Zinnia: Interesting color combination

I got seeds in a round robin for this - supposed to be a "lilac cactus flowered zinnia". I only grew 2 zinnias - this, and Oklahoma White. And this isn't white!

Here's OK white..

Well I think they are both just beautiful! I love zinnias!! To me they are the essence of summer.

This has been a good year for zinnias here are some of the ones that I grew this year. Cathy

picture of zinnia 2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8 last one, they really did good for me this year, they must love all the rainy weather we had. Cathy

I like #3 the best. Just love really really RED flowers.

Love 'em!! Mine did very well this year too. I agree the rain helped a lot but also causes mildew which mine all seem to have.

Have any of you ever tried the Envy zinnia that is a chartreuse green? I planted a small row and they are kinda fun. They look great in an arrangement with bells of ireland and the sedum Autumn Joy before it changes to burgundy while it is in its green state.

I've not even heard of those, Lenjo. Sounds like a fun annual to give a try. Are you collecting seeds? Where did you find yours?

I get a lot of my seeds from Stokes as they are quite reasonable and you can get different package sizes for different prices. And their response is very quick. I just ordered Sweet Williams and delphs from them thinking I will direct seed outdoors yet with those.
I have one of the Envy 's in the house now and it is green around the bottom but as they age they turn a really pretty yellow. Maybe I can get a picture.

i have some green envy seeds some other zinna seeds to.

One thing I just found out - if a zinnia branch lays on the ground it will root all along the stem! I never knew it would do that.

I haven't noticed that Eileen, but I had some that were broken (or so I thought) from a passing dog or maybe the wind and they continued to put out blooms this whole season.

My zinnias were also gorgeous this year (got the seeds from Wildseed Farms. They have been blooming for over a month now and this is the first year in awhile that I haven't had tons of mildew on them. Just hasn't rained much the last month. Jenny

Gorgeous Jenny. My zinnia did well this year but had the usual mildew. We've had WAY more rain than is usual for this time of year.

Eileen,

Your two-toned zinnia looks great. I suspect it is an accidental hybrid. The female parent is probably a lilac cactus flowered zinnia, as labeled. The mail parent, pollen delivered by a bumblebee, was probably a Whirligig, Merry Go Round, or possibly a Swizzle. Do you plan to save seed from it? The resulting F2s could have some interesting variations.

MM

Cathy,

Your number 6 and number 8 both seem to have darker color at the base of the petals and lighter color near the outer edges. This is somewhat reminescent of the old Crown of Gold zinnias. Do you remember them? They might be before your time. They came in a wide range of zinnia colors, only the base of each petal was a rich golden yellow color. So, like the Whirligigs, Merry-Go-Rounds, and the new short-plant Swizzles, the Crown of Golds had two-toned petals. Only their base color was gold while the base color of the Whirligigs etc is created by an infusion of crimson, pink, or magenta color, probably the same natural pigment, but in various concentrations for a wide range of shades of petal base colors.

A white Crown of Gold was relatively rare, but the two-tone white and yellow effect was spectacular. Crown of Golds were dahlia flowered or California Giant flowered. I used to do some zinnia breeding as a hobby, and Crown of Gold zinnias made interesting hybrids with several other zinnias.

Your #6 & #8 look like they might have a few Crown of Gold genes in them. As far as I know, Crown of Gold zinnias are no longer available. I wish I could find someone who is still growing them. I might be inspired to start breeding zinnias again.

MM

Mainman, these zinnia were in a mixed California Giant seed mix, I will tag them for you if you want the seeds. Let me know. Cathy

Maineman, some bugs decimated the zinnia and only one branch remained, I thought lying on the ground. When I went to pick it up I discovered the roots on the branch but had already uprooted it, thinking it was just lying there. I'll have to check when I get back from vacation to see if any parts of the zinnia remain to collect seed from.

Cathy,

Don't bother to tag them for me. I already have more seed for next year than I have space to plant them in. I need to get some more growing space. But thanks loads for the offer.

MM

Eileen,

If you get any seed from the accidental hybrid, let me know. Sounds like it had a run of bad luck, though, so I am not really expecting any seed from it. I plan to do some hybridization on my own next year, using Whirligig/Merry-Go-Round/Swizzles as one parent. I like two-toned or three-toned zinnias.

MM