Zinnias!

I have loved zinnias since I was a little girl. It is the first flower I ever grew from seed. Mother would let me pick all I wanted and create bouquets. Sigh...love those memories... And I have continued that summer tradition of planting zinnia seeds in anticipation of the summer show of color plus cutting some of the beautiful flowers for my kitchen.
This year I bought a seed packet of every type of zinnia I could find. They are all planted in the bed around the Chinese Pistache in back. Luckily for now, that tree is too young to produce much shade, so the zinnias get plenty of hot sun and lots of room to breathe. I tossed and raked them in this bed a couple of months ago. They are now starting to bloom, and I am being rewarded with so many different types and colors. Some are almost ruffled..
this one is a candy striped..
this is my favorite of the new--it has the colors of blanket flowers.
And can you see the large red standing proud and tall? Those came from seeds Cindy at
My Corner of Katy sent me last year. They are scattered through out the bed. I also have lots of what are called "cut and come again." Perfect for me! I have a bouquet in the kitchen, and I love to have several little vases with one flower in each on my breakfast room windowsill.
I have never tried planting seeds for profusion zinnias, but the plants I bought a few months ago are looking pretty happy in this old galvanized bucket.
Last year I was so afraid my zinnias were not going to grow, and they ended up doing beautifully. I hated the day I had to pull them up. You know what the problem was? ME! I simply could not wait for the flowers to grow and bloom. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn as a gardener is "patience." Zinnias are a good teacher!

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Types of zinnias I planted:
Giant Cactus Mixed; Giant Double Mixed; Starlight Mixed; Oklahoma Mixed; Giant Scarlet; Whirligig; Big Tetra; Candy Cane; Cut and Come again; Pass-along Large Red