Zinnia elegans Seeds | Common Zinnia
LATIN NAME: Zinnia elegans
COMMON NAME: Common Zinnia
Plant Profile
Common Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) is a robust, upright, annual in the daisy family. In time it quickly becomes a rounded crown, reaching 5-10 metres. Site it in full sun, in deep, fertile ground. Given room and time, it reaches roughly 5-10 metres. Gardeners value it precisely for this blend of qualities.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the daisy family regularly include Zinnia elegans in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Plant has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of daisy family, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships, while long-lasting blooms of zinnias have been of interest. Gardeners benefit directly from its long cultivation: what the plant will do in a garden is well understood.
Uses & Benefits
Common Zinnia works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Ecologically, common zinnia is a generous plant of summer garden. Its brilliant flowers feed butterflies and bees and other insects through a long season, and its seeds feed small birds, while it is a blaze of colour in beds and borders of warm world. For a grower, common zinnia is an easy and generous annual, and for a gardener it brings brilliant, daisy-like blooms from midsummer to the frost. Beyond the establishment year, its needs are simple and few.
Zinnias are the easiest of all cutting flowers and a feast for butterflies; they are pure summer happiness without medicinal pretense.
Growing from Seed
Common Zinnia grows readily from seed. Sow the seeds evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, keep the sowing evenly moist, and give the pot or tray full sun. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Among the Zinnia group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Give the seed freshness and steady moisture, and nature handles the rest.
Related Reading
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