Zinnias are my favorite flowers of all. They always look so cheery, they come in bright beautiful colors and butterflies and bees and even hummingbirds love them.
The Benary’s series of zinnias are great anchor plants for the back of a border. They grow 40-50 inches tall and churn out blooms from late June until a killing frost. I’ve had zinnias that have bloomed for more than 6 months in a season.
One of my favorite colors is ‘Benary’s Lilac’. Those lavender flowers practically glow as they float above the plant’s dark-green foliage:
I start my zinnias indoors 4 weeks before the last spring frost date, but you can plant the seeds directly in the ground after the soil warms up and the threat of frost has passed in spring.
Zinnias are a cheap way to fill a flowerbed, help pollinators likes bees and butterflies, and provide you with cutting flowers for beautiful bouquets all summer long.