I got a little overzealous with my seed starting last spring. When the freakishly warm April weather stuck around for a few weeks, I decided to sprout many of my zinnias and marigolds early. The joke was on me when temperatures dropped into the low thirties in early May, and I couldn’t harden off my plants on schedule. Soon I had zinnias growing between and over the top of my grow lights. Whoops!
You can pinch back zinnias, but they’ll let you know how much they despise you for it. The new shoots pop out crooked and off-center and the plants will look goofy all summer long. I resisted the urge to pinch my plants, so by them time I got them tucked into the garden they were pretty gangly. Then the earwigs and bunnies attacked them, and I banged my head on the wall wondering why I ever bother to grow anything.
I pledged to give up on tall zinnias altogether—at least for next summer—but I got weak in the knees when the butterflies showed up in August. My zinnias were plastered with them for two months. So much for my pledge.
Tall zinnias aren’t particularly suited for sprouting indoors to begin with. They are very susceptible to damping off disease, but I’m not deterred. The Benary’s Giant series has served me well over the years. I sow extra seeds knowing I’ll lose a few seedlings here and there. One of my favorite colors is ‘Coral’. I think ‘Cerise’ would’ve been a better name, but either way the color is bold and bright.
Benary’s Giants grow 40 to 50 inches tall. They prefer full sun. I don’t have such a luxury in my backyard, but my plants still thrive in partial sun.