Choosing spectacular types and varieties of zinnia - an aristocratic flower for your garden
Zinnias can rightfully be considered an old-time plant, because in flower beds and on flower beds they could be found long before our birth. Thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, species and varieties of zinnia have appeared in huge numbers. They differ markedly from each other. Tall and low, large and small, monochromatic and variegated - all deserve attention. Want to add some vibrant colors to your patio? Then let's get acquainted with the most popular and beautiful varieties of this amazing flower.
Depending on the shape of the plant and the structure of the inflorescences, 4 groups are distinguished:
- graceful zinnia (varieties with strong erect stems and inflorescences of various sizes, colors and structures);
- narrow-leaved zinnia (plants with a narrower and lighter leaf plate);
- fine-flowered zinnia (medium-sized bushes with small flowers from petals twisted at the tip);
- zinnia linearis (dwarf zinnias with small chamomile-like inflorescences).
Linearis and fine-flowered zinnia somehow did not take root in the flower beds of gardeners. Most likely, the inconspicuous size of their baskets played a role. But the graceful and narrow-leaved varieties have firmly entered the list of popular plants. Why did you like them so much, and which ones are planted most often? We bring to your attention a selection of zinnia varieties with photos and a short description.
Slender aristocrat - graceful zinnia
To prevent tall plants from shading each other, there must be a distance of at least 20 cm between the bushes. By the way, this is a cross-pollinated crop.
Elegant zinnia, as this variety is also called due to its Latin name, is characterized by a long flowering. It begins in mid-June, and the last inflorescences bloom when frost hits. The flowers are very beautiful, the reed petals can be either elongated or curled up into a tube. The middle is decorated with a cluster of small, yellow, tubular petals.
The seeds of elegant zinnia have good germination. Even 4 years after harvest, they almost all germinate.
In turn, the varieties of zinnia graceful are grouped depending on the shape and structure of the inflorescences, as well as the height of the plants:
- dahlia;
- zinnia fantasy;
- pompom;
- chrysanthemum;
- Gaillard;
- scabiosa.
Such varieties of elegant zinnia look gorgeous.
Zinnia Courage
Differs in abundant flowering and short stature. The height of the bushes is a maximum of 35 cm.The inflorescences themselves are also small, on average about 8 cm, but in large numbers are located among the green leaves. Baskets of flowers are terry, in the form of a hemisphere, white, pink, orange or red.
Zinnia Mishutka
Tall plants (up to 90 cm) with large lush inflorescences.Their diameter can reach 16 cm, while elongated petals with a rounded edge are densely located to each other. The flowers are hemispherical and can be painted in different colors. One of the richest is the purple Mishutka zinnia. The red color common among these plants is deeper, with a barely noticeable light spot in the center of the flower. But the diameter of the basket itself is a couple of centimeters less.
Zinnia Apriori
Tall, up to 90 cm, sprawling bush with strong stems and large baskets. The diameter of the inflorescences is 15 cm, painted in a rich salmon pink color.
Zinnia Carnival
Tall, up to 70 cm, bush, stems are powerful, straight, strongly leafy. The leaves are dark green, oval, with a sharp tip. Differs in variegated inflorescences with a diameter of about 10 cm. This is a very effective double zinnia. It can be white, pink or yellow, with darker specks on the main background.
Zinnia Carousel
The variety is distinguished by an elegant two-tone color of inflorescences with a dark center and light edges. They are small, up to 10 cm in diameter, with wide double petals. Zinnia Carousel - medium-sized, no more than 50 cm high. The stems firmly hold an upright position. Surprisingly, she is able to cross independently with other varieties. The result is original baskets.
Zinnia graceful Italy
It is immediately noticeable in the flowerbed due to its high, up to 90 cm, stems. Blooms in dense terry baskets in the form of a hemisphere. A flower mixture of red, white and green colors is in great demand.
Zinnia Russian size
The tallest variety with stems up to 180 cm high, however, only in greenhouse conditions. In the flowerbed, the bushes are slightly lower, but they retain the size of double dense baskets of different colors (from 12 to 15 cm in diameter).
Zinnia graceful dahlia
Plants of this group are distinguished by large flowers, from 10 to 15 cm in diameter. They are very similar to flowers dahlia, with hemispherical baskets, in which the outer petals are terry, and in the reed ones, the tips are bent.
Such varieties of dahlia zinnia are very beautiful.:
- Envy;
- California giants;
- Moonstone;
- Goddess;
- Lavender;
- Purple Queen;
- Lilliputian;
- Giant;
- Cherry Queen;
- Monarch;
- Tangerine mousse;
- Polar bear.
Zinnia Envy
This is one of the most unusual varieties, which is often referred to simply as green zinnia for its original color. Another name is Zinnia Envi (from English - "envy"). Its inflorescences look like large lush green pompons. The diameter of each flower is at least 15 cm, rounded wide petals, the closer to the center, the more they are wrapped in the middle. They bloom in early summer and bloom until mid-autumn.
Sufficiently high flower stalks, up to 70 cm, allow using green zinnia for cutting and creating original bouquets.
Zinnia california giants
One of the tall, large-flowered varieties with large double inflorescences with an average diameter of 15 cm. Differs in rapid growth and abundant long flowering. The color is varied, from white to dark red and purple.
Zinnia Moonstone
A tall and large-flowered variety, the height of the bush reaches 90 cm, and the diameter of the flowers is 15 cm. The inflorescences are lilac-pink, double.
Zinnia Goddess
It grows in a tall bush, stretching up to 90 cm. Peduncles are strong, crowned with large inflorescences, similar to dahlias. Flowers of zinnia The Goddess is also divinely beautiful: lush, monochromatic carmine-red color, up to 14 cm in diameter. It blooms until frost.
The variety loves moisture, with a lack of moisture, the inflorescences retain their beauty, but become smaller.
Zinnia Lavender
A powerful variety with high, up to 90 cm, stems. The inflorescences are large (15 cm), terry, with beautifully laid lavender petals.
Zinnia Purple Queen
A tall shrub, up to 80 cm, forms powerful sturdy peduncles that branch straight from the base.A characteristic feature of the variety are large inflorescences with a diameter of at least 10 cm. In the photo of the Violet Queen zinnia, you can see that they are painted in lilac-purple color. For zinnias, such coloring is very rare and generally not inherent.
Zinnia Lilliput
Lush bushes do not grow higher than 50 cm. Abundant flowering, double baskets, small (no more than 5 cm in diameter), different colors.
Zinnia Giant
The variety is a large-flowered zinnias with large, up to 15 cm in diameter, inflorescences in the form of dahlia flowers. The stems of the plant are also powerful, up to 90 cm in height. The color of the Giants can be different: white, yellow, salmon, crimson, red.
Zinnia Cherry Queen
Tall bush, blooms closer to July. Until the first frost, large baskets of red-lilac or purple color flaunt on slender, powerful stems. The diameter of the inflorescences is 13 cm, the reed petals are slightly raised, arranged in the form of tiled masonry.
With prolonged drought, the variety requires watering in order to maintain the size of the inflorescences.
Zinnia Monarch
A tall variety used for cutting. The height of the bushes is 90 cm, the stems are straight, ending in a large carmine-red inflorescence. In the photo of zinnia Monarch, it can be seen that its inflorescences really resemble lush dahlias. It blooms from summer to frost.
The variety is known for long flowering - each basket lasts almost a month.
Zinnia Mandarin Mousse
A tall bush up to 90 cm tall differs not only in its size, but also in large inflorescences. They are colored deep orange and really resemble a round mandarin. The diameter of each basket reaches 14 cm.
Zinnia Polar Bear
A tall variety, with an average plant height of 65 cm, but can grow up to 90 cm. Powerful stems branch, forming several inflorescences on each. Moreover, they firmly "stand" upright and do not need support. Photo of zinnia Polar bear only confirms the accuracy of the name. Its large terry baskets are painted in the snow-white color of polar snow. Wide petals are slightly curved inward.
In a shady location, white flowers appear greenish in the center.
Zinnia graceful Fantasy
This subgroup is also known as zinnia fantasy. It combines varieties that are characterized by rather large lush inflorescences. Their average diameter is 10 cm, while the terry baskets are loose and "shaggy", as if curly. The reed petals are narrow and bizarrely curved, and in some species even bifurcate, like the tongue of a snake. The bushes themselves are in the shape of a ball and do not grow more than 65 cm, but the green leaves are large as for a plant of this size. But the "fantasy" zinnia Short Staff is generally one of the most compact species with a bush height of no more than 25 cm. It blooms in terry baskets with a diameter of about 10 cm. Their color can be very diverse, from white to dark red.
Zinnia graceful pompom
This bushy flower variety looks beautiful in flower beds due to its curvaceous shape. Although the inflorescences will not please in size (their diameter is no more than 4 cm), they attract attention with a rounded shape. The bush seems to be decorated with colored pompoms, for example, like Thumbelina's zinnia. This compact bush with lush branching stems up to 20 cm high will delight with flowering from mid-summer to early autumn. The inflorescences are also small, maximum 6 cm in diameter, stuffed. They can be white, pink, red, yellow or orange.
The variety is characterized by high resistance of flowers to weather conditions. The baskets keep their shape and do not fade.
Oklahoma's pompous zinnia is no less beautiful. This tall variety with powerful stems and large foliage grows up to 85 cm in a sunny place. At the same time, the inflorescences themselves are small, a maximum of 7.5 cm in diameter, but lush. Densely spaced petals form round pom-pom balls of different colors. They can be white, yellow or red, or different shades of these colors.
The variety is highly resistant to most diseases. It is also ideal for cutting.
Zinnia graceful chrysanthemum
The varieties of this group are characterized by large monochromatic inflorescences. At the same time, their reed petals are twisted in a tube or in the form of a spiral, which makes them look like chrysanthemum flowers. Plants are mostly medium-sized, on average about 60 cm in height. One of the brightest representatives of chrysanthemum zinnias is the Burpan variety mixture. Luxurious terry inflorescences have a diameter of at least 10 cm and different colors, from white-yellow to deep red.
Zinnia graceful scabiosa
For the peculiar shape of the inflorescences, these zinnias are also called anemone. They are characterized by small terry baskets with a strongly overgrown and bulging center of the reed petals. Around it, in one row, wide petals grow. The prominent representatives of the species are:
- zinnia A new attraction with small flowers, but rather tall, up to 60 cm, stems;
- Zinnia Barbie with even taller stems (80 cm) and pink flowers with red lingual petals in the middle.
"Comfortable" and cute zinnia angustifolia
Unlike graceful, narrow-leaved zinnia grows in the form of a profusely branching small bush. The average plant height is 30 cm, and the maximum is no more than 40 cm. Numerous shoots are covered with dense foliage, growing in pairs. The leaflets are elongated, only 2 cm wide and 6 cm long, the tips are slightly pointed. The dense deciduous head is not dark like that of a graceful zinnia, but is colored in a calmer and lighter green color.
Narrow-leaved zinnia is often called Mexican because the plant is widespread and actively cultivated in Mexico.
Zinnia blooms in mid-July, but already with the first frosts, the annual dies. The species and varieties of narrow-leaved zinnia do not differ in a special color range, mainly they are different shades of red, yellow and orange, as well as white. Inflorescences are small, up to 4 cm in diameter, but in large numbers. In the center there is a convex center of small tubular flowers, taken in a tight ring of reed petals. Fading away, they tie not very attractive achenes in the shape of an oval, so the bushes are usually cut back in the fall, when they freeze. There is no point in leaving them until spring.
Narrow-leaved zinnia is characterized by high drought resistance and can grow without irrigation (with periodic natural precipitation). You need to plant it in a warm and well-lit place.
The varietal variety of narrow-leaved zinnia is not as numerous as that of the elegant one, but there is still plenty to choose from. These are mainly low-growing varieties of zinnia. The main difference between them is in color and degree of bushiness. Also, the goal of breeders is to breed beautiful terry species and maximize their flowering.
Zinnia Sombrero
Densely leafy compact bush will delight you with bright inflorescences. They can be monochromatic, but the most popular variety is with a brick color and a yellow border around the circumference of the petals.
Persian rug
From the description and photo of the zinnia Persian carpet, it is clear that this is a compact but effective variety. The height of the plant is only 30 cm, but the whole bush is sprinkled with small, no more than 5 cm, terry baskets. Inflorescences are variegated, yellow-brown.
Hybrid Profusion
A few words should be separately said about Zinnia Profusion. It is "intermediate" between the two groups, a hybrid variety, the parents of which are narrow-leaved and graceful zinnias. The bushes are low (up to 45 cm), but lush, more than 50 cm wide. The color can be different, from light to dark red.
It is possible to list the types and varieties of zinnia for a very long time, because these are far from all representatives. Among such a variety, everyone can choose a flower to their liking.Someone more like the large hats of the California giants, for others, the delicate modest pompoms of Thumbelina are more lovable, and Burpan's zinnias are not inferior in their beauty to autumn chrysanthemums. In general, there is plenty to choose from, so plant and admire!