Hi Ruth,

My zinnias also get tall and flop over, with the help of some of our Kansas winds. As it happens, I like taller zinnias, because I don't have to stoop or kneel to work with them (I cross pollinate them as part of my zinnia breeding projects), so I house some of my breeder zinnias in zinnia cages (re-purposed tomato cages).

A simple solution to your tall-flopping problem is to plant lower growing zinnia varieties. The Magellan zinnias would be one example of those.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

I second Magellan zinnias. They have a large double flower on a 12 inch plant and they flower profusely. I've been growing them for about 5 years and never had a failure.

A new zinnia I tried this year is Pinwheel Zinnia and was very impressed. Though single flowered and not as large flowered as the Magellan it made up for it with the number of blooms and made quite a show edging my flower bed. The seed is cheaper than the Magellan and it's one I will grow again next year

If you insist on growing the tall ones you'll have to stake them or try Dahlias. they have a similar flower to zinnias but a stiffer stem and you can save the tubers from year to year.

Thanks, I haven't tried growing the shorter one from seeds, but have bought them in the nursery several times. They never seem to last very long for me.

This year I love the ones I'm growing except for the flopping over. These are the ones I want to continue to grow. Meteor, cherry queen, lilliput, a purple and an orange red that is missing tags are all my favorites. Plus I want to add a good pink and a good purple one.

Mazurkia hasn't done very well and most of the Will Rogers seem to be single. I pulled out all the white ones and some pinks didn't come up or haven't bloomed.

I use stakes, one per plant. It's the only way I can have those beautiful tall zinnias for cutting. I grow the short ones in pots on my deck and steps. Deadheading makes them last all season.

When you buy nursery grown plants often they are fully grown and have lots of flowers. That means your plants are in their prime and have nowhere to go but down. When I buy plants I look for the small bushy plants that have no flowers just a few buds. Then I know I'm getting a young plant just coming into bloom. A young plant settles in easier and will start to put on a show in a couple of weeks. I use bamboo stakes for tall plants. I place them nearby when I plant. As the plant grows I use Velcro plant tape to secure them to the stake. My stakes are slightly shorter than the expected height of the plant. When the plant is fully grown you can't even see the stakes