By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener
My mother-in-law, Jean Reeves, was smart, hard-working, industrious, caring and pretty. She loved gardening, and taught her equally pretty daughters about vegetables and flowers and how they co-exist in nature. When I fell in love with Melissa, I also fell in love with her parents’ extraordinary and expansive dairy farm. The vegetable garden was always spacious, pristine and yummy. Jean’s talent for growing flowers was equally as impressive. Her sizable zinnia garden was memorable for the vivid colors. I think a low flying plane would have flown around to get another look.
As for the zen part of this equation, the Buddhist practice invokes meditation, simplicity, living in the moment, losing control. Deep breaths and the multicolor show put on by hundreds of zinnias should bring one to a state of peace on a mid-summer day. That’s how I felt so long ago gazing at that plot of zinnias.
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Zinnia (elegans) is truly an elegant flower that grows well in most regions of North Carolina and comes in many shapes and sizes. They are an annual in the Tar Heel state. Zinnias come in red, pink, yellow, purple, orange, green and some variations. They will bloom in spring, summer and fall depending on where you live. The folks at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service tell me there are varieties that grow anywhere from 8 inches to 4 feet. These include Profusion, Zahara, and Oklahoma series and these varieties are all more disease resistant. Some other varieties include Zowie Yellow, Persian Carpet, Zinderella Peach, Profusion Apricot, Green Envy, and Pop Art. There are single, double and semi-double varieties from which to choose. Native to Mexico, zinnias need full sun (at least six hours).
Zinnias should be planted well after the last frost in your area. In Raleigh, the last average frost is April 15th. One would normally buy seeds in packets or loose seed if you are lucky enough to buy them that way. You can also transplant them if you have access to the flowers. Sow the seed directly in the prepared soil, as the “Weekend Gardener” theme song says. Be careful to space them properly, maybe 9 inches to a foot. This will help prevent powdery mildew and other disease pathogens from forming by allowing good air circulation is really important for any plant. The mildew is likely the only problem you’ll have with this flower. You may also find cases of leaf spot, root rot and blight. Again, you have less chances of seeing these maladies if you plant them in the right place with the correct conditions. Try to plant disease resistant varieties. The extension service folks tell me that zinnias are not favorites of the deer population.
Zinnias are no different from most other plants, they like well drained soil. They do prefer growing in moist soil. Add some type of compost material to your planting area. Most gardening experts I know tell me that zinnias don’t need a lot of fertilizer. If you use any on your flowers, use one with low nitrogen. If you want to keep your zinnias at their colorful best, you need to dead-head them during the summer. This will encourage more flower development.
As you may have guessed, pollinators love zinnias. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds are drawn to these flowers for their bright colors and the nectar. There are other beneficial insects that are attracted to zinnias too.
Color your landscape the way Jean Reeves did. This will brighten your day and maybe rub-off on others.