Hi Mary,

This is a link to Hazzard's. The Zaharas aren't as bad as the Profusions about fading, so you might want to try them.
Hazzards has Zinnia Gem Orange which grow about 18 inches tall, which is a pretty good wind-resistant height. Their Zinnia Inca are orange, but 30 inches tall, which is probably taller than you want. Their Zinnia Magellan Orange are 15 inches tall, which might be to your liking in pots. The Magellans are F1 hybrids, which makes their seeds expensive.

Hazzard's Oklahoma Golden Yellow zinnias would probably fit your color scheme, but they are 36-inches tall for cut flowers. Their Zinnia Short Stuff Orange are only 10 inches tall. Their Zinnia Star Orange are only 8 inches tall. Their Zinnia Zahara Fire are red-orange and 10 inches tall. Their Zinnia Zinnita Orange are only 7 inches tall. Zinnia Zowie Yellow Flame would fit your color scheme, but it is 30 inches tall.

Burpee (among others) has Zinnia Old Mexico, which would fit your Fall color scheme, although it is bicolored.

Burpee (among others) also has a double version of Zahara Fire. The Zaharas, like the Profusions, have superior mildew resistance, which could be a factor in the Fall.

ZM
(not associated with any product or vendor mentioned)

That is so nice of you to give me all that information. So Hazzard looks to be a good, reliable company am I right? They certainly do have some good prices...Any comments on Z. Angustifolia orange? I've grown the white and know it flops a bit. The thing that probably bothers me the most with some of them is the fading part....Maryl

Maryl,

"Any comments on Z. Angustifolia orange?"

I haven't grown them, so have no direct experience. I did grow some Apricot Profusions, and they did fade badly. I have the impression that some particular colors of Profusions and Zaharas may not fade so much. The "Fire" and Orange colors may do better.

As any zinnia bloom matures and transitions toward becoming a dead brown seedhead, the petal colors do tend to fade as they gradually become the equivalent of dead brown leaves. Apparently the growing seed at the base of the petal draws nutrients from the petal itself, as well as from the zinnia plant.

But a "regular" zinnia bloom (Z. elegans or Z. violacea) can maintain full color for several weeks before it fades, while some of the Profusions (Z. marylandica) fade in a matter of days.

"So Hazzard looks to be a good, reliable company am I right?"

I think so. At the risk of annoying some people, they have bible verses all over their website, which is a little unusual. I just "discovered" them a few months ago, myself. I ordered a bunch of White Cactus Flowered zinnias from them, and they filled that order nicely. I plan to order from them again. I used to get White Burpeeana zinnias from Stokes, but Stokes no longer offers them. I like Stokes, too, and they are on my short list of seed suppliers.

I have never grown any of the Gem zinnias, and I plan to do that this year. I will order my Gem zinnias from Hazzards. Because they cater to commercial growers, Hazzards has a good selection of seeds, and they have separate colors of many varieties that other seed companies offer only in a mixture. And their prices are competitive.

ZM
(Not associated with any product or vendor mentioned)

I grow white and orange Z. angustifolia every year and love them. They are both terrific performers in my North Alabama red clay soil (full sun) for a full three seasons. The orange does not fade.

I haven't had a problem with their 'posture', but I tend to be very conservative when it comes to fertilization once planted. I also grow them on the chilly side before planting them, and that seems to help keep them sturdy and stocky in the cell packs.

Again Thanks Zenman. What you said about "regular" Zinnias keeping their color for at least a week is what I have experienced in the past on other types of Zinnias. Hence why I was disappointed on the rapidity of fading on the Profusion. I was talking with my neighbor yesterday about this and asked her what Zinnias she had grown a couple of years ago that did just that - faded within days. Turned out they were the Profusion series. She hadn't liked them then and even from across the street they had looked pretty sad all faded out like they were. And thanks for the feedback on the company. I am not offended by versus from the Bible, so that's no problem. I just like to be cautious before giving out my credit card info....Rhizo: BINGO! thanks for the experience on the non-fading orange A. Angustifolia. Sounds like a winner.....I'll try a couple of Zinnia options this year including A. Angustifolia and some that Zenman has pointed out. The Magellan series btw for me proved to be a disease magnet. The best short bedding Zinnia for me in the past as far as disease resistance was Peter Pan white. But no one, no where carries that anymore. Such a pity....Anyone else have any experience with non-fading orange zinnias, feel free to chime in. I appreciate all the info.....Maryl

Are you only interested in Zinnias? There are lots of other orange flowers, but I don't want to throw off the thread. If you're interested, I have tons of seeds for great orange calendula and I think I still have short orange cosmos.

Martha

maryl, I was the one that talked about some of the Profusions fading badly. However, Profusion Fire does not fade at all. From first bloom to frost I rarely see even a ragged bloom. The old ones neatly disappear under fresh foliage. I cannot imagine a better orange or a better plant.

I too have grown angustifolia and they are great flowers as well. The blooms are smaller than the Profusions and the foliage is a finer texture. The plants don't mound as densely for me as the Profusions, however. I think it really just depends on the effect you want. In a mixed planting in a container, I would probably choose the angustifolias for their ability to "blend" instead of dominate. In a large border, you would need two or three plants of the angustifolias to get the same mass as one well grown Profusion.

Thank you Martha for you generous offer. Unfortunately our summers are much too hot for Calendulas and Cosmos usually give up the ghost about mid summer here. I've thought about sowing them later in the season for fall blooms, but I'm usually too busy just maintaining the watering, fertilizing and weeding to want to even think about new tasks in 100 degree heat.....Donna I've written down the Fire Profusions to try since you say they don't fade. And whatever I grow will be in a pot... I've thought about the smaller flowered plumed Celosias, but don't know if they can tolerate our long hot summers and still have noticeable blooms by Oct. Marigolds are a thought, but the spider mites are always a drawback on them here....Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions. Any further comments are welcome...Maryl