Zinnia Lilliput mixed consists of double flowered flowers in very sparkling and bright shades of pink, purple, white, yellow, orange and red. Zinnia's originate from Mexico and they need a lot of sunshine, shelter against the wind and very well drained soil. These flowers look a lot like Ball Dahlia's with dome-shaped double flowers on stately and sturdy stems surrounded by light green tapered leaves. These very jolly, long flowering and bees and butterflies attracting flowers are a must-have for any garden. Use Zinnia in an annual border, to fill in any open gaps in the garden, in flowerpots and planters and of course in a bees and butterflies friendly garden. Very well suited as cutflower. Zinnia's grown from Your own harvested seeds don't get the same colour as the motherplant. This plant can flower till the first frost when deadheaded often. Non hardy annual. Height: 50 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 - 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.
