Though almost always considered a 'beginner's flower,' the zinnia nevertheless has a long and controversial history. Records of its use date back to at least to the 1500s, when it first appears in Aztec garden blogs and anonymous conquistadors 'snarkily' referred to it in the comments as 'mal de ojos' (which of course is Spanish for 'fugly'). German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727 – 1759)-after whom the plant is named-brought it back to Europe, however, where it faded in and out of popularity for several centuries.
Closer to home, a search of the New York Times archives reveals that the flower was quite popular during the 'Mad Men' era, which, roughly speaking, lasted three decades, from 1940-1970 (or the same length of time as their Season 3 advertising campaign this summer). As Claire Norton wrote for the Society Show Women's News Blog in 1941, 'It seems fitting, in these days when the Pan-American theme is so prevalent, that the zinnia, originally hailing from Mexico, should be gaining an even higher place in popular favor than it has enjoyed in the past. In fact, so varied in size and color are some of the new types that they are becoming serious rivals of the dahlia in these respects, as well as being much more adaptable in garden use.'
Then came a somewhat more defensive post from Mary Coleman in 1951: 'Ladies, zinnias are still among the most popular and useful of annuals. These warm-weather favorites are so generally grown that they seem almost common. But! If the possibilities are explored and their preferences catered to, the results can be quite out-of-the-ordinary.'
Yet by 1971, Joan Lee Faust-writing for Arts & Leisure-treats the flower with a certain disdain that will not be unfamiliar to the contemporary J.C. Penney shopper reader. 'Seed catalogues will be arriving toward the end of the month. Their pages will be illustrated with many new and better offerings to brighten homeowner anticipations, but according to the $30-million seed-packet industry, gardeners are so SUBURBAN that their habits of buying their old reliable varieties-zzzzzinnias just one example-are often hard to break.'
Zinnia face!
You know, like, "it's in your face!"
Take that, flower-haters.
I didn't know what these were called, but I called them 'Greek daisies' b/c I live in a really Greek neighbourhood and everyone has them.
It's unfortunate that flowers--through no fault of their own--are subject to the same vagaries and whims of fashion as everything else. I mean: carnations? marigolds? spray-painted spider chrysanthemums? bleeaah...
Very summery flowers. Turns out there is even one Zinnia species native to the Rocky Mountain west.
And sage, we have many species in California. They are so varied, you could make a nice garden of them alone.
growing things from seed sucks! alternatively: i suck at growing things from seed.
I used to think that growing things from seed sucks, too! (And ok, I still kind of think that.) But if you buy the right stuff and keep the light really close to the trays--and but don't let them dry out--it'll probably work, and sometimes you can get more interesting (and cheaper!) stuff from seed than you can at your local nursery. (Although I'm not really one to talk, given that zinnia profusion is not exactly a rarity!). We're going 100 percent zinnia and dahlia next year in our pots -- damn, is it spring yet? Good luck!
well, it's spring where i live. i'm just grumpy because all but six of my icelandic poppies dropped dead. i should probably be more careful. but yes, there are wildly exciting things available if you grow from seeds, especially in the heritage vegetable lines. next year i think i'll try purple cauliflower.
Matthew, the drag about zinnias is they are a magnet for Japanese beetles -- a relentless bug whose numbers are barely affected by Japanese beetle traps. From my perspective, zinnias are just too much trouble because once the Japanese beetle has discovered your garden, it may want to stay around.
Thanks, McBeachy--I'll keep that in mind. Given that we would never have more than two small pots of them, though, I think it's probably worth the risk? Ugh, nothing is easy. (h8 life)
Astilbes are a nice late bloomer -- they can go into the fall months and they come in some nice colors and shapes.
Also, there's a fabulous plant called Fairy Candles (aka cimicifuga, I think it is) that is a beautiful fall bloomer. I love them. It looks good as a shrub all summer and is one of those plants that looks very natural to a landscape. And it is good in shade/partial shade!
ps - a friend gave me a tiny little Morning Glory plant at the end of July and it is climbing up my drainpipe now. Those things grow fast!! And the flowers are pretty, even now.
This heirloom beauty is the only zinnia I grow, and it can outclass many an orchid:
http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/0084.2.5267653721041689183
Nice--thanks for the tip, WSR. (Note that we do have some seriously kickass orchids that I plan to cover in the winter months.)