in focus: zinnia

Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of the family Asteraceae. They are native to scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the Southwestern United States to South America, with a centre of diversity in Mexico. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Zinnia
Rank: Genus
Higher classification: Asteraceae
Lower classifications: Zinnia acerosa, Zinnia angustifolia

Zinnia, another great little bedding plant that provides simple and bright flowers throughout the summer. Easy to grow and great in dry conditions too. There is however issues in young plants with fungus and bugs. So once removed from the protection of the greenhouse and hardened off look for signs of potential issues in the plants. Zinnia's are great for borders and containers alike and are not the favorites of slugs and snails, apart from the little nibbles here and there. Every year I grow Zinnia's as they are a favorite of mine. This year I have more than normal as I had a great success rate from the seeds, over 100 plants in total. With 6 plants costing anything from £3-£6, a few packs of seeds and a bag of potting compost costing less than £10, I think it is much better to grow your own. 

Most of the plants this year I have placed into pots. A few in the borders in the gaps at the front. They can be used for the center of the pot or around the edges, although Zinnia's can get quite tall so you would need to use something that will be bigger in the center. Plenty of variety in colour, just remember to dead head so encourage more flowers to emerge.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and thank you for your time. Any comments or feedback is welcome.