That title says it all. I could stop right here and have said enough with “Zinnia Seeds Are At Home Depot!”. Not just any zinnia seeds, but the great big beauties called State Fair. Some years we can’t find the seeds and have to buy plants, so I am pleased to announce that the seeds are now in my possession since Mike is addicted to Home Depot. Maybe you should even stop reading right now and go get some.
In case you have continued reading, I want to entice you a bit more. You may remember summer. We get summer here in the Chicago suburbs eventually. Today is not “eventually”, and we have the snow and cold to prove it. When August comes though, your zinnia garden can look like mine does every summer, a real showpiece.
We plant our seeds inside in mid-March. Don’t start too soon or they get leggy. I’ve proved that. Be sure to give them plenty of light too. I put them in the garden after the last frost, and here is the BIG TIP – plant them far apart. Mine are 12″ – 18″ apart, which allows room for air flow and greatly reduces powdery mildew. I especially like that they are low maintenance, so a bed this large is easy. The garden gets mulched, so I hardly ever have to weed. They like sun and heat so I hardly ever have to water. I don’t even deadhead till September. Maybe I would if they were closer to the house and seen closer-up more often.
Here is the garden in mid-August. Gosh, I don’t even fertilize. They just do what God intended them to do.
They’ll bloom till frost, making for lovely autumn arrangements.
Yes, zillions of zinnias is what the sign says, and clearly there is a reason for that!
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