• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

The Summer of Zinnias

August 4, 2016 By Carol Michel 10 Comments

This zinnia got the ball rolling,

Every year, it seems like a particular flower, maybe one I’ve grown for decades, captures my imagination.

In my gardening past, there was the summer of daylilies, when I acquired all kinds of daylilies.

There was the summer of sunflowers when I sowed seeds for every sunflower variety I could find.

And then there was a summer decades ago when I tried to grow every kind of easy to dry flower, like gomphrena and strawflower,  I could find.

I toyed briefly with gladiolus, went through a brief affair with all those different colors of coneflowers, and of course, there were those violets grown from seed.

Anyway, this summer my flower affair is with zinnias.  It’s the SZummer of Zinnias.

Four packets of zinnias was all it took, along with what seems to be the ideal growing conditions this summer. And by ideal I mean virtually no Japanese beetles have attacked the zinnias and I have yet to see any powdery mildew on any of them.

The zinnias really are on their best behavior.

Sure, it’s a summer romance. It will only last until frost. But between then and now, there are plenty of weeks to enjoy the zinnias.

Hot pink does well on zinnias.

They are as tall as the okra behind them.

I’d never seen such a bicolor.

They are also pretty before they are fully open.

White pom-pom anyone?

The candystripe version.

And cactus type flowers, too.

Plain or fancy?

The bees love them, too.

Clashing colors? Not on zinnias!

Even “red” looks good on a zinnia.

Just enough petal to attract a bee.

Orange you glad I showed you all the zinnias?

The four packets of seeds were:

‘Fireball Blend’ and ‘Northern Lighs Blend’ from Botanical Interests (purchased)

and

‘Granny’s Bouquet’  and ‘Cool Crayon Colors’ from Renee’s Garden (sent to me to try).

In late May, I roughed up the ground a bit, sowed the seeds, and covered them lightly. When the seedlings came up, I  thinned them to about six inches apart, give or take, to give them a little room.  They are all growing in full sun.

I never thought to label the zinnias when I planted them throughout the veg garden, so I could guess which flower came from which collection, but it would just be a guess.

My plan for next year? I’m going to buy more varieties of zinnias and sow them again.

Will they be just as good next year?

There is only one way to find out.  The SZummer of Zinnias Part II, taking place in my garden in 2017.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: annuals

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says

    August 4, 2016 at 11:04 am

    I think zinnias don't get mildewy as bad as they used to. At least in my experience. They are the most colorful and butterfly/bee ridden flowers. Great for full sun. Even in my partial sunny spots they do pretty good. I remember the time when I first planted zinnias I thought I had some duds because of the way they slowly opened. I guess I was so anxious to see those beautiful colors. It took me some time to realize that that is the way they unfold. Ha…

    Reply
  2. Denise says

    August 4, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Lovely plants. Thanks for sharing. I may just try these next year since deer are not supposed to eat them.

    Reply
  3. Gail says

    August 4, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Very cool and thanks for listing the Zinnia seed names and sources.

    Reply
  4. Unknown says

    August 4, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    My favorite is the one you called "fancy". To me they resemble the cactus type dahlias. So easy to grow and so wonderful as a cut flower. A close second is the white pom pom type.

    Reply
  5. Covegirl says

    August 4, 2016 at 7:39 pm

    I love zinnias. The candy striped one is particularly pretty. I used to have a candy- striped rose bush called "Scentimental" that looked very much like it. It was not a good rose, but it had a beautiful fragrance. I will have to look for the zinnia seeds for next year.

    Reply
  6. Ann Bailey says

    August 4, 2016 at 9:04 pm

    I love zinnias and finally planted some and they are doing fabuloso! They must have gotten that mildew blighty stuff because I just remember I hadn't planted them for years and years due to a problem. I really do love them And I love this post, especially telling us about all your previous plant obsessions!

    Reply
  7. Jenny H. says

    August 5, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Zinnias have earned a prime spot in my garden the last two summers… love starting them from seed and seeing what pretty colors and forms come up!

    Reply
  8. Rose says

    August 8, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    I remember planting some zinnia seeds for the first time several years ago and thinking after they bloomed, why don't I do this every year?? They are such great additions of color as summer blooms fade. You've got such a pretty selection of different varieties–I also planted 'Cool Crayon Colors' and 'Northern Lights,' two of my favorites. You should try 'Zowie Yellow Flame' next year; it's my favorite of all.

    Reply
  9. طراحی سایت says

    August 9, 2016 at 11:41 am

    So nice ! Zinnias are so beautiful
    Thanks for sharing it

    Reply
  10. Aaron says

    August 9, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    Ha! Szummer of zinnias! I see what you did there 🙂

    I like zinnias quite a bit – and the butterflies and birds seem to like them too (although the bees seem to prefer other flowers usually).

    I've had big problems with powdery mildew in previous years – typically when the zinnias have to deal with summer droughts – but they seem much happier this year due to regular, copious amounts of rain.

    Very cheerful 😀

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT