SAN ANTONIO – If you are looking for an inexpensive vibrant annual flower to plant by seed, look no further than zinnias.
Not only are they show stoppers, but pollinators flock to them.
She’s the main character, she is popular, she is sassy and can bloom in triple digits. The best part, you can plant a lot of her for very cheap.
Zinnias are also the easiest flowers to grow from seed, great for beginner gardens and she makes you look professional. Zinnias will bloom from May all the way to the first freeze, so you get a lot out of the inexpensive annual seeds.
Here’s how you can save money on zinnia seed packets for next year:
- I cut the heads of all my zinnias before that big freeze in December. I saved them, dried them out in a paper bag for several weeks.
- Take those dried out heads, pull the dried petals off. You will see an arrow head shape at the bottom of the petals, that’s your seed. That one seed you planted, just gave you several dozen free seeds for next season.
- Collect the seeds and plant.
If you are getting started fresh, you can get a variety of zinnia seeds at Rainbow Gardens, a couple of packets are under $10.
How to plant zinnia seeds:
- Plant in a place that gets full sun and sprinkle onto the soil.
- Then oh so lightly cover or press into soil, if they are too deep they won’t germinate.
- Water the seedlings every other day, on a gentle setting on your hose. She will need morning water daily once we hit triple digits. When watering, make sure to water the roots, not the tops or they might burn.
- In about a week to ten days, your seeds will sprout. If you want them to grow like bushes and keep producing flowers until our first freeze, cut the heads of them once they start to wilt or while fresh for cut flowers.