Zinnias on my mind
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We have been living on a farm for the past five years and I must say that for the most part, we focused mainly on maintaining the field and planting vegetables and fruit trees. Landscaping was not a priority because we lacked manpower and funds. It literally took us this long to have the means to start focusing on making our farm look “pretty”.
When I started planning for borders around our manicured field, I thought that cosmos plants would be fitting and I have this notion that they are easy to plant and care for. So we started with that. But while waiting for our cosmos seeds to sprout, my husband’s friend brought along flower seeds from a nearby bee farm. I asked him what it was and typical of part-time farm hands, he told me he didn’t know the name but assured me they are pretty flowers. Later on, I found out that these gifted seeds were zinnias. And they grew at the same time as our cosmos. Needless to say I fell in love with zinnias after these initial plantings.
We have been living on a farm for the past five years and I must say that for the most part, we focused mainly on maintaining the field and planting vegetables and fruit trees. Landscaping was not a priority because we lacked manpower and funds. It literally took us this long to have the means to start focusing on making our farm look “pretty”.
When I started planning for borders around our manicured field, I thought that cosmos plants would be fitting and I have this notion that they are easy to plant and care for. So we started with that. But while waiting for our cosmos seeds to sprout, my husband’s friend brought along flower seeds from a nearby bee farm. I asked him what it was and typical of part-time farm hands, he told me he didn’t know the name but assured me they are pretty flowers. Later on, I found out that these gifted seeds were zinnias. And they grew at the same time as our cosmos. Needless to say I fell in love with zinnias after these initial plantings.
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Zinnias are a genus of plants of the sunflower tribe, within the daisy family. They are annuals which means they need to be planted/replanted regularly or yearly. But that should not be an impediment since they are dead easy to propagate. You can literally just throw them out on your field and chances are the seeds will grow on their own. They are that hardy. I have been able to propagate 3 batches of zinnias so far. And it is easy enough to harvest the seeds from older or dying plants. You just have to be proactive about gathering the seeds from the dried out flowers and then re-sowing them.
In the beginning I would plant the seeds in small pots for transplanting to different areas around the garden. But I have since learned that it would be easier to just sow them direct onto the prepared soil. All it needs is a bit of vermicompost and lots of sunshine. During the rainy season there is no need for daily watering but if you want them happy then a bit of regular watering should be done at the minimum during the dry season.
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Zinnias are very good for bee farms but for myself I have realized that they are wonderful for one’s garden since they attract a lot of beautiful butterflies. Some mornings we look like a butterfly farm and it is a lovely sight indeed. Some mornings I walk outside with my coffee and look at the flowers and the butterflies and I feel with certainty that I am happy.
Sparking joy sounds overused nowadays but I can say with no irony whatsoever that a field of colourful flowers and butterflies on a sunny morning is a literal joy. If you are just planning your garden, please start with zinnias. You will not regret it one bit.
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