I’m thinking of giving up on some of my favorite zinnias—the Sun series. The flowers are always beautiful (like ‘Cherry Sun’ pictured above), but for the last several years my plants haven’t come anywhere near their listed height of 24 to 30 inches tall.
For the third year in a row my plants barely made it to 18 inches. Each spring I’m a gardening optimist (I usually come to my senses by July), so once again I stuck them in the middle-to-back rows of the flowerbeds where all but a few were buried by plants that grew much taller. I’m pretty sure it’s not a sunlight issue because even though nearly all of my flowerbeds grow in partial shade, most of the other annuals in my garden grow taller than their listed heights.
I suppose I could continue to grow them but stick them in the front of the border, but I already grow Magellan and Dreamland zinnias which sprout perfectly and come in many more colors.
I think I’ll say goodbye to the Sun series for awhile and see if anything better comes along.