Benary’s Giants

(85 days) The most elegant giant dahlia-flowered zinnia. The densely petaled double flowers regularly exceed 4" across, showy yet extremely refined, borne on long stems perfect for cutting. Highlighted by the uniform petal patterns, colors are particularly bright. Holds better than most even under the stress of high heat and rainfall. Absolutely breathtaking in ideal conditions. 3–3½' plants. The zinnia of choice for market growers; on a par with State Fair Mix for home gardeners. Benary’s are film-coated with an industrial food-grade non-toxic coloring that does not contain any fungicides or pesticides. ~120 seeds/g.

Zinnia

~110 seeds/g. except where noted.

Annual. Known as Youth and Old Age in the 1800s, this showy genus was named for German botany professor Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727-1759). Easy to grow from seed and a favorite for bright color in Maine summers. Zinnia flower essence is used to bring out playfulness and lightheartedness.

Culture: Sow in a sunny spot after last frost, or start indoors for earlier blooms. Germinates 3–5 days at 80–85°, more slowly at cooler temperatures. Grow on at 70° days, 60–65° at night. Temperatures below 60° delay flowering and may induce chlorosis. Space at 9–12".

They need good drainage and like heat. Market grower Jason Kafka says zinnias perform better in tunnels than in the field. With the extra heat they get so big that “they think they are in New Jersey.” Cut when flowers are almost fully mature, just before pollen starts to form. Deadhead to continue production.

Flowers

All flowers are open-pollinated except where noted.

Days in parentheses after a variety indicate days to first bloom.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.