The first-ever flower bloomed in space on Saturday and it just happened to be a zinnia. Of course it was a zinnia—they are one of the easiest flowers you can grow! Not only do they sprout easily and require little care (other than deadheading), but they come in many bright colors, bloom all summer into fall and are adored by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
The seeds of tall zinnias can be sown in your garden/flowerbeds after the threat of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Here are some of my favorite tall zinnias:
Sun series zinnias grow 24-30 inches tall with 5-inch flowers. My favorite color is cherry. It looks especially lovely with purple flowers like this perennial phlox:
There are two other colors in the sun series, gold and red. You can find seeds for sale at Stokes (no affiliation).
For a some fiery color in your flowerbeds, try zinnia ‘Big Red’. The seeds are getting a little harder to find, but Burpee (no affiliation) still sells them. ‘Big Red’ grows 36 inches tall with 5-inch scarlet-red flowers that are hard to ignore. Sometimes the centers of the flowers even show off a tiny purple contrast:
‘Purple Prince’ is adored by the hummingbirds that visit my yard. The dahlia-like flowers are royal purple and appear on 36-inch-tall plants. You can find them for sale at Swallowtail Garden Seeds (no affiliation).
I’ve saved the best for last. Zinnia ‘Exquisite’ is intriguing because the flower colors change over time. The flowers open dark-pink, reddish-pink or coral and fade to shades of rose and salmon. I love that little element of surprise.
‘Exquisite’ grows 36 inches tall with 5-inch flowers. You can find seeds for sale many places including Swallowtail Garden Seeds. I’ve even seen them for sale at local garden centers.
Do what the astronauts do and grow zinnias. You can toss some seeds among your vegetable garden for a little burst of color, or use them to anchor the back of a flowerbed. They’ll attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard and you can even enjoy the cut flowers in a vase.