Zinnias: Growing Great Zinnias

Nothing says summer like a bunch of cheerful zinnias. These cheerful blooms come in a rainbow of colours, making them a must-have for all flower lovers.

The easiest cut flower to grow, they are a great first crop for beginning growers and are reliable, prolific producers for most flower farms and gardeners.  

Every year I fall more and more in love with zinnias.

Zinnias dislike cold weather and should be planted after it has warmed up a bit. The majority of gardeners in warmer parts of the world can successfully direct seed their zinnias straight into the ground. Here in cool Washington, we start our plants in the greenhouse 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost.

Around mid-May, once the weather has sufficiently warmed up and all danger of frost has passed, plants are tucked into the field. Like every flower grown on our farm, we try to give them the best start possible.  

Planting beds are prepared by laying four lines of drip irrigation, roughly a foot (30.5 cm) apart, and then covered with pre-burned landscape fabric to control weeds. The plants are spaced nine inches (23 cm) apart with five rows per bed. 

If given good soil and a steady supply of water, plants can grow huge and require support. Hortonova netting is stretched horizontally about 12 inches (30.5 cm) above the ground. Metal hoops are used to hold the net in place. We made them with our Johnny's Quick Hoops Bender. You can use wooden stakes or metal stakes. As the plants grow, they push up through the grid of netting and get the support they need.

Zinnias thrive in full sun and love the heat. In addition to choosing a sunny spot, I always grow them in fabric to add heat.  

In the beginning, I was concerned zinnias would be plagued by disease, but since they are grown in such rich soil, this hasn't been an issue. To ensure a steady supply of these beautiful blooms all summer long, we succession sow zinnias every 2 to 3 weeks. 

The key to getting the longest stems from your zinnias is pinching them when they are young. Take sharp pruners and cut the top 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of the plant just above a set of leaves when plants are between 8 and 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) tall. In response, the plant sends up multiple stems from below where the cut was made, increasing flower production and stem length. The photo above shows a pinching with another plant. 

If you are not regularly harvesting your zinnias, be sure to deadhead any spent blooms to help the plant concentrate its energy on producing new flowers rather than seeding.

Zinnias should be picked when they are fully ripe, otherwise, they won't last in the vase. Use the "wiggle test" to determine when a zinnia is ready to be harvested. Simply grasp the stem about 8 inches (20 cm) below the flower head and gently shake it. If the stem is droopy or bends, it is not ready to be cut. A stem that remains erect and is stiff is ready for harvest.

Zinnias are considered dirty flowers, so they benefit from a drop or two of bleach in their water. Flowers are very sensitive to cold, so don't put them in the cooler.

Zinnias come in every shape, colour, and size you can think of. Whatever your needs, there is a zinnia for you.

 

Meet the 2021 Floret Scholarship Winners

For us at Floret, announcing our scholarship winners is one of the highlights of the year. Every time we read stories from around the world about people who want to cultivate beauty in their lives, we get inspired. Even more impressive was the commitment of so many applicants to continue to pay it forward and help others along the way. 

Another record-breaking year for our scholarship program. Over 4,000 applications were received from 79 different countries. We received essays from Botswana, Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, Montenegro, Uruguay, Singapore, Tanzania, and beyond. 

We recruited members of the Floret team, my daughter Elora, a few longtime flower friends, as well as two past scholarship recipients, to serve on the review committee. A team of 13 people read all the essays and selected 107 finalists. I sat down to read and reread each of the finalists' essays after printing them, in order to try to narrow the list down to eight. Choosing the winners is always a difficult task, as there are so many deserving applicants. However, this was by far the most difficult decision I have had to make in nearly a decade of giving scholarships. The applicants were amazing! 

Having spent hours deliberating, we decided that choosing just eight was impossible. We increased the total to 12 full scholarships after a generous donor offered a partial scholarship for a grower in her home state. 

flowers 

Before I introduce the winners, I want to first express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to apply. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful essays, family memories, and personal journeys. I am so inspired by the dreams, aspirations, and beautiful life stories that were woven into the essays. 

Every year, a few key themes emerge as we read through the applications. This year’s themes reflect the wide-ranging, life-changing events from the past nine months. For example, we know that flowers bring joy; they spark memories and stir nostalgia; they show others we care; they provide comfort during life’s biggest moments and milestones. We’re hungry for more beauty and kindness in our world. I believe this is more true today than ever before.