1999 Archive

2000 Archive

January

February

March

April

Archive By Topic

Health and Nutrition

Human Sciences

Environment

Animal Science

Agronomy

Horticulture

4-H

Consumer Affairs

Back

2000: YEAR OF THE ZINNIA 
CELEBRATE NATIONAL GARDEN WEEK APRIL 9-15 

AUBURN, APRIL 7---Celebrate National Garden Week, April 9-15, by sharing your enthusiasm for gardening with someone and planting one of America's favorite plants -- flowering zinnias. These plants are the National Garden Bureau's flower of the year. 

Zinnias are a favorite annual for landscape and fresh cut flowers. Perhaps it has something to do with fond memories of our grandmother's garden, or that they are simply easy to
grow, says Mary Beth Musgrove, Extension horticulture associate, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. 

Whether you grow old-fashioned common zinnias or the more recent zinnia hybrids, it's worth knowing the difference between zinnia species regularly grown in home gardens from early summer to first frost. 

Zinnia elegans, known as common zinnia, is very familiar to gardeners. Varieties -- tall, medium and dwarf -- have been part of gardens for decades and continue to be favorites. Few flowers are as wonderful as these "cut and come again" annuals. They make excellent cut flowers for use in arrangements, fresh or dried. 

Of all the zinnias, common zinnia is the most plagued by the fungus powdery mildew. "Dreamland Scarlet" variety is more resistant to this disease than others. Common zinnias
are best grown in full sun with plenty of space. They must have sun and good air circulation to avoid developing powdery mildew. Flower colors are available in just about every color except blue, says Musgrove. 

Zinnia angustifolia (also known as Zinnia linearis) or narrow-leaf zinnia, is somewhat less known but not for long. Recent cultivars, such as "Crystal White," which has white blooms with yellow centers, and the golden orange series, are making this bedding plant a household name. 

Narrow-leaf zinnias make excellent, heat-tolerant annuals with their mounding growth habit spreading to 2 feet wide. The plant remains covered in small, single flowers about quarter size, throughout the summer. 

The flowers represent the best of the best annuals in Alabama, says Musgrove. They are heat and humidity tolerant, disease resistant and easy to maintain. No deadheading of spent blooms is required. Because of their compact growth habit and toughness, these plants are being used in interspecific crossbreeding with Zinnia elegans. In 1999, the "profusion"
zinnias -- "Profusion Cherry" and Profusion Orange" -- were introduced as gold medal winners for All-America Selections. These cultivars have pretty 2- to 3-inch single flowers
and grow 12 to 18 inches tall. Narrow-leaf zinnias will be the benchmark for future zinnias, says Musgrove. 

Probably the least known of zinnias is Zinnia haageana or the Mexican zinnia. It is disease resistant, grows to 15 inches tall, and has small, bicolored flowers. It is an excellent cut flower because of its long stems. These zinnias also have a contrasting color at the tip of each petal, including such colors as yellow, orange, cherry, pink, purple, scarlet and white. 

Zinnias should be grown in full sun, which means six or more hours of direct sun daily, adds Musgrove. Choosing a site that has good air circulation and good soil drainage helps reduce chances of disease problems. 

Cutting zinnias' blooms frequently helps keep the plants compact and producing more flowers. With regular watering and the use of a water-soluble fertilizer such as 20-20-20 or a slow-release fertilizer, plan on this trouble-free plant flowering all summer. 

SOURCE: MARY BETH MUSGROVE, Extension Horticulture Associate, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-5481