Gardening Charlotte

Gift Zinnia Seeds

Years ago, when I was focusing on what I would grow in my garden, I decided I would concentrate only on perennials because, once planted, they come back year after year. The one exception that kept creeping into those plans were zinnias, an annual originally from Mexico that needs to be planted every year. Frankly, if I could only grow one flower it would be zinnias. So much for planning what I am going to plant in my garden…

These hardy, colorful, butterfly and pollinator-friendly flowers are also long lasting cut flowers, bringing a pop of color into any room and guaranteed to cheer anyone who gets a bouquet.

So as I was sharing with friends on a social media platform that monarchs are migrating through my garden, a friend from my local television days shared a beautiful photo of a Monarch butterfly on a zinnia taken that morning in her garden. That does it, I said, I am covering my garden in zinnias next year.

A couple of days later, Diane texted she was in town and had something for me, a recycled ice cream container full of dry zinnia seeds from her Houston, MO, garden.

Her thoughtful gift was a good reminder how seeds make wonderful garden gifts. Here is how you can also gift zinnia and other flower seeds:

1. Pick or cut off flower heads. Allow to dry. I use old bread trays covered in newspaper with those silica gel packages from shoe boxes underneath.

2. Once dry, break the flower heads apart to release seeds. If you want only one flower color, separate those seeds and don’t mix any others, packaging the single color and variety in their own packages.

3. Package in small envelopes with the flower variety name and planting instructions. You can get stamp envelopes or small invitation envelopes at local craft and big box stores.

4. If you have kids, have them draw and color flowers on the gift seed packages before they are filled.

5. Don’t forget to add where the seeds were grown, include city and state and the year.

According to Diana Wells, zinnias were named after Dr. Johann Gottfied Zinn, a Gottingen University professor who in 1753 wrote a book on the eye anatomy as well as a book on the Gottingen area flora.

In Mexico, the original flowers were called mal de ojos, translated as “ugly to the eyes” because the original flowers were small and considered ugly.

Burpee Seed Co. decided to experiment with the flowers and “Old 66,” one plant in the sixty-sixth row of the experimental gardens, is the basis for most of the current zinnia hybrids.

I picked my last zinnias of the season and have them on my den coffee table, a reminder of the thoughtful gift and the promise of next year’s flowers.

By the way, Diane and I had a lovely visit, another wonderful benefit of sharing seeds. In the language of flowers, zinnias represent “thoughts of absent friends,” which is only too appropriate. Thanks, Diane.

Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is a beekeeper, gardener and sometimes cook. Published by El Dorado Springs Sun once in print and online with author’s permission. Copyright 2017, all rights reserved. This column may not be reprinted, republished or otherwise distributed without author’s permission. Contact Charlotte at gardeningcharlotte at gmail dot com.

COLOR TO BE – My friend Diane’s thoughtful gift, dry zinnia seeds from her Houston, garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins).

FINAL FLOWERS OF SUMMER – My last zinnia bouquet of the season on my den coffee table, a reminder of growing season and a promise of more flowers next year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins).