I call this my pollinator patch – there are plenty of natives mixed in (common & swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, blue lobelia, cardinal flower, showy & grass leaf goldenrod, iron weed, asters, Joe Pye, monkey flower, Culver’s Root, obedient plant, blue vervain [I’m sure I’m forgetting a few]). I love scattering in some zinnia seeds in the spring for a little more pop of color, plus the pollinators love them + the finches love eating the seed heads in the fall.
by DuncanIdaho7754
29 Comments
I will never stop growing zinnias.
Where are you? There are zinnias native to much of north america.
It’s an all-time favorite of mine. Bees, birds, and butterflies flock to it.
I’m more like 80% native, and throw in some of my favorite non-natives too.
Zinnias are one of my top flowers to grow!
I do! I love them and try to get a few different mixes, the butterflies really enjoy them
I mix in marigolds as well as zinnias. No, they aren’t native to my part of North America, but neither are they invasive.
I’m in love with unicorn zinnias
https://preview.redd.it/6kyxe017yidf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44f957d57f471cb73ac008b6c4562de3095082ad
Me. I’m trying in a lot of ways to shift to native but my three loves are zinnias, tuberoses, and brugmansia. I planted a batch of zinnias in June 2019. Never reseeded. They not only come back they spread. By September they are taller than me and I take them out in October. I’ve got a family of gold finches that has grown bigger each year.
I do but I plug them between my veggies in my raised beds. Love the pop of color they bring (Mexican sunflower also pictured).
https://preview.redd.it/mw74r08zyidf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=693567f0733b52651f47699f6b36143bc32602db
Nope because I don’t live in the Southwest
I like Zinnias as I can cut them without feeling guilty !
I love zinnias and put them anywhere there is an open space to fill with my natives.
The colors are soo nice. Always have a bunch somewhere
I find that the zinnias do a great job of feeding the later-arriving goldfinches who aren’t in time for the coneflower seeds.
Zinnias are a wonderful option as a non native. So many flowers and so much nectar, from a plant that won’t take over unless you want them to.
I mostly grow natives, but being that I love plants, I like to throw in some non-natives too. To keep from going crazy with it, I limit those to plants that are native to some part of the Americas, and zinnias count.
Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, which is a green burial site near me that has a huge prairie restoration area, mixes cosmos into some of their seed mixes to add to visual appeal in areas where natives aren’t established yet. No harm in mixing in your favorite (non-invasive) ornamental plants with your natives if it makes you like your garden more.
Definitely! They thrive where I’m at, and readily reseed themselves without taking over. I have them in both my raised veggie beds and flower beds.
https://preview.redd.it/2xjxgg6q3jdf1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cef4985e51ed16bceb48e445c3b7f4d1b22b62f
I also will never stop growing zinnias. Its not like they are reseeding all over our wild areas or taking over.
Wanted to add i also love love Mexican Sunflowers and Cosmos.
I just added some this year, along with some sunflowers. They are fun added addition among the native plants.
I am using zinnias as filler while I save up to fill in my native garden. Super cute, cat friendly so i can put bouquets in the house, so cheap, and dummy easy to grow.
I do natives generally but have a bed mixed with zinnia, cosmo, helianthus, anise hyssop, joe Pye and scarlet climber. It’s 80% zinnia and cosmo if I’m honest.
It’s one of my favorite things to stare at in my garden. So much color and texture. I deadhead the flowers and use the seeds for next season. These are not flowers I get a lot of spread on (onesies twosies here and there)
Each year I do put in more natives but they are so bright, do attract pollinators and birds and I see them typically having a place in the garden alongside the natives.
I see in my mason bee houses that some bees may be using them as a few tubes are very brightly colored.
https://preview.redd.it/dd4fqnzs3jdf1.jpeg?width=2093&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcc9705614fdd211614c2d971fc753338afc0744
I love zinnias. They’re not invasive at all where I live and I have tons of natives as well. They all look great together. Sometimes ya just love plants and it causes no harm. Extra pollen and nectar to go around
Beautiful! They are good nectar plants to mix in with milkweed for the monarchs I think?
I looooove zinnias they are a big piece of my pollinator garden. The bees just love them!!!
Im in OK and I call Zinnias “close enough” to native. If bugs or birds migrate from Mexico past me then they’ll just be getting a taste of home lol.
They are native to North America at least, and the bees and butterflies adore them. As long as it’s not invasive I’d say it’s a win.
I like zinnias and so do the hummingbirds.