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Zinnia
Zinnia elegans
Zinnia blooms from June through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Zinnia
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 1 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is Zinnia toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Zinnia
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Zinnia into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from June to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Zinnia get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1 ftwideSee Zinnia in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Zinnia
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Zinnia about 1 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Zinnia to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Zinnia's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom color and trait tags were checked against 14 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionZinnia elegansheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionZinnia, genus entryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASUF/IFAS Extension, FPS-623 Zinnia spp.height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic GardenZinniaheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenZinnia elegansheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- asu.eduArizona State University plant library, Chris Martin (Zinnia elegans)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterHow to Grow Zinniasheight, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Cornell Cooperative ExtensionZinnia, medium height cultivarsheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- Iowa State University ExtensionZinniasheight, sun, water and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun, water and bloom months and color
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureZinniasheight, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASUF/IFAS Extension Gardening Solutions (Zinnia)height, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionZinniaheight, sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 13 varieties across 6 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Every plant in the group blooms from June through October.
- Benary's Giant Wine
- Coral
- Envy
- Magenta
- Orange
- Pink
- Profusion Cherry
- Profusion White
- Purple
- Queen Lime Orange
- Uproar Rose
- White
- Yellow
Compare every variety in the Zinnias group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benary's Giant Wine | Red | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 1.5 ft |
| Coral | Orange | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Envy | - | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1.5 ft |
| Magenta | Pink | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Orange | Orange | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Pink | Pink | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Profusion Cherry | Pink | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 16 in × 16 in |
| Profusion White | White | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 16 in × 16 in |
| Purple | Purple | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Queen Lime Orange | Orange | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Uproar Rose | Pink | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 3 ft × 2 ft |
| White | White | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Yellow | Yellow | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Zinniathis page | Red | Jun–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
Good to know about Zinnia
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
The same petal-doubling that makes a showy cut-flower head breeds out the nectar and pollen, so plain single and semi-double open forms feed bees and butterflies best. per Illinois and Minnesota
When to deadhead
Standard tall and cut-flower zinnias need regular deadheading to keep blooming to frost; the self-cleaning Profusion and Zahara series set new flowers above the old and need none. per NC State and Minnesota
Drought-tough or steady moisture
Once established zinnias shrug off heat and drought, but steady moderate moisture (about 1 inch a week) still gives the best, most disease-free bloom. Soggy soil invites fungus. per Wisconsin and Clemson
Its signature disease
Powdery mildew is the signature zinnia disease. Full sun, wide spacing for air flow, base-watering to keep leaves dry, and mildew-resistant series are the front-line defense. per Clemson and Wisconsin
Easy and fast from seed
One of the easiest annuals from seed: sow it right where it will grow after frost in warm soil, and it sprouts in about 4 to 8 days. per NC State
Premier cut flower
A premier cut flower for summer bouquets: vase life about a week, sometimes up to two, and frequent cutting only spurs more bloom. per Clemson
Listed as non-toxic to pets
Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension. A pet that eats a lot might get mild, passing stomach upset. per NC State
What pairs well with Zinnia
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Blue Princess Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Red Robin Photinia
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Indian Hawthorn
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Eye Candy Moss Phlox
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Candytuft
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Decadence Lemon Meringue False Indigo
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 20 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.