California Giant Zinnia History

Developed in 1926, Heirloom California Giant Zinnias produce stems as tall as 4 feet with huge 5″ blooms, making this variety ideal for cut flowers! The shape of the flower is a bit more open than the Dahlia Flowered variety, with petals rounded on the end. Easy to grow, Zinnias look wonderful when planted

Growing Giant Zinnia Seeds

Plant seeds after the danger of spring frost has passed and the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees. This will be between March and May, depending on where you live. Sow the seeds no more than an inch deep and about 6 inches apart. Thin the seedlings once they hit 6 inches tall, leaving the strongest plants about 12 inches apart. For continuous blooms, stagger your planting, sowing a new row of seeds every two to three weeks, beginning in the spring. Succession planting, as this is called, will keep you supplied with continuous blooms until first frost. How long does it take for sunflowers to grow? From the time you put the seed in the soil to bloom ranges between 80 and 120 days, depending on the variety.

Preserving And Storing California Zinnia

If you’re saving the seeds to re-plant, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant. Label the container with the variety and the date you harvested. The seed will last for years if stored this way. Allow the seeds to dry for several hours or overnight before storing

Are Giant Zinnias Perennials?

The California Giant Zinnia is an annual, so they’ll grow for one season and produce seeds, but the original plant will not come back in subsequent years.

Sunflower Uses

The common sunflower is valuable from an economic as well as from an ornamental point of view. The leaves are used as fodder, the flowers yield a yellow dye, and the seeds contain oil and are used for food. The sweet yellow oil obtained by compression of the seeds is considered equal to olive or almond oil for table use. Sunflower oil cake is used for stock and poultry feeding. The oil is also used in soap and paints and as a lubricant. The seeds may be eaten dried, roasted, or ground into nut butter and are common in birdseed mixes.

Sunflower Nutriton

Sunflower seeds come from the large flower heads of the sunflower plant. The edible variety has a mild, nutty flavor. seeds are excellent sources of several nutrients — including vitamin E and selenium — and beneficial plant compounds that can help prevent chronic diseases. Sunflower seeds contain nutrients and plant compounds that help reduce your risk of inflammation, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Sunflower seeds contain nutrients and plant compounds that help reduce your risk of inflammation, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Other Flower Varieties Worth Checking Out

 Velvet Queen

 Teddy Bear