Zinnia elegans is one of the easiest summer flowers to grow from seed. This mix gives a range of bright flower colours on bushy plants of roughly 60 to 90 cm, and the more you cut, the more they flower. It loves South African summer heat and is a great choice for cut-flower beds, vegetable-garden borders and pollinator patches.
Growing guide for South Africa
- When to sow: after the last frost, from September to December in most areas (Highveld and other frost areas wait until October). Frost-free coastal and Lowveld gardens can sow from August to January.
- How to sow: sow directly where they will flower, about 5 mm deep, or in trays and transplant while small. Zinnias dislike root disturbance.
- Germination: 7 to 14 days at 20 to 25 degrees C.
- Spacing: thin or plant 20 to 30 cm apart.
- Position: full sun and well-drained, compost-enriched soil.
- Flowering: about 8 to 10 weeks from germination, right through summer into autumn.
- Care: pinch out the growing tip at about 20 cm for bushier plants, water the soil rather than the leaves, and give good airflow to limit powdery mildew. Cut or deadhead regularly.
Quick facts: Packet: heirloom seed, mixed colours. Height 60 to 90 cm. Annual. Sowing times are a guide: adjust for your local frost dates and climate.
Photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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