Garden and Flowers

CREEPING ZINNIA

The stems of creeping zinnias branch out continually to increase the spread of these plants which, however, do not grow much more than 6 in high. An area full of these plants will create a yellow carpet, since they flower freely and unceasingly from June until well into October. This makes creeping zinnias highly suitable for hanging baskets and containers, in which they add to their charm by trailing over the edges.

Sow indoors in March-April, or outdoors from the end of April. The plants may well come into flower two months later. The species originally came from the warm south of Mexico and the adjoining regions of Guatemala, and cannot tolerate frost. After hardening off the plants, you should therefore wait until the end of May before putting them out-of-doors. They like sunlight and will put up with any kind of soil provided it is not too wet.

Sanvitalia procumbens ‘Aztekengold’ is one of the most rewarding cultivars and bears a profusion of little flowers resembling small yellow wheels. They also do quite well in summers that are not so very good.

Sanvitalia procumbens ‘Golden Carpet’ has yellow flowers with blackish-brown centers. Sanvitalia procumbens ‘Mandarin Orange’ closely resembles the above cultivar.

Sanvitalia procumbens ‘Single Sprite’ is most like the natural species, but has semi-double flowers.

Great low-growing spreading annual. We use it underneath a tree by our patio, and it holds up to a lot of abuse. Lots of flowers, they just keep on coming. No maintenance. One year, a double-flowered plant popped up in the batch of seedlings, looking much more like the zinnia to which its common name refers. An oddity — I actually prefer the single-flowered daisy types.