Zinnias - Page 8

Barb_FL · September 16, 2019

Richard - it is so beautiful and thick with zinnias. Too bad there isn't zinnia volunteers. Do you save seeds or just buy fresh?

I haven't had much luck saving seeds; a few do germinate but it hardly seems worth it.

Coastal - great shots with the bees. So cool.

GrowingCoastal · September 16, 2019

It's easy to get those shots because the bees were absolutely still unless I stroked their back and then a leg would twitch. Often you can see them breathing, abdomen rising and falling.

I have grown the smaller zinnias as well as the giants and have found it best to buy seeds. The results are so much more reliable. The smalls seem to revert back to more subtle colours.

RJGlew · September 17, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Richard - it is so beautiful and thick with zinnias. Too bad there isn't zinnia volunteers. Do you save seeds or just buy fresh?

I haven't had much luck saving seeds; a few do germinate but it hardly seems worth it.

Coastal - great shots with the bees. So cool.

Hi Barb, I hope you are well. Both Profusion and Zahara are hybrids, so I have always assumed offspring would not grow true. However, perhaps things would be ok. I always use new seed since it is an easier process, and Park Seeds germ rate is always close to 100%.

SpookyShoe · September 17, 2019

Beautiful photos everybody!

Karla · October 3, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpookyShoe

Zany Rose Picotee zinnia.

Beautiful!

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

GoDawgs · October 3, 2019

A super colorful bed! Shhhh... don't wake the bees.

Karla · October 31, 2019

Pretty!

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

GrowingCoastal · October 31, 2019

I did find the giant zinnia that has green on the backs of the flower petals. It is called Blue Point. It has a form that allows bees to feed freely from the flower. I like that they give the bumble bees a sturdy bed, too.
One evening years ago I was checking things out back and noticed that many bees had landed on the zinnias. I had never seen that before and worried that they had been affected by a neighbour possibly spraying or something. When morning came no more bees playing dead on the flowers. I guess they were all asleep! Sweet.

The starburst type.

Butterflies like it.

Easy to see how much more available the Blue Point is.

hl2601 · October 31, 2019

Coastal- those pics and your zinnias are amazing! Are you a professional photographer? Also, where did you get the Blue Point seeds and how tall do they grow?

tryno12 · November 1, 2019

Nice looking Zinnias!! Where do you get your seed and what varieties are your favorite?
Thank You
Pete

GoDawgs · November 1, 2019

Beautiful pics, GC!

GrowingCoastal · November 1, 2019

To answer above questions,
I bought myself a nice camera after I retired just for fun. And of course I only post the best ones.
Sorry but I cannot say where the seeds came from as I must have given away the paks. Not finding any trace in my records. I think I just got them off a rack and bought the two sorts to try to find the one with green backed petals. There are lots of sellers online.

My fave is the Blue Point dahlia flowered type because of the easy access for bees.
They are easy to grow but may require staking. Mine got PM toward the end, after I let them dry out too many times.

They DID grow very tall in pots in my yard. In fact, they outgrew me to stand about 6 ft + at season's end due to pot height. I think that if I cut them more they might stay shorter but I left them for the bees. Also, hedges and trees make for more shade in my yard as summer fades.
A few I tried in the dry, tree-rooted ground grew to only about 3 ft tall. The potted ones outperformed them by far.
Colours were great for both types with some opening one shade and going through a few before reaching their mature colour.

I started growing them because someone online said they attract hummingbirds. Nope. Not mine. Not here. But bees yes, lots of bees.

SpookyShoe · November 1, 2019

So pretty. I like the starburst one.

imp · November 3, 2019

Such lovely pictures of such lovely flowers, ya'll tempt me!! And, of course, for the bees to have supper....LOL.

Nan_PA_6b · November 5, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

...I started growing them because someone online said they attract hummingbirds. Nope. Not mine. Not here. But bees yes, lots of bees.

I have very picky hummingbirds here, too. Gotta be a red trumpet or they don't want it. They'll sip the red bee balm and the red trumpet honeysuckle. If they're really desperate, sometimes they'll go to the butterfly bush or other colored bee balms at the end of the season.

September 17, 2019	#109
SpookyShoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: El Lago, Texas Posts: 1,100	Beautiful photos everybody! __________________ Donna, Zone 9, Texas Gulf Coast

October 31, 2019	#112
Karla Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ashland,OH Posts: 189	Pretty! Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk __________________ Karla

November 1, 2019	#118
SpookyShoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: El Lago, Texas Posts: 1,100	So pretty. I like the starburst one. __________________ Donna, Zone 9, Texas Gulf Coast

November 3, 2019	#119
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	Such lovely pictures of such lovely flowers, ya'll tempt me!! And, of course, for the bees to have supper....LOL. __________________ I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.

September 16, 2019	#106
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Richard - it is so beautiful and thick with zinnias. Too bad there isn't zinnia volunteers. Do you save seeds or just buy fresh? I haven't had much luck saving seeds; a few do germinate but it hardly seems worth it. Coastal - great shots with the bees. So cool.

September 16, 2019	#107
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	It's easy to get those shots because the bees were absolutely still unless I stroked their back and then a leg would twitch. Often you can see them breathing, abdomen rising and falling. I have grown the smaller zinnias as well as the giants and have found it best to buy seeds. The results are so much more reliable. The smalls seem to revert back to more subtle colours.

October 3, 2019	#111
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	A super colorful bed! Shhhh... don't wake the bees.

October 31, 2019	#113
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	I did find the giant zinnia that has green on the backs of the flower petals. It is called Blue Point. It has a form that allows bees to feed freely from the flower. I like that they give the bumble bees a sturdy bed, too. One evening years ago I was checking things out back and noticed that many bees had landed on the zinnias. I had never seen that before and worried that they had been affected by a neighbour possibly spraying or something. When morning came no more bees playing dead on the flowers. I guess they were all asleep! Sweet. The starburst type. Butterflies like it. Easy to see how much more available the Blue Point is.

October 31, 2019	#114
hl2601 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Metro Denver Posts: 767	Coastal- those pics and your zinnias are amazing! Are you a professional photographer? Also, where did you get the Blue Point seeds and how tall do they grow?

November 1, 2019	#115
tryno12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Indianapolis Area 46112 Posts: 857	Nice looking Zinnias!! Where do you get your seed and what varieties are your favorite? Thank You Pete

November 1, 2019	#116
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Beautiful pics, GC!

November 1, 2019	#117
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	To answer above questions, I bought myself a nice camera after I retired just for fun. And of course I only post the best ones. Sorry but I cannot say where the seeds came from as I must have given away the paks. Not finding any trace in my records. I think I just got them off a rack and bought the two sorts to try to find the one with green backed petals. There are lots of sellers online. My fave is the Blue Point dahlia flowered type because of the easy access for bees. They are easy to grow but may require staking. Mine got PM toward the end, after I let them dry out too many times. They DID grow very tall in pots in my yard. In fact, they outgrew me to stand about 6 ft + at season's end due to pot height. I think that if I cut them more they might stay shorter but I left them for the bees. Also, hedges and trees make for more shade in my yard as summer fades. A few I tried in the dry, tree-rooted ground grew to only about 3 ft tall. The potted ones outperformed them by far. Colours were great for both types with some opening one shade and going through a few before reaching their mature colour. I started growing them because someone online said they attract hummingbirds. Nope. Not mine. Not here. But bees yes, lots of bees.