Zinnia elegans Seeds | Cherry Queen
LATIN NAME: Zinnia elegans
COMMON NAME: Zinnia
Plant Profile
Cherry Queen is a dahlia-flowered zinnia with blooms 8-10 cm across in a clear cherry red, on plants 70-90 cm tall. The flowers are fully double, with a tight centre and rows of petals that curve inward, and they hold their shape on the plant for a fortnight before they begin to fade.
The plant is stiff and upright, with the rough, sandpapery leaves typical of the genus, and it stands without support in most gardens. Flowering runs from July to the first frost, and the more stems are cut, the more the plant produces.
Zinnia elegans is native to Mexico and was grown by the Aztecs before it reached Europe. The dahlia-flowered class was bred in the twentieth century for cut flowers, and Cherry Queen is one of the older strains still in circulation.
Science & Biotechnology
The red of Cherry Queen comes from cyanidin-based anthocyanins, laid over a base of carotenoid pigment, and that combination is what makes the colour read as cherry rather than as scarlet. Mixing pigment classes is how breeders produce the darker, cooler reds in the genus.
Zinnia petals are unusual in being relatively stiff and thick, which is why the flowers last in water. The stiffness comes from lignified tissue in the ray florets, the same feature that makes the flower hold its shape when dried.
The genus is a case study in powdery mildew susceptibility. Dense plantings, overhead watering and still air all favour the fungus, and once it is established on the lower leaves it spreads upward. Narrow-leaved species and their hybrids carry useful resistance, and they are the parents of the modern disease-resistant strains.
Uses & Benefits
Cherry Queen is grown for cutting: the stems are long, the colour is strong, and a bucket of them will carry a market stall. It also works in a border, where the red is best placed near dark foliage or silver leaves rather than among other hot colours.
The flowers are visited by butterflies and by small bees, and the seed heads feed goldfinches if left standing. Commercially the variety is a floristry staple in North America, sold as seed for cut-flower growers and as bunches at farmers markets. The seed is easy to save from the earliest heads, though colours will drift.
Growing from Seed
Sow at 21-24°C, 5 mm deep, six to eight weeks before the last frost. Germination takes five to seven days; keep the compost barely moist until the seedlings are up. Pot on once and grow on in good light.
Plant out at 30 cm apart in full sun, in soil that drains. Pinch the growing tip at the fourth leaf for branching, and water at the base to keep the foliage dry. Cut stems early in the morning, strip the lower leaves and condition them in deep water. Deadhead regularly to keep the plant producing until frost.
Our Take
A reliable red for the cutting garden, and one that will still be flowering when the roses have given up.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Zinnia often pair it with these related subjects: