Hi Max

They are introducing new varieties of flowers all the time. What you grew in your garden years ago may not resemble what you get today, even if it has the same common name. The latin names may vastly differ though.

Peppermint stick zinnias come in a variety of colors, and mixes. All have splotches. The memory is not always reliable--are you sure they were peppermint stick zinnias you grew back then, or some other variety.

Pretty sure they were called "peppermint stick" because I always called them "candy cane flowers" and then the regular double zinnias of whatever series at the time I just called "pom-poms". They were ususally less double and would contrast in cutting arrangements. Looking online I can see that they have a lot of variation, even in flower form as you said. Maybe the mix I used to get or what was more available was more of a single blossomed variety that's gone by the wayside.....