The Easy Trick You Need For An Endless Supply Of Colorful Zinnias Every Year

A workhorse of the summer flower bed, zinnias (Zinnia elegans) provide a colorful show of blooms from summer through autumn, in addition to providing food for pollinators like bees and butterflies. Gardeners can even attract more hummingbirds with this garden flower that's easy to grow from seed. Thrifty gardeners who really want to be resourceful and stretch their paychecks can take an extra step towards keeping their gardens full of these cheerful blooms. The trick to creating an unending supply is to save seeds from these annuals, so you can easily grow zinnias in the garden year after year.

Some flower lovers may not realize just how much money growing plants such as zinnias from seed can permit them to save on garden plants. And when you build your own supply of seeds, you won't even have to purchase seed packs, because you'll have a self-perpetuating stock. When saving seeds from annual plants like zinnias, you'll want to use the right techniques to ensure your propagation is successful. 

The process of saving seeds from these colorful plants really starts before sowing the first batch. First, you'll want to know the best way to grow and care for zinnias. They prefer fertile soil and full sun, so be sure not to try growing them in the shade. Since these bright flowers easily cross-pollinate, if you want the seeds to sow true — in other words, if you want them to keep the same characteristics as the flowers you first grew — prevent crosses by growing only one type of zinnia. On the other hand, if you don't mind growing crosses, then you can sow as many different types as you like, and the precise results will be a surprise.

To save seeds from these plants, the process is easy, but be sure to wait until the flower heads turn brown. Collect the entire flower heads when they are dry and place them in paper bags. Separate the seeds from the flower heads, then place the seeds in labeled envelopes and store them in a dry, pest-free location. Zinnia seeds will last for four to five years if they are stored in ideal conditions, but if you keep harvesting new seeds year after year, you can grow an endless supply of blooms. Share the yields of this gardening trick with friends and family, or add packs to your local seed library.