Martin Fish on how to keep colour coming with zinnias
Regular cutting will ensure a supply of blooms into autumn
For a long-lasting cut flower from mid-summer to early autumn, zinnias take some beating. This half-hardy annual has regained its popularity over recent years and seed catalogues now carry a good selection of varieties with single and double flowers, such as ‘Purple Prince’, ‘Early Wonder Mixed’ and ‘Envy’, to name but a few. They come in a range of colours to suit all tastes, from subtle pastel shades to hot reds and oranges and even lime-green.
Seed is sown in spring and some people suggest sowing directly into the garden, but being a half-hardy annual I prefer to start seedlings off under cover. Zinnia seedlings don’t like root disturbance, so to prevent this sow the seeds into small cell trays using a well-drained, multi-purpose compost. Always use fresh compost and clean trays to reduce damping off, which zinnias can be prone to. Keep the compost moist, but not wet, again to help prevent fungal infections. In a warm greenhouse the seeds should germinate in three or four days and the seedlings grow fast. For this reason you don’t need to sow seeds until late April or early May to produce strong plants for planting out in late May or early June. You can also stagger the sowing and plants raised from a June sowing will still produce a good crop of flowers. Cut the flowers when they’re almost fully open but be careful when handling as the stem below the flower head is hollow and delicate. Once you’ve cut the main lead bloom, sideshoots will develop and more flowers will be produced. In a good summer you can cut regularly from July into early autumn. Once cut, condition the flowers overnight in water and flower food. I like to arrange them in a simple hand-tied posy with a selection of companion flowers such as ammi, statice and a little foliage from the garden.