I did the same this weekend, I have lots of seeds. I have seen these seeds for sale so I assume they will grow true if not cross pollinated (do you have other zinnias growing nearby?)

I do have some taller zinnia about 10 ft away.... I guess I'lll just try them and see what comes up!

I've been growing Profusion zinnias from seed saved from the mix (cherry, white, and orange) for several years now. I use them for a low border and they tend to be the only zinnias I've grown, so I haven't had a problem with cross pollination. The ones I grow now look to me just like the originals I grew from purchased seeds, same habit and same colors. I don't know that this would work for all hybrids (are we sure Profusion is a hybrid or just a named selection), but it does seem to work for Profusion.

Nan,

I heard that Profusion originated as an intergeneric hybrid, but apparently it has been stabilized as an open pollinated variety for commercial distribution.

MM

Oh good - - I really like the way zinia profusion fills the low spaces in front of my garden and now I am feeling confident that the seeds will "work". How exciting that I do not have to order them!

Thanks to everyone for your helpful input!

I would love some profusion seeds I have tall red, orange, yellow etc zinnia seeds to trade and many other seeds.

Nan,

As a correction to my response on Oct 25, 06 at 0:33, I see that current seed catalogs list Profusion as an F1 hybrid. That's not to say that you can't save seeds from them, but the results may not come true. I plan to do just that to see what the results will look like.

MM

I am not familiar with all of the garden expressions - but does F1hybrid mean that there's a possibility that the seeds I have harvested from my catalogue-bought profusions will possibly grow like the original profusions in a low mound but also may come out taller than usual? with less flowers per mound? Also, how is color affected with hybrid? Would my harvested profusion orange still be orange? more faded? (see I really don't
know much about this, as you can see..LOL) But with the help of everyone out there, I sure am learning!

Carrie

Carrie, I believe F1 stands for "1st filial" (filial=child) which indicates that the seed is the first child generation from crossing two different parents (think son or daughter rather than great great grandchild). In theory, you might get any kind/color/height from the seed you saved from an F1 hybrid because you have no way of knowing what the parents looked like. And that's if the only kinds of zinnias around were the Profusions you planted... because another kind or color of zinnia might actually be one parent of the seed you harvested from your Profusion flower (a bee-made hybrid).

However, in reality, I've been saving and growing seeds from my white/cherry red/orange Profusion mix for the last few years and I always get white, cherry, and orange flowers on zinnias that are low and floriforous like the originals. Of course, I don't generally grow other zinnias, so both parents of the seed I harvest are likely to be Profusion descendants. It's worth a try to see what results you get. BTW: you can't generalize this concept to other types of plants or other zinnias necessarily because it all depends....

Just noticed a wonderful response to my question -

I hope you get this thanks, bitterwort

Carrie

Glad you liked it. Thanks, Carrie!

Bitterwort

I have read that Profusion zinnias produce no nectar so they are not good butterfly plants (or other pollinators)
Can anyone tell me which zinnias are good for butterflies??
Where can I find information on the amount of nectar flowers produce?

viol,

I don't know whether Profusions have nectar or not, but most "regular" zinnias have a lot of nectar.

"Where can I find information on the amount of nectar flowers produce?"

The Internet is a vast source of information and, unfortunately, misinformation as well. You could try a google search. A more direct approach would be to find which flowers attract butterflies the best. Books and articles on butterfly gardens could help.

I grow zinnias as a hobby, and they attract a lot of butterflies for their nectar, and hummingbirds as well. The various bees show up to gather the zinnia pollen.

ZM

A swallowtail butterfly has been in my profusion planting before i started to read this feed. Been there 15 min or so. i’m thinking nectar.

I think you were right. The butterfly wouldn't be interested if there weren't any nectar.

ZM