Zinnias

 Zinnia flowers are so pretty! I love growing them!

Did you know:

🌸 They are in the aster or daisy family

🌸 They are named in honor of Johann Gottfried Zinn, who was an 18th century botanist.

🌸 There are over 20 different species that grow in the wild, but with their popularity they have been bread in to hundreds of hybrid species.

🌸 They are annuals.

🌸 They bloom in summer and fall.

🌸 If you dead head (cut off the dead flower) it will grow more flowers and bloom all season.

🌸 They attract pollinators, especially butterflies.

🌸 Spidermites, aphids, and whiteflies will damage them.

🌸 They need to be in Full Sun.

🌸 To save the seeds, let the flower die. Carefully pull out the dead petals. The seeds will be at the end of the dead petals. If you are dead heading and want the seeds, make sure it’s completely dry before you cut it off. Then you can pull the seeds out and store in a cool dry place.

🌸 There are three main types:

• Single Flowered - single row of petals and a visible center
• Semi-Double Flowered - numerous rows of petals with a visible center
• Double Flowered - numerous rows of petals without a visible center

🌸 They make great cut flowers for bouquets.

🌸 They are the first flower to be grown in space! Kjell Lindgren grew them on the space station January 6th 2015. If you want to know more check out this post Zinnia Grown In Space on NASA’s website.

🌸 They are edible. I haven’t tried them, but from my research they are on the bitter side. While you can eat the whole plant (according to my research) it’s recommend to just eat the petals.

🌸 There has been some research done on the health benefits of them, but I can’t find any conclusive data what they can help with.