One of my favorite short zinnias disappeared from seed catalogs more than 20 years ago now—‘Peter Pan Plum’. It was the same size as today’s Magellan or Dreamland zinnias, but it came in a lovely shade of purple. For years I’ve been looking for a replacement, but for whatever reason, nobody offers a short, purple or lavender zinnia. Until now.
Over the winter Burpee was selling a new zinnia called ‘Amethyst Treasure.’ The flowers are indeed short and purple AND less pricey than my favorite Magellan and Dreamland series zinnias. Of course I had to give them I try, so I purchased seeds and sprouted a couple dozen seedlings indoors about 5 weeks before our last frost date in mid-May.
So far I’m loving these little zinnias. They had excellent germination, and they are now growing happily in my flowerbeds despite a severe drought. The color looks lovely partnered with flowers in just about every color but red.
‘Amethyst Treasure’ zinnias grow 15 inches tall with 3 to 4-inch-wide royal purple flowers.
Sometimes seed companies sell a new cultivar and then it disappears after a year or two. I sure hope this one has staying power because I’ve already fallen in love with these new zinnias!