Seed Talk #44 - Zinnia Variety Comparison

Wondering which varieties of zinnias to grow in your garden or on your farm? Today, Lisa and Layne compare some of the most common zinnias grown for cut flower production. First, they discuss how to determine if you still have time to sow zinnia seeds for a fall crop. Then, for each cultivar (Benary's Giants, Uproar Rose, Oklahoma, Queen / Queeny, Zowie, and Giant Cactus), they cover the bloom size, plant height, days to maturity, seed type (open pollinated versus hybrid), color selections (including favorites for late summer and fall bouquets), the occurrence of single blooms versus double, plant productivity, powdery mildew resistance, and how many plants to grow in relation to other zinnia varieties. Listen to the podcast and learn about the unique qualities of each variety and why they are all worth growing!
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The “Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne” podcast is produced by The Gardener’s Workshop and co-hosted by Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo. Lisa is the founder and owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, where Layne works as Seed Manager. Lisa is the award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers and the publisher of Flower Farming School Online, Farmer-Florist School Online, and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with her on social media. Layne is an avid gardener, seed starter, and engineer who loves learning and applying her technical knowledge to all areas of life, including gardening and growing flowers. Thanks for joining us!
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[@tamaradavis4054]

To add to Zowie Yellow Flame: I’ve had several of the larger blooms show a beautiful iridescent hot pink in the deep center. It just pops the orange and yellow colors

[@Lakeport.is.blooming]

I still grow pink zinnias for October because October is also breast cancer awareness month and i make all pink zin bouquets for my family and friends who shares the awareness 💗

[@A.O.P247]

Love cactus zinnias so tall and the colors reminds me of Dahlias.

[@judysilva5358]

Thank you for showing so many variety’s !

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

You are so welcome! Thanks so much for watching and for the positive feedback 🥰 Have a wonderful day! 💚🤗💚

[@lindajarvis4919]

I love the benary giant lime green. I ordered it on select seeds

[@kyrad6543]

I want to try some of the Queeny ones next year and I love the look of the giant cactus because they sort of look like a dahlia. My favorite zinnia variety for containers is Dreamland. The seeds are expensive but well worth it. One single seed will turn into a large plant that just continues to put out blooms over and over from late June through September here in Colorado. They are mildew resistant and never get the ugly dry brown foliage. I've never met a better zinnia for containers.

[@lilacDaisy111]

Mid winter here in Australia, and I've got self sown zinnia and cosmos that are blooming, right next to my blooming ammi, lol! First frosts surely due by the end of the month!!!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Oh my goodness! What a beautiful combination 😍 Thanks so much for sharing, and enjoy your beautiful winter blooms! 💐🤗💐

[@ltuerk]

❤❤❤

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks for watching, and have a fantastic day! 💚💚💚

[@lilacDaisy111]

Oh, I was hoping you'd cover Zinderellas! (the scabiosa types)

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Great idea - we need to trial those and then report back! Thanks so much for this suggestion. I know that they tend to have a higher percentage of single blooms than the varieties we covered in this episode, but they certainly are beautiful! Have you grown them, and - if so - what has your experience been? Thanks so much, and have a wonderful evening 💚

[@ElderandOakFarm]

​@layneangelo1344 yes they do, very very few! I'd rather grow the dpubpe echinaceas or something...

[@Car-jy8pw]

They were underwhelming for me. The first couple blooms were super cute but they’re quite small. Peach did the best but it still had a lot of singles. They have been less resistant to mildew in my experience. Might as well grow scabiosa instead.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@ElderandOakFarm Good to know! Thanks so much for sharing your 'Zinderella' experience, and have a wonderful day! 🤗

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@Car-jy8pw Thanks so much for sharing these helpful 'Zinderella' insights! Thanks so much for watching, and have a lovely day 💚

[@jessbeth73]

I love this seed talk series! I always learn something helpful. After a couple of years of failed zinnias from the nursery, I finally tried them from seed and what a difference! They are so much stronger and more lush. They stand up to my Eastern Sierra high desert heat like champs. BUT they are only just now starting to bloom in July, because our last frost is late and our night temps only just reached the low 60s in late June. Worth the wait though.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Aww - thanks so much for the kind words! 🤗 So happy to hear you are enjoying "Seed Talk" and that you are having success growing your zinnias from seed! 💚 Which varieties are you enjoying most? Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to leave a comment 🥰 Wishing you a wonderful evening and a garden full of beautiful zinnia blooms! ☺

[@jessbeth73]

A question regarding zinnias. I've heard Lisa say that the first cut should be done deep down just above the first couple of sets of leaves. Should this be done in addition to pinching when they are younger, or is it an either/or situation?

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello! If you do not pinch the plants when they are younger, your first cut of the central stem (above two to four side shoots) will act as a pinch. If you pinched the plants when they were younger, you can just make the cut at the base of each stem. In any case, cutting deeper will encourage the development of longer future stems. Hope that helps, and best of luck with your zinnias! 💚🤗💚

[@wildchook745]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Awe, great tip.

[@Maria.Ishtar]

Hi 🌻 Would you please talk about Aster. If I plant them now would they bloom in October? In tunnel maybe?

[@firehorsewoman414]

I saw someone post (maybe here so sorry if its a duplicate), but they said they were growing peach colored four o’clocks and that it was acting as sort of a trap crop as they were eating the four o’clocks and dying. No direct experience in this, just repeating what I saw written.

[@maryj.5562]

I'm growing Benary giants this year, and I've noticed this year in particular I'm getting fewer rows of petals than normal. They are still double but not the glorious dahlia type blooms i normally get. Is that a sign of stress, lack of nutrition... Something else?

[@katrienvh4289]

Why are the California giant Zinnia's not known as much? They get hardly ever mentioned

[@wildchook745]

You say some are expensive to buy, so do you save seeds?

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello! Unfortunately, the expensive seeds are often hybrids, so they will not come true to type if you attempt to save the seed 😩 The open-pollinated varieties would be your best bet for saving, however note that if you have multiple colors and/or varieties growing in your garden, they may cross with each other and result in zinnias that do not look exactly like the originals. This can be fun, as well, but it is just something to be aware of! Hope this helps, and have a lovely day 🤗

[@wildchook745]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Thank you.

[@cbak1819]

Birds took out first immature blooms.. They land on them and they break or peck at paddles😢.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Oh, no! 🐦😱🐦 So sorry to hear that 😔 Hope you have a lot more beautiful blooms on the way (and that the birds leave them alone)! Thanks so much for watching, and have a lovely evening 💚🤗💚

[@cbak1819]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Thanks Layne, I put up some sticks with mason lids on them. 😜I'm praying that detours them so I can harvest. I'm not to bothered.. What ever blooms and when is in God's time. I'll just keep praying. Small things... could be a lot worse.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@cbak1819 Oooo - great idea! 💡 You could also try using organza bags to protect the blooms, although the birds may just peck right through 🙃 Best of luck, and please keep me posted on how everything works out for you! ☘🐦☘