Many years ago, my mom was the master gardener in the family. I was always amazed on how she knew what to plant, where and when. She always had this “magic” with flowers and only used natural or organic solutions and always seem to have an abundance of vegetables and flowers in her garden.

Amazing Flower

One of the “go to” plants she loved was the zinnia. Zinnias (pictured below) are plants that resemble daisies but come in a wide array of bright spring and summertime colours. Imagine bright orange, yellow, pink, red, salmon, beige flowers, some the width of an average palm of the hand, peppered throughout your yard. They also are breathtaking in a flower arrangement in a vase, and if you change the water regularly, they can last from 7-10 days.

The Look

Depending on the species, the Zinnias can have a daisy like characteristic or an almost “pom-pom” like look to them. They grow on very strong stalks and some of mine have gone “crooked” (probably because I didn’t support the stalk as it was growing and the flowers began to add some weight). As I mentioned, the flowers are the “superstars” of flowers (next to peonies, my mom’s other favourite).

Growing Season in Colder Climates

Zinnias flower usually from early summer to the Fall, and do not disappoint. While I resisted growing plants from my mom’s “era”, I realized just how right she was. These flowers can be grown in seed trays before the spring planting season or can be planted directly into the ground.

I find in my garden they do better in my west and south facing gardens, but I have grown them in my east and north gardens. And yes, these can be grown in northern climates quite successfully but when the frost hits, they usually start to look burned or weak, and eventually the leaves go brown quickly. So in this climate, they are annuals but you can harvest seeds from these plants, and store them for next year. More on that later.

Planting, Spacing and Layout

You can purchase species that are shorter and ideal for borders (about 12”) but most of them seem to come in heights from 24” to about 36”. They need a little space because these grow wider and taller and make perfect “3rd row” plant.

Third row? Let me explain – my garden has 3 rows of plants typically, “front line” (first row or border), “splash” (second row with medium tall plants ) and “the wow” row (third row and usually closer to 3 ft). So for the last few years, I have elected to put the species of Zinnias in my third row, and they don’t disappoint.

Depending on your preference or the look you are going for, you can plant them all in one colour and make a bold statement, or mix them up for some cheerfulness to your garden. I tend to plant the Zinnias so that there is a splash of different colours. I love seeing the pop of colour.

I have grown mine in both containers and in flower beds. They seem to do well in both settings. I have also grown them in my south facing rock gardens, and they almost thrive in these very warm environments. The one environment I noticed they don’t do as well in are more shady (full shade) areas. They grow in shade but they seem to take longer and a few of my plants in the shade never “made it” and died. But for the majority of the yard, they are show flowers.

Companion Plants

I am curious to hear about the other plant combinations folks have done with zinnias, but I have found the Cosmos plants to offer some nice contrast to the Zinnia. The Cosmos plant has a nice bushy look to it, with delicate “fern like” leaves and also have a daisy looking flower. Sometimes I plant 2 Zinnia plants to every 1 Cosmos just for some contrast and “texture”.

Harvesting Seeds

The other great thing about the Zinnias, is that you can harvest the seeds. So if you find a particular plant and love the colour of the flower or the details in it, you just have to patiently wait for the flower to completely dry out. Once it does, you pick the flower off, and start pulling apart the head of the flower where you will find these brown tipped seeds. Seeds can be stored in a paper bag, in a cool but dry place. As an experiment, I have also dropped the seeds directly into the soil late in the fall, and have had some of the plants return in the spring, after being insulated by snow. But harvesting is easy, you just need to wait for the flower to dry out completely (and look almost light tan to brown and all of the colour gone.)

Summer 2022

Last summer (2021) it was very very hot where we were and most flowers and gardens struggled (because it would mean we would need to water daily and soak the flower bed so that it could survive in the heat). In that extreme heat (even atypical for us in more northern environments) it was difficult to keep my “three rows” thriving.

So 2021 was a bit of a write off. However, the Zinnias still did well even though a few plants perished. Some of the pictures I posted below are from 2021, but I am really looking to 2022 because I hope to get my three rows growing again. An now that I also know to stake some of my plants along with avoiding shady areas, I hope to have that dazzle of colour well into 2022.

Note: All plants on this post are from my own garden in 2021.

Bliss Reflection

This flower, whether in the garden or in the vase, just brightens up your day. It’s a hardy plant that just awes you.

But I think the true joy comes from me being able to continue my mom’s tradition of flowers. She loved these flowers and always had the green thumb that resulted in every single one of her Zinnia to sprout and grow.

These flowers remind me of her smile and her joy. She sadly is no longer with us, and so these plants always remind me of how she would always teach me gardening, and how she would tell us “how good her Zinnia’s looked this year”. And each time I look at my Zinnia’s, I remmber how she would say ”Zinnia” in her thick Polish accent. It always sounded more elegant than the english version! And like any European that grew up I the war, she knew how to harvest the seeds and keep her garden blooming year after year, without spending hundreds of dollars.

So when these plants ”light up” my garden, its as if, she is there. She is all over my garden, and I know she smiles when she sees my garden and those Zinnias. It’s like I have hundreds of her smiles all over my yard.

Bliss Finds and Facts

• For a trusted source on the zinnia, check out even more detailed information from Almanac.com
• And if you want to know what compantion plants go well with Zinnias, check this out.
• And if you want to know everything that is on the web about Zinnias, and get ALL your questions answered, click here.