Create A Butterfly Paradise With A Fast-Growing Flower You Can Grow From Seed

As delightful as it can be to grow a colorful flower garden just for yourself, creating one that butterflies, and other pollinators enjoy can be even better. Unfortunately, purchasing plants to fill a garden can be expensive. Luckily, zinnias (Zinnia elegans), one of the best flowers for attracting butterflies to your garden, can be easily and quickly grown from seeds. 

Zinnias are perfect even for gardeners who do not have much experience growing flowers from seeds. Not only are the seeds affordable and widely available, but they also grow and mature quickly. With proper care, they often flower less than two months after you plant them. Due to how rapidly they mature, you can plant zinnias seeds well into the summer and still have time for you and your butterfly friends to enjoy the blooms before the frost ends the growing season. In zones 9 through 11, which include the warm coastal regions of the United States, zinnias are in bloom throughout the year.

While you can plant your zinnias in seed-starting trays if preferred, you can also sow them directly into the garden. Just be sure to wait until the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Pick a spot in the full sun for your zinnia garden and be sure to water the flowers well. One thing to keep in mind when growing zinnias is to avoid planting them too close together. Giving the plants some space will provide better air flow and make them less susceptible to powdery mildew, a common zinnia problem that you shouldn't ignore.

Zinnias come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, ranging from massive 4-foot-tall Benary's Giant cultivars to the petite flowers of the Thumbelina Mix which do not grow above 6 inches. You can easily create a pollinator garden out of different cultivars of zinnias, but to attract even more pollinators, pair your zinnias with companion flowers like cosmos. Much like zinnias, cosmos thrive in the full sun. They too can be easily grown from seed and are a hit with pollinators.