One of my favorite things about the arrival of summer, is planting zinnias. No matter how many seasons go by, I am always eager to start my zinnia seeds and get my plants into the ground. With their extremely fast growth, they are quick to reward growers will armloads of flowers that can be used in cut flower arrangements or left in the yard for pollinators to enjoy. 
Above, you can see just how diverse these blooms actually are! From white to lime – zinnias come in almost every color, with a few exceptions. Let’s take a closer look at some of the blooms that I had this season. 
I grew Benary’s Giant Purple zinnias for the first time this year. I placed these plants in a bed that I made next to the road. I didn’t care for the bed very well, because the people who drove by on the street would frequently throw trash out their car windows and into the flower bed. Don’t you just love the kindness of those around us? I know I can never get enough of these thoughtful acts. I feel so appreciated and loved. /s
Despite being covered in cigarette butts and ‘big gulp’ soda cups from the gas station, they produced beautiful flowers. That’s really all I can ask considering they were growing under a layer of city filth. I am thankful for their perseverance. 
Next, we have the Benary’s Giant Lime Zinnia. I always have trouble growing the Lime zinnias for some reason. It always seems that the flowers never get big enough or that they start to look dirty very quickly. Even though these aren’t my favorite, I do love that they are so unique.
Here’s a close look at the bright green furled petals. These always look really nice in cut flower arrangements.
Above is the Benary’s Giant Coral zinnia. This variety is new to me this year. It’s a very pretty shade of pink, but it doesn’t seem to differ all that much from some of the other Benary’s Giant colors.
This is Benary’s Giant Carmine Rose zinnia. As you can see, the color is verrrry similar to the coral one. While a few blooms are noticeably darker, most of them are nearly identical here in my yard. It was a good thing that I made sure to label all the plants this year.
