I’ve enjoyed growing all of the Zahara series zinnias. The plants are resistant to pests and diseases and bloom and bloom and bloom from summer into fall.
If I had to pick a bone with one of them it would be ‘Starlight Rose’. It’s the only Zahara Zinnia that isn’t a solid color (except for the new ‘Sunburst’ which is a yellow and scarlet bi-color and not yet readily available).
‘Starlight Rose’s’ flowers are white with a contrasting fuchsia star surrounding the flower’s center:
The flowers are very pretty and the plants look great in a mass planting, but be warned that you don’t always get to see the “star”. I’ve grown the cultivar for several summers now and usually by mid-summer, many of the flowers that open are pure white or have a very pale star (notice the flowers at the bottom of the photo):
The seed company that created them admits that the color pattern varies by environment. The plants still behave like the other Zaharas—tough and reliable. I just wish I got to see more of that little star.
Zahara zinnias shrug off weather extremes and need little attention other than some occasional deadheading and a drink of water during dry spells. Zahara zinnias grow 12 to 18 inches tall in sun or part-sun.