Zinnia(Zinnia) are one of the most appreciated seasonal flowers. These annuals, with an extremely wide variety of varieties, are versatile and can be grown both in flowerbeds, in containers and as cut flowers. Learnsecrets of zinnia cultivationand exceptionally beautifulzinnia varietiesrecommended for gardens.
Zinnia - Zinnia
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Zinnia - description and application
Zinnias belong to the Asteraceae family(Asteraceae) and came to Europe from Central America along with the Spanish conquistadors.Mexico has the greatest number of species of this genus. The nineteenth century gardeners were delighted with zinnia working on their refinement and new varieties.
The height of the zinnia, depending on the species, is 25-100 cm. Flower baskets develop at the top of an upright stem covered with ovate leaves and remain from June until frost.The most popular zinnia varietieshave flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, pink and purple.
Zinnia look good on the beddingin single-color groups and in compositions with species such as marigold or snapdragon, ornamental grasses or herbs with decorative leaves, such as lavender, mossy sage, St. John's wort or borage.Zinnia dwarf varietiescan be used as border plants, and they also look beautiful in containers. Due to their high durability, they are suitable for cut flowers.
Zinnia - species and varieties
Elegant Zinnia(Zinnia elegans), also known as Jacobin, is the most famous species of zinnia.The sale includes varieties of zinnia differing in height (30-100 cm) as well as the size and color of flowers. Both the ovate leaves and the shoots of the elegant zinnia are covered with coarse hairs. Due to the structure of flowers, this species has been divided into groups:
Dahlia zinnia- these are elegant zinnia varieties with large, full flowers (12-15 cm in diameter), reaching up to 100 cm in height and suitable for both flower beds and cut flowers. We can choose varieties with fantastic colors from the full color palette:
- white varieties : Purity, Polar Bear
- yellow varieties : Envy, Canary Bird, Kirke, Golden Yellow
- pink varieties : Illumination, Morena, Early Wonder, Coral Beauty, Super Yoga Rose, Dream
- orange varieties : Orange King, Orys, Super Yoga Orange
- red varieties : Jowita, Burnus, Lawa, Scarlet Flame
- purple varieties : Violet Queen, Purple Prince, Luminosa
- varieties with multi-colored flowers : Caroussel, Peppermint Stick, Queen Red Lime, Raspberry Limeade
Zinnia daliowa - Zinnia Elegans
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Chrysanthemum zinnia- they have equally large, but less profuse inflorescences and reach up to 60 cm in height. The most interesting varieties are: 'Red Man' with red flowers, 'Koliber' - brick red, 'Coral Pink' with pink flowers and 'Blaze' - scarlet red.
Cactus (acicular) zinnia- abundant inflorescences consist of characteristic curled petals. They grow up to 80 cm in height. They are most often sold in blends of different colors.
Pompom zinnia- quite short varieties, up to 50 cm high, with small and full inflorescences. Among them we can distinguish the Liliput group with flowers in intense shades of pink, yellow, red and purple.
Scabiosa zinniaabout flowers similar to scabiosis flowers, or scabiosis. The Zinderella series looks interesting:
- zinnia 'Zinderella Peach'- salmon,
- zinnia 'Zinderella Purple'- dark pink,
- zinnia 'Zinderella Red'- about red flowers.
Narrow-leaved zinnia(Zinnia angustifolia), also known as Mexican zinnia or Haagego zinnia, is distinguished by a small height (up to 40 cm) and a bushy, compact habit. It creates inflorescences smaller than other zinnia species. Basket inflorescences usually come in various shades of yellow, orange and red, although purple, purple and multi-colored varieties can also be found. Narrow-leaved zinnia is distinguished by long flowering - flowers last from July until the first frost.
Popular varieties of narrow-leaved rape are: cream 'Amulette White', multi-colored mixture 'Persian Carpet' or orange 'Orange Star'.
Narrow-leaved zinnia - Zinnia angustifolia
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Zinnia - cultivation
Zinnia prefer a quiet, warm and sunny positionGrowing zinnia works best in fertile, rich, humus soils, not too light and moist. The pH of the soil recommended for zinnia is 6.5-7.0.
Zinnia care is not time-consumingand is limited to watering plants, fertilizing (optional) and removing dried inflorescences . To reduce evaporation of water from the substrate, it is advisable to mulch the soil around the plants.
If thezinnia standis properly prepared, and the soil is rich and fertile, the plants will not require fertilization during the growing season. If, however, the substrate is weaker, it is worth supplementing the tin with organic fertilizers such as compost, biohumus or manure.
Spring is also a good time forfertilizing zinniawith universal compound fertilizer.During the flowering period, it is worth applying fertilizer to flowering plants to stimulate the zinnia to bloom more abundantly and beautifully. Caring for lush flowering, do not forget aboutremoving faded zinnia flowersThis will stimulate the plants to produce new shoots and flowers.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
