Hi Arlene,

That is a nice red dahlia flowered zinnia. Zinnias are heavy feeders, and that pot volume is a bit of a limitation for a large zinnia. The lower leaves dying is probably a symptom of a nutrient deficiency. Could be any of a number things -- phosphorous, nitrogen, whatever. I suggest feeding it with MiracleGro Bloom Booster formula. It is a reasonably complete formula. My zinnias also like MiracleGro Tomato Food. Feeding them won't restore dead leaves, but it should put the brakes on the leaf dying thing.

Zinnias do better in open ground, where they can develop enormous root systems. If open ground is not an option for you, try to get some larger containers. If you have more than one zinnia, you can cross-pollinate them to create your own hybrids. It's easy to do and you can get some fun results.

ZM

Hi zen_man, Thank you for the advice! I do have some MG tomato food and I will give them a feeding today. Unfortunately I have limited open ground space (especially in full sun), but I do have some larger containers to try them in next year. I have just started following your zinnia breeding threads and your work is so inspiring.

i really hate when they use a different plant name in a plant name ...

its a Z not a dahlia ...

ken

I can't really comment to its dahlia-like properties as I have never grown dahlias. There is a guy around the corner from me who fills his lot with all kinds of dahlias in pots each year, much taller and more substantial than these zinnias so "Giant Dahlia" is certainly a stretch. At least they didn't call it a dinner plate zinnia.

I think these Zinnias are a really good boost to the garden generally and definitely fill the spaces between Dahlias very nicely