Zinnias have plenty of pizzazz, yet don't need much water. If you're gardening in metro Denver, currently under drought watch, you'll want sturdy annuals that won't break your water budget this growing season.
Now's a perfect time to pick up a package of zinna seeds or some zinnia bedding plants. Few annuals can compete with zinnias for steady blooming despite sparse watering. Once established, zinnias can get by on minimal water. Between waterings, zinnias might wilt during the heat of the day, but during Colorado's cool nights, they'll perk up again.
Zinnias come in a rainbow of colors. Choose from creamy white or apple green, yellow, pink, scarlet or coral.
Zinnias also come in a wide range of sizes. I'm a fan of zinnia 'Profusion White,' which grows easily and flowers profusely over a long season. With smallish, daisy-like flowers measuring 2" to 3", this plant resists powdery mildew. Many zinnias require deadheading, but 'Profusion' needs no pinching or pruning.
Zinnias do need full sun. The hotter, the better. Plant zinnias in the most incendiary spots of your landscape, or in containers in the hot spots of your garden. Now that Mother's Day has come and gone, we should be safe from frost, but zinnias don't want to be rushed. The plants languish until the season really heats up. In fact, my most successful zinna planting came one summer when I discovered an envelope of zinnia seeds I'd forgotten to plant. Thinking it was too late, I nonetheless sowed the seeds in the hottest spot of my secret garden. Giant zinnias flourished, flowering all the way through autumn, providing fresh cut flowers for my Thanksgiving table.
The National Garden Bureau declared 2011 The Year of the Zinnia, but these annuals are truly timeless.
An added bonus: Zinnias attract butterflies.
Zinnias are one of my favorite annuals, and I've reported on zinnas for Sunset magazine and The Denver Post. Click here to read a feature for The Denver Post about zinnias.
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