbirds

Super-easy to grow

Complement your Zinnia

Petunia
Edge a border of Zinnia with Petunia to double the color show.

Salvia, Annual
Annual salvia looks terrific interplanted with Zinnia along a walk or pathway.

Marigold
Marigold and Zinnia are a classic combination in beds and borders.

Our favorite varieties

Profusion Orange

Zinnia 'Profusion Orange'

This award-winning variety shows off gorgeous orange flowers on a 2-foot-tall that resists disease better than old-fashioned types.

Profusion Double Hot Cherry

Zinnia 'Profusion Double Hot Cherry'

You'll love the constant show of double, rose-pink flowers this award-winning zinnia produces! A champ at resisting disease, it grows only 16 inches tall.

Profusion Apricot

Zinnia 'Profusion Apricot'

Easy to grow and charming, Profusion Apricot bears a plethora of apricot-orange flowers on a tidy 16-inch-tall plant.

Zahara Double Fire

Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Double Fire'

Showing off bold, red-orange double fires, this zinnia is a cinch to grow thanks to its disease resistance. And its compact size (it grows only 12 inches tall) makes it easy to fit in any sunny garden.

Zahara Yellow

Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Yellow'

Bearing some of the brightest yellow flowers we've seen, Zahara Yellow is easy to grow, disease resistant, and perfect for garden beds, borders, and containers. Expect it to grow about 18 inches tall.

Zinnita Yellow

Zinnia 'Zinnita Yellow'

Zinnia Yellow is a charming dwarf variety that grows only 8 inches tall. it blooms profusely with a steady show of bright golden-yellow flowers that attract butterflies.

Zinnita Scarlet

Zinnia 'Zinnita Scarlet'

Bearing bright scarlet-red flowers, Zinnita Scarlet fits well in the front or middle of the border -- or in containers! It grows 8 inches tall and wide.

Zinnita Orange

Zinnia 'Zinnita Orange'

Floriferous and easy to grow, Zinnita Orange shows off double orange flowers on a tidy, 8-inch-tall plant that blooms all summer and attracts butterflies and other pollinators.

Zahara Sunburst

Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Sunburst'

Zahara Sunburst shows off bright orange flowers accented with a bold reddish-orange center. It grows 20 inches tall and wide and resists drought.

Zahara Double Cherry

Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Double Cherry'

Zahara Double Cherry won an All-America Selections award for its easy-growing nature. This winner grows 14 inches tall and bears double cherry-pink flowers.

Profusion Double Yellow

Zinnia 'Profusion Double Yellow'

Profusion Double Yellow is a disease-resistant variety that shows off an abundance of double yellow flowers on a plant that grows 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide.

Profusion Double White

Zinnia 'Profusion Double White'

Perfect for bouquets, Profusion Double White zinnia has big, double, pure-white flowers all summer long. The disease-resistant plant grows 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide.

Profusion Double Deep Salmon

Zinnia 'Profusion Double Deep Salmon'

Awarded a top prize by All-America Selections, this winning variety offers great disease resistant, double flowers, and a nonstop display of flowers. it grows 16 inches tall and 24 inches wide.

Crystal White

Zinnia haageana 'Crystal White'

This charming, awarded (it's an All-America Selections winner) variety shows off tons of bright white flowers all summer long. It holds up to pests and disease, but attracts butterflies. Crystal White zinnia grows 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide.