Last year, as I was strolling through our local community garden, a lovely red flower caught my attention. Upon close examination, the flower resembled a zinnia. However, it was different than the zinnias I was growing. First, it was low growing, no more than 10 inches high. Second, there were abundant flowers. Curious, I went home and did some research. As it turns out, this was a Profusion Zinnia. Profusion zinnia has been around since at least 1999, but it was my first encounter. For me, profusion zinnias are an awesome flower to grow and add to your garden.
Because I love zinnia, I have been growing the tall variety of zinnia (Zinnia Elegans) in my garden for many years. Now, I grow both the elegans and profusion zinnia. Profusion zinnia is a hybrid cross between Zinnia elegans and zinnia angustifolia. They are a low growing, mounding type plant. Think of them as an alternative to marigold, petunia, periwinkle, or impatiens. They are prolific bloomers, come in a variety of colors, are award winners, and are delightful to watch grow. In addition, they do equally well planted in a container or in the ground.
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How to grow profusion zinnias from seeds
In general, zinnias are one of the easiest flowers to start from seed. The profusion zinnia is no different. They can either be started indoors from seed (4-6 weeks before the last frost) or directed seeded outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Zinnias will germinate in five to seven days in temperatures above 65°F. When the soil reaches a minimum temperature of 60°F, zinnias can be planted outdoors. Once the seedling emerges, it will take anywhere from 1-3 months for the flowers to appear.
Before planting outdoors, it’s important to “harden off” the seedlings. Hardening off is the process of gradually acclimating the plant to the outdoors. Hardening off can be done in a cold frame or by simply placing the plants outdoors for a couple of hours each day for one to two weeks. For a full guide on starting plants from seeds, see my blog post titled “The complete guide to starting plants from seeds indoors”.
How to care for profusion zinnia
- Light: Zinnias like full sun with at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
- Soil: Zinnias prefer a soil that is fertile, drains well, and is amended with organic matter (e.g. the addition of compost and/or manures). Either make compost at home or purchase from a garden center. For information on making compost at home, reference my blog titled “Recipes for Compost”. It is best to work compost into the soil in the fall for spring planting. Soil should have a pH between 5.5 and 7.5.
- Spacing: Follow the guidelines on the back of the seed package for plant spacing. The thing to remember is that profusion zinnias will spread 10-15 inches.
- Water: Zinnias do need regular watering especially if you are growing zinnias in containers.
- Fertilizing: Fertilize zinnias at least twice during the growing season with a balanced NKP (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (K), and potassium (P)) fertilizer with a formulation of 20-20-20. When planting in containers, I use a slow-release fertilizer. My favorite slow-release is Osmocote. My containers have done some much better once I started using a slow-release fertilizer.
- Companions: Interplant zinnias within a vegetable garden to attract pollinators or in a container next to the vegetable garden. I find that both my vegetables and zinnias are healthier when planted together.
- Other characteristics:
- Unlike zinnia elegans, deadheading is not necessary with profusion zinnias
- Drought and heat tolerant
- Disease resistant
Ideas for using profusion zinnias in the garden
Container Ideas:
- In the container below, the yellow profusion zinnias are mixed with marigolds, periwinkle, impatiens, fern and Angelonia flowers. While this may seem like a lot of flowers for one container, the profusion zinnias don’t mind and have done very well.
- In this second container, the white profusion zinnias are really on their own. In the center, there is one small variegated Liriope. This was a shallow container and the soil dried out quickly. When planted in containers, zinnias do not like dry soil and will wilt to let you know they need water.
In the flower garden
- Below, you see orange profusion zinnia mixed with other flowers including white alyssum and yellow coreopsis. So pretty!
- White profusion zinnias growing on the outside border of a perennial flower garden. Each of the clusters are one plant.
In the vegetable garden
- This first picture shows red and white profusion zinnias as a boarder in the vegetable garden.
- Below, white profusion zinnias as a mound, growing near other vegetables. Attracting pollinators to the garden.
Profusion zinnias are an awesome flower to grow and will not disappoint! Here are a couple of additional posts you may enjoy.
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