Hello Oakley,

Great zinnias! Those cosmos in the background aren't so bad, either. If I hadn't settled on zinnias as a hobby, it would have been cosmos. They have about as many flower form variations and color range as zinnias, and they can easily grow taller than zinnias. You have some zinnias worth saving seeds from.

This is one of my outdoor zinnias (I have them both indoors and outdoors at the present time.)

Nothing special. It started off in a "zinnia cage" but has put several limbs outside the cage. I have double-caged some, and triple-caged a few. Our winds can be very damaging. That black pole is a shepherd's hook supporting a reflective wind whirler, to "scare away" seed-eating birds. Looks like I need to hoe some of those crabgrass weeds.

ZM

Very pretty! I notice the tip of your flowers are similar to tips of Cosmos flowers.

I have two large square flowerbeds on each side of the sidewalk. More Cosmos in the other bed but I ran out of Z seeds so I didn't plant anything else.

Why do theLilliputs have the odd pom pom shaped flower with a tiny yellow center? I'm super glad I planted them close together, they're staked but now they offer support to each other AND keep the crabgrass out of their area.

What kind of light are your indoor zinnias getting? The ones I grew in pots are outstanding.

Across the sidewalk

So, it just so happens my two favorite annuals, the two I simply will not be without every summer, are zinnias and cosmos! Yours look great, Oakley (and ZM's always do as well!). How closely did you plant yours? I'm always torn between giving them room to grow and wishing I had planted more closely to get that full look.

:)

Dee

Thank you! I love the cottage feel to the flowers, especially Cosmos swaying in the breeze or a hard wind while staked. lol

I planted both zinnias and cosmos about six inches apart but I was sloppy doing it. Some came up side by side. When they were a few inches tall is when I thinned them but still kept them a lot closer than the packet said.

ETA: Although there are some stakes around the Zinnias, planting them close together helps them grow straight up and without any stems falling over.

Zen, when do you gather seeds? I can either leave dead blooms on the plant until the seeds blacken, righ? Or can I deadhead a faded bloom and dry it out for seeds?

Mary, stay here. Zen Man is the expert as you can tell by his moniker. I'll be interested to see what he has to say about your zinnias.

We had a ton of rain too for the past month and a half but they didn't bother the plants. I'm guessing the soil drains well. I fertilize them maybe a couple of times a month, and they do get a bit of wind, but not much, and of course sun from dawn to dusk.

Zen will be here soon, I'm sure. :)

Thanks, Oakley. I did inch mine a bit closer this year so I'll see how they do. It's been a very odd season here and many of my seedlings are STILL only 6-8 inches tall - which is a vast improvement over the 1-2 inches they were when I finally planted them out about 2-3 weeks ago, after despairing of them ever growing at all.

I mix most of my zinnias into perennial beds, but I do have a couple small beds that are just zinnias, and that's where I planted them a bit closer than I usually do. Hoping for that wonderful full effect like you have!

:)

Dee

Hello Mary,

" I'm having such trouble with mine this year! They're rotting out for some reason. It's been rainy, but not THAT rainy. I've been feeding hard, but nothing extreme. "

We can discuss your problems here, or in a separate thread. Your zinnias may have a disease. Can you give us some more details, particularly about the "rotting" and also the "feeding" you have been doing? A photo or photos might help.

ZM

Thanks, Zen. I might start a few plants now and see what happens.

Once I deadhead, do I need to open the seed area to begin drying, or leave it as is? Where is a good place to let the spent blooms dry out?

BTW, it takes forever for a bloom to die off. Which is good. Haven't seen any birds yet, but a bunch of skipper butterflies. Do zinnias attract other butterflies?

Hello Oakley,

" Do zinnias attract other butterflies? "

They do. Also, occasionally hummingbirds and some day-flying moths like to sip zinnia nectar from the blooms, if they are in the neighborhood.

" Once I deadhead, do I need to open the seed area to begin drying, or leave it as is? Where is a good place to let the spent blooms dry out? "

I let zinnia seedheads sit on a folded newspaper or an old magazine to dry out. If the seedhead is still green and I am saving green seeds, I may not wait for them to dry out, and I will tear them apart and spread them out on a table or open newspaper as an "operating table". I have a small folding table that comes in handy for that.

ZM

We have a lot of Hummers so I hope they're hitting the Zinnias.

Why would you be saving green seeds? To sow right away?

You just reminded me to start some green seeds indoors today, but since it's a different season than when I started seeds last spring indoors have a question about lighting.

When I sowed this summer's zinnias in pots indoors in the spring the sun was shining in the house at a couple of windows. But there isn't any direct sun coming in right now, so would it be okay to let them on the porch in dappled sun once they germinate & leave them there until direct sun comes back which should be next month?

I really would like a grow light because I have two Orchids and want more. Is there a good and inexpensive light you can recommend?

Hello Oakley,

" Why would you be saving green seeds? To sow right away? "

Mainly just to keep the birds from eating them.

" so would it be okay to let them on the porch in dappled sun once they germinate & leave them there until direct sun comes back which should be next month? "

I have never done that with zinnias, but it might work.

" I really would like a grow light because I have two Orchids and want more. Is there a good and inexpensive light you can recommend? "

I purchased my T8 fluorescent shoplights back in 2005, so the T5 fluorescents made them obsolete, and the solid-state lights are now making T5 fluorescents obsolete. So, no, I am not qualified to make recommendations on a grow light in this day and time. I do recommend the book, Gardening Under Lights (that is a clickable link). But it is Copyright 2018, so it is not "up to the minute". But it has a lot of information that is relevant. There is a Houzz forum, Growing Under Lights(another clickable link) that might have some topics that would have some more up-to-date information. You might want to start a Discussion there. I check that forum from time to time.

ZM