(Zinnia elegans ‘Canary Bird’)

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Canary Bird Zinnia is an annual flower native to Mexico but grows in the southern and eastern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 2-3' and features hairy upright branching stems, 5” lance-shaped green leaves, and 4-5” bright yellow dahlia-type flowers. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees, butterflies, earwigs, and hummingbirds, is resistant to deer, tolerates drought, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower! 

  • General Information
  • Soil Preparation
  • Start Indoors
  • Transplant Outdoors
  • Start Outdoors
  • Crop Care
  • Seed Saving
  • Companion Planting
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​Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Zinnia 

Species: elegans

Variety: Canary Bird Zinnia

Native to: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua.

Introduced into: Andaman Is., Assam, Austria, Baleares, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Connecticut, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, France, Georgia, Germany, Gilbert Is., Haiti, Hungary, India, Italy, Jawa, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Korea, Krym, Louisiana, Malawi, Marianas, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, New York, Niue, North Carolina, Ohio, Panamá, Pennsylvania, Peru, Phoenix Is., Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Romania, Réunion, Samoa, Sardegna, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Society Is., South Carolina, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tadzhikistan, Texas, Thailand, Transcaucasus, Tubuai Is., Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe.

​Ease of Growing: ​Easy

Grown as: Annual

Maturity (Bloom): Spring to Fall

Start Indoors: Yes

Start Outdoors: Yes

Light: Sun. Zinnias require full sun. They thrive in hot areas as long as they get enough moisture.

Water: Zinnias need to be watered if there is less than an inch of rain each week, sooner if they appear to be wilting.

Feeder: They like rich soil and appreciate a slow-release fertilizer in the spring when they are planted and a booster shot of fertilizer in mid- to late simmer.

Containers?: Yes

Attracts beneficial insects?: Yes. Butterflies, Bees, hummingbirds. 

Height: 24-36" 

Spacing: 18-24"

Sow Depth: 1/4”

Produces: hairy upright branching stems, 5” lance-shaped green leaves, and 4-5” bright yellow dahlia-type flowers.

USDA Grow Zone: 3a-9b
​Soil Preference: 
Soil pH: 6.0-6.5 Zinnia prefers a fertile, humus-rich soil that drains well.

Soil Preparation:
Compost (Nitrogen), 2", in top 6" of soil, 1 time: Apply 2" of compost as a mulch to help suppress weeds and provide nutrients.
For early flowers, start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frosts are expected. Use trays or pots and a good sowing compost. Seeds should be spaced at least 1" apart. The seeds need light to germinate, so “just cover” the seeds with a sprinkling of fine, sieved soil. Seeds will germinate in 7-14 days. Keep soil moderately moist during germination. When plants are 1-2" in height, transplant to 3" pots and grow on. Zinnias are sensitive to root disturbance, so be especially careful when transplanting.
Gradually acclimatize indoor started seedlings outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and weather has warmed considerably. Plant out 25 to 10-12" apart. Add garden compost to the soil if it is heavy or infertile.
Sow seeds where the plants are to be grown in spring after the last frost, and in an area with full sun. Zinnia prefers fertile, rich, and well-drained soil, average soil is acceptable, but if you add compost and all-purpose fertilizer before sowing, the blooms will be lusher. Sow seeds 2 to 3" apart in rows 12" apart. Barely cover seeds with soil; they need light to germinate. Keep soil moist until seeds germinate, in 5 to 10 days. When 2" tall thin the seedlings to 10 to 12" apart.
They will reward you with hundreds of colorful flowers for just a little care. If you are growing some of the older, heirloom varieties of zinnias, a little pinching back in early summer will make them bushier and produce side branches with more flowers. There is typically little problem growing zinnias, except in extremely humid conditions where a powdery mildew can sometimes form. Protect young plants from slugs and snails. Deadhead spent flowers frequently to prolong flowering. Water regularly. Water deeply by soaking soil and avoid spraying foliage.
Saving seeds of zinnia saving could not be easier, you not only get the colors you want, but you can also select seeds from the healthiest plants. Do this, and in a couple of generations of seeds, you will have developed your own strain of zinnias selected to perform well in your conditions. In late summer let some zinnias go to seed. The seeds are easy to collect and store for next year. Wait until they are fully dry on the plant, then clean out the old petals and store at room temperature.
Pretty Zinnias attract hummingbirds which eat whiteflies. Whiteflies are commonly found on some vegetable plants such as bean, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, okra, potato, tomato, squash, and sweet potato. Alternately the pastel varieties of zinnias can be used as a trap crop for Japanese beetles. Japanese beetles commonly are found on host plants such as: Acer (maples), Asparagus officinalis (asparagus), Glycine max (soybean), Malus (ornamental species apple), Prunus (stone fruit including plums, peaches etc), Rheum hybridum (rhubarb), Rosa (roses), Rubus (blackberry, raspberry), Tilia (limes), Ulmus (elms), Vitis (grapes), Zea mays (corn). All zinnias attract bees and other insect pollinators.

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