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Annual Flower · 40 varieties

Zinnia

Zinnia elegans

Asteraceae — the same plant family as head lettuce, leaf lettuce, common sunflower, purple coneflower and 12 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) is an annual flower. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–7.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. It matures in about 60–70 days from sowing, or 45–60 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and powdery mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 5 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
Matures 45–60 days — from transplantest from transplant
Mature size 0.5–4 ft
Spacing 9–12 in
Soil pH 5.5–7.5
Frost Tender
When to plant zinniatypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating
Seedlings
Growing
Flowering

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing zinniaevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
Soil texture
Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Tender

No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
0.5–4 ft
Mature spread
8–12 in
Growth rate
Fastest
Spacing in row
9–12 in
Between rows
12–24 in
Planting depth
0.25 in
Container size
1–3 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supporting
Grown from
Direct sow, Transplant, Cutting

There is no line here for which parts are eaten, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–1.5 in/wk
Critical water
Establishmentest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity
60–70 days from seed · 45–60 days from transplantest
Harvest cues
First flowers

Planted again for autumn

Set plants out by
early Sep typical · zone 6b

45 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsAphidsSpider mitesThripsJapanese beetle
DiseasesPowdery mildewLeaf spotRoot rotTomato spotted wilt virus

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

PetsNon toxic to cats, Non toxic to dogs, Non toxic to horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 40 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety TypeHabit DaysColorWhat it is known for
Benary's Giant Bright Pink Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Pink Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Deep Red Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Red Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Golden Yellow Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Yellow Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Lime Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Green Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Orange Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Orange Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Purple Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Purple Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Salmon Rose Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Orange Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant Scarlet Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Red Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Benary's Giant White Benary Giant Bush 45–60 White Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals
Benary's Giant Wine Benary Giant Bush 45–60 Red Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Burpeeana Giants Mix Heirloom Dahlia Flowered Branching 45–60 Bicolor Summerhill Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Cactus Flowered Mix Heirloom Cactus Flowered Bush 45–60 Bicolor Botanical Interests describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
California Giant Heirloom California Giant Bush 45–60 Bicolor American Meadows describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase · takes the heat
Chippendale Bush 45–60 Bicolor Select Seeds describes this astakes the heat · gets by on less water
Cut and Come Again Mix Heirloom Cut And Come Again Bush 45–60 Bicolor Renee's Garden describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Dreamland Mix F1 Dwarf Bush 56 Bicolor Harris Seeds describes this assmall enough for a pot · extra rows of petals · takes the heat
Envy Heirloom Dahlia Flowered Bush 45–60 Green
Exquisite Dahlia Flowered Bush 45–60 Pink Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Giant Dahlia Flowered Mix Heirloom Dahlia Flowered Bush 45–60 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Oklahoma Mix Oklahoma Bush 45–60 Bicolor Select Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Oklahoma Salmon Oklahoma Bush 45–60 Orange Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Oklahoma Scarlet Oklahoma Bush 45–60 Pink Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Oklahoma White Oklahoma Bush 45–60 White Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Old Mexico Heirloom Bush 45–60 Bicolor Select Seeds describes this asan All-America Selections winner · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Persian Carpet Heirloom Persian Carpet Bush 75–85 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asan All-America Selections winner · happy in a pot · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Peter Pan Mix Dwarf Bush 45–60 Bicolor Hazzard's Greenhouse & Garden Center describes this asan All-America Selections winner · small enough for a pot · happy in a pot
Polar Bear Dahlia Flowered Bush 45–60 White
Profusion Cherry F1 Profusion Bush 45–60 Red All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner · takes the heat
Profusion Double Deep Salmon F1 Profusion Bush 45–60 Pink Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · takes the heat
Profusion Orange F1 Profusion Bush 45–60 Orange All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner · takes the heat
Profusion White F1 Profusion Bush 45–60 White All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner · takes the heat
Queen Lime Orange Queen Lime Bush 45–60 Bicolor All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner · extra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Queen Lime with Blush Queen Lime Bush 45–60 Bicolor Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Queen Red Lime Queen Lime Bush 45–60 Bicolor Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
State Fair Mix Heirloom State Fair Bush 45–60 Bicolor Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
Thumbelina Heirloom Dwarf Bush 45–60 Bicolor All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner · small enough for a pot · happy in a pot
Whirlygig Mix Bush 45–60 Bicolor Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asgood for cutting and putting in a vase
White Wedding Dahlia Flowered Bush 45–60 White Garden Seeds and Plants describes this asextra rows of petals · good for cutting and putting in a vase
Zahara Double Fire F1 Zahara Bush 45–60 Orange All-America Selections describes this asan All-America Selections winner
Zahara Starlight Rose F1 Zahara Bush 45–60 Bicolor Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asan All-America Selections winner · takes the heat
Sources5 cited · 5 organizations
  • Missouri Botanical Garden
  • NC State Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 15 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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