Grow 10 vibrant Zinnias in your garden
10 Stunning Zinnia Varieties for Your Sunny Garden Border
Zinnias, native to Mexico, are annual flowers that have become a popular choice for gardeners due to their vibrant colors, easy growth, and ability to attract pollinators. Here are ten beautiful Zinnia varieties well-suited for a sunny border:
- Double Zahara Strawberry
- Flower color: Rose-pink that darkens slightly towards the center
- Growth habit: Double blooms that hold up well in hot, sunny spots, compact and vigorous growth suitable for borders
- Zinnia elegans (Common Zinnia)
- Flower colors: Wide range including red, orange, yellow, pink, white, and bi-colors
- Growth habit: Fast-growing annual, typically 12–24 inches tall, with large daisy-like flower heads, ideal for sunny borders
- Zinnia ‘Thumbelina’
- Flower colors: Vibrant reds, oranges, and pinks
- Growth habit: Dwarf variety, usually under 12 inches tall, with small but prolific blooms, suitable for front-of-border plantings
- Zinnia ‘Lilliput’
- Flower colors: Classic bright reds, oranges, yellows
- Growth habit: Another dwarf variety, compact and bushy, excellent for dense plantings in sunny borders
- Zinnia ‘State Fair’
- Flower colors: Bright, large blooms in reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows
- Growth habit: Tall (up to 3 feet), robust stems, large fully double flowers, good for middle-to-back of border
- Zinnia ‘Zahara’ series (Including Double Zahara)
- Flower colors: Various, including white, orange, red, yellow, and strawberry pink
- Growth habit: Compact, disease resistant, blooms continuously, good heat tolerance
- Zinnia ‘Queen Red Lime’
- Flower colors: Unique lime green center with bright red outer petals
- Growth habit: Medium height, adds unusual color contrast, heat tolerant
- Zinnia ‘Profusion’ series
- Flower colors: Coral, cherry, cherry rose, and white
- Growth habit: Compact and spreading, low-maintenance, great for mass planting in sunny borders
- Zinnia angustifolia
- Flower colors: Usually orange, red, or yellow, small flowers
- Growth habit: Narrow leaves, smaller but more drought tolerant, grows about 12-18 inches tall
- Zinnia ‘Envy’
- Flower colors: Greenish-yellow unique flower color
- Growth habit: Medium height, unusual foliage and flowers, adds texture and color variation to the border
These varieties prefer full sun and well-drained soil, making them ideal for sunny garden borders. Many — especially the Zahara and Profusion series — are drought tolerant and disease resistant, making maintenance easier. They attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees, adding ecological value to your garden.
Other noteworthy Zinnia varieties include:
- 'Queen Red Lime', ideal for filling gaps in the border and also works well in container displays
- 'Pop Art', bearing large, golden flowers flecked with red on tall stems
- 'Soleado', bearing masses of single orange flowers on strong stems and easy to grow, resistant to rain, and flowers until the first frosts
- The red spider zinnia, Zinnia tenuifolia, a delicate, spider-like zinnia with dainty, scalloped flowers in a luscious red
- Single-flowered varieties of Zinnia elegans are valued by pollinating insects, particularly hoverflies
- 'Early Wonder', a mix of single and semi-double zinnias in colors ranging from bright pink and yellow to red, growing to a height of 75cm.
With their wide range of colors, sizes, and growth habits, Zinnias are a versatile addition to any sunny garden border.
- The Zinnia 'State Fair' and Zinnia 'Zahara' series, with their bright colors and compact growth, are suitable for the front of sunny garden borders, while the taller Zinnia 'State Fair' is perfect for the middle-to-back.
- For those seeking an unusual color contrast, the Zinnia 'Queen Red Lime' with its lime green center and bright red outer petals, is a medium height variety well-suited for sunny home-and-garden settings.
