Zinnia Dahliaflowered Mixed consists of a beautiful and exotic-looking mixture of large, beautiful brightly coloured and sparkling colours. The following colours are represented in various shades: dark red, orange, yellow, pink and bright red. Zinnia has long stems with light green leaves. Zinnia Dahliaflowered Mixed originates from the south-west of North America, South America and Mexico. Zinnia comes from the following states in the south-west of America: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah. And the following countries in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the wild, Zinnia occurs in areas with scattered shrubs and dry grasslands in a large area stretching from the southwestern United States to South America. Zinnia is also known as Youth-And-Age, Old Maids, Common Zinnia and Elegant Zinnia. Zinnia is a member of the Compositae family (Astereceae), as are, among others: Yarrow, Chamomile, Roman Chamomile, Yellow Chamomile, Wormwood, Endive, Aster, Daisy, Marigold, Cornflower, Globe Thistle, Goose Flower, Curry Plant, Sunflower, Dandelion, African marigold, Ragwort, Daisy, Thistle, Salsify, Safflower, Chicory, Lettuce, Goldenrod, Tansy, Rudbeckia, Milk thistle and Coneflower. These are not all flowers; there are also some well-known vegetables among them.
The name Zinnia is a tribute to the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. Zinnia is a much-loved and popular garden plant that is easy to grow from seed. Give them a sunny, sheltered spot with well-fertilised and well-drained soil. These exotic-looking flowers are easy to grow in our colder climate. Use Zinnia in your annual border, to fill empty spots in perennial borders and in the bee and butterfly garden. Also very suitable as a cut flower. People who do not have a garden can also enjoy this plant, as it can easily be grown in flower pots and containers on balconies. Remove dead flowers regularly. Zinnia is very popular with bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other beneficial insects. Zinnia self-seeds very easily. Zinnia can only be grown from seed. The dried seeds can be used to make tea. Zinnia flowers from July till October. Non hardy annual. Height: 90 cm.
Indoor sowing: end of February - beginning of April
Outdoor sowing: end of April - May
Germination: 10 - 15 days
Germination temp. : 15 - 22 °C
Sowing depth: ½ cm
Transplanting: 4 weeks after germination
Plant distance: 20 - 40 cm
Distance sowing in rows: 20 cm
Plant position: very sunny and sheltered
Flowering period: July - October
Sow indoors from the end of February in seedtrays filled with pottingsoil mixed with some sand. Sow the seeds about ½ cm deep and cover them with a thin layer of sieved soil. Zinnia needs light to germinate. Cover the trays with a lid to keep the moisture in. Put the trays in a warm and above all light room. Germination takes about 10 - 12 days with a roomtemperature of 18 - 20°C. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperatures drop to much during the night. Remove the lid when the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings to seperate pots 4 weeks after germination. Be carefull with the tender rootsystem of the seedlings. Only water the seedlings when the top layer of soil is dried out. Put the transplanted seedlings away in a cooler enviroment (15 - 18°C) untill it's time to harden them of.
Harden the seedlings of in the middle of May, after the Ice-Saints. Put them outdoors during the day on a sunny and sheltered spot or put them in a cold frame. Put them on a very sunny, sheltered plot with free draining soil after about 6 days. Loosen the soil at least 30 cm deep and mix pottingcompost in with the soil to give some extra nutrition to the Zinnia's.
Sow outdoors from the end of April - beginning of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Loosen the soil at least 30 cm deep and mix pottingcompost in with the soil. Give the plants a very sunny and sheltered plot with free draining soil. You can also sow in rows about 20 cm apart. Sow the seeds about ½ cm deep and cover them with a thin layer of pottingcompost mixed with soil. Sow the seeds about 5 - 10 cm apart, depending of the hight of the flowers. Keep moist till the seeds are germinated but not to wet. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 20 - 40 cm apart, depending on the hight of the flowers. Water Zinnia's when the soil round the flowers is dried out. Deadhead often to make sure these plants keep flowering for a longer period. The foliage of Zinnia's is eaten often by snails and slugs. Protect especially the young plants against snails and slugs.
