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Starting in late September I stop tending to my annuals. They still look pretty good from the window even though I no longer deadhead or water them. The birds pluck seeds from the drying flower heads, and the flowers that are still blooming get visits from bees and butterflies on the warmer fall days.
My ‘Zahara Double Strawberry’ plants look like this during the summer:
But as fall wears on and the flowers fade (and I don’t deadhead them) the plants take on an entirely new look:
It’s refreshing to have something different to look at so late in the season.
Zahara zinnias grow 12 to 18 inches tall. The plants don’t have any disease or insect problems and they bloom throughout summer until the fall frost.