How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Benary’s Giant Zinnias

As a cut flower gardener, zinnias are one of my favorite summer annuals to grow in the cutting garden and anywhere else. These big, bold, bright blooms are so cheerful and prolific that if you take good care of them, they will continue to bloom right up until the first frost kills them off. 

Zinnias aren’t just great as ornamentals. They are also a wonderful food source for all kinds of pollinators. There are few spots in the yard where I see as many butterflies as I do in my zinnia patches. Every year, I plant more, and now these beauties pop up all over the place, where I sow them, as well as where they sow themselves. 

Here’s how to add an extra unique blend of zinnias to your garden with ‘Benary’s Giant’ seeds!

Benary’s Giant Blend Zinnia

Benary’s Giant Blend Zinnia Seeds

‘Benary’s Giant’ blooms are truly giant at up to 6″, and come in a rainbow of eye-pleasing colors for an impressive backdrop in your garden. Blooms are densely petaled, very long-lasting, and hold up well despite rain and summer’s heat.

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‘Benary’s Giant’ Zinnia Overview

Plant Type Annual Family Asteraceae Genus Zinnia Species Elegans	Native Area The Americas Exposure Full sun Height 3’-4’ Watering Requirements Moderate	Pests & Diseases Armyworms, aphids, leafminers, whiteflies, leaf spot, powdery mildew, blight, stem canker Maintenance Low Soil Type Loamy, well-drained, slightly acidic Hardiness Zone 2-11

What Is ‘Benary’s Giant’ Zinnia?

‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias are all the things that are wonderful about the Zinnia genus. Long, strong stems, big, bold, colorful flowers, and an excellent cut-and-come-again habit. As a cut flower gardener, these are at the top of my list for long-lasting and beautiful summer bouquets. I’m not the only one who feels this way about them, as the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers awarded them as their first-ever Cut Flower of the Year in 1999.

Characteristics

Zinnias are wonderful, sturdy, long-flowering annuals that cheer up the garden and the dining room table, too! Their slender but stiff stems make them great for cutting. Be careful when you snip, though; those stems are hollow and crush easily. The stems and leaves are slightly fuzzy, giving them a sandpaper texture. 

‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias are some of the most magnificent around, primarily because of their large, bold blooms. These flowers are extra large, at up to six inches in diameter. They’re also densely petaled and come in a wide variety of shades. 

You’ll love how well these hold up outdoors. They tolerate wind and rain better than most, and they stay beautiful throughout the hot months. Like all zinnias, these are pollinator magnets; bumblebees and butterflies are especially huge fans. 

Native Area

Zinnias are native to a wide range that spans from the Midwestern United States to South America. You’ll find the greatest diversity of the plants in Mexico where they occur mainly in dry grasslands and scrub areas. They’re cultivated all over the world and naturalized in several countries.

Zinnia elegans, the species that holds the ‘Benarys Giant’ cultivar, is native to Mexico, Central, and South America.  

Planting

Zinnias are fast growers that tolerate heat well. They take about two months to grow from seed to bloom, and you can succession sow them beginning around March in warm climates. You can continue to sow seeds well into the summer months, and have tons of these blooming in the fall. 

Transplanting

If you purchase nursery starts, plant them anytime in a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Plant them about a foot apart so that they have room to fill out. ‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias can be difficult to find at nurseries, but they are exceptionally easy to grow from seeds. 

Growing From Seed

These are some of the easiest flowers to grow from seeds. They germinate quickly, and if you forget to water for a day, they will bounce back quickly. You can start them in seed trays, indoors, but there truly is no reason to put yourself to that trouble. I drop seeds directly in the ground, and within a week, there are baby zinnias all over the place!

There isn’t much of a trick to planting these from seeds; that’s one of the qualities that makes them so great. Wait until there is no threat of a late frost, because that is the one thing that will knock them out for good. I start in March here in zone 9, if you live farther north, hold off until that last frost date is in the rearview. 

Sow your seeds in groups of two or three, 12 inches apart. You don’t have to plant them deeply; about 1/4 inch should do it. Water them daily, but don’t let the soil become soggy. Some seedlings will sprout as soon as three days, some could take as long as ten, and most will be in the middle of that time frame. When they’re about two inches tall, thin them to one seedling every 12 inches. 

How to Grow

It doesn’t get much easier than ‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias. As long as you wait until it’s warm enough, they are easy to grow and care for. They are attractive to some common pests, but otherwise, they tolerate a wide range of conditions and provide a ton of color in the garden. 

Light

Zinnias are sun-loving plants that tolerate as much as you want to give them. As long as they receive enough moisture, they will tolerate the sun all day. In hot climates, the ideal exposure is six to eight hours, early in the day, and shade in the afternoon. In cooler climates, sun all day is fine. 

Water

Young seedlings need water every day until they are about 6 inches tall. It’s hot where I live, and in times of little rain, I water my zinnias with a drip line for about half an hour every morning. In an average climate, every other day is sufficient for zinnias. 

Zinnias are susceptible to some fungal diseases, so be careful about watering early in the day. Overhead watering can exacerbate the issue. Avoid watering in the evening, even with a soaker hose or drip line. This will help prevent fungus. 

Soil

While they can survive in sandy soil, they prefer loamy, nutrient-rich soil. Heavy soil is also not ideal, but amending your soil with compost or topsoil will help in both cases. Just make sure that there is plenty of organic material and good drainage. 

Temperature and Humidity

Zinnias prefer warm weather and do not survive in frost. Make sure that you wait long enough to plant them. The seeds sprout quickly, and the seedlings are highly susceptible to cold. Once the soil reaches 60°F (16°C), the time is right for planting. 

During the day, a range of 70-85°F (21-29°C) is ideal. They are fine in nighttime temperatures in the 50s and 60s (around 10-16°C), but much cooler, and their growth will slow down. They are tolerant of humidity, about 40-60% is ideal. In regions with high humidity, powdery mildew can be an issue. Make sure to give them plenty of space and good air circulation if you live in a humid climate.

Fertilizing

Fertilizer isn’t imperative if you plant these in rich soil. However, applying a balanced fertilizer from time to time won’t do any harm. A balanced formula or one that is higher in phosphorus is suitable for your zinnias. Monthly fertilizing is plenty; much more will burn the roots. 

Maintenance

The more you cut the flowers, the more these plants will bloom. They are annuals, so there’s not much else to do other than decide upon your removal method at the end of the season. You can cut the foliage to the ground and leave the roots to help fortify the soil, or pull them out entirely. Make sure to deadhead if you’re not using these as cut flowers. 

Propagation

‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias are so easy and fast to grow from seeds that they are seldom propagated in other ways, but you can propagate them from cuttings. Snip a healthy stem that has not flowered and remove the leaves from the bottom half. Put the cut end in water and wait for it to grow roots. This will take about three or four weeks. 

Once your cutting grows roots, you can transfer it to soil, either in a container or in the ground. Make sure that the soil remains moist until the plant is well established. 

Common Problems

As much as I love ‘Benary’s Giant’ zinnias, pests and diseases make them a bit high maintenance. The good thing is, they are so easy to grow that you can grow more than you want, and then thin out the ones that don’t look so great.

Pests

The biggest issue I’ve had with my zinnias is armyworms. These little larvae are destructive, to say the least. They will defoliate your leaves overnight, and if you don’t catch them early, they will move from plant to plant, doing more of the same. You can get rid of them with neem oil or other insecticides as a last resort, but I prefer just to pull the ones they get hold of. 

Other common pests that like zinnias include aphids, leafminers, and whiteflies. Aphids and whiteflies are easy enough to treat, and they both have plenty of natural predators. Zinnias are fabulous nectar plants, so they attract beneficial insects, and their larvae make quick work of most pests. 

In the absence of predators, misting your plants with neem oil in the early morning or evening will reduce pest issues. Make sure to do it long before or after pollinating insects leave for the day. The oil will dry and no longer be harmful to beneficial insects. Neem oil also works on leafminers. 

Diseases

Most of the diseases that affect zinnias are fungal and predominantly caused by high humidity and improper watering habits. Alternaria leaf spot appears as small reddish-brown splotches on the leaves. They enlarge and eventually merge and take over entire leaves. 

Botrytis blight is a type of mold that appears on leaves, stems, and flowers, usually in humid climates. Powdery mildew and stem canker can also affect zinnias and are both the result of poor watering habits. 

To combat fungal diseases, water only in the morning or early part of the day. This allows the foliage to dry by nightfall. Give your plants breathing room so air can circulate, especially in humid climates. Water at the base of the plants with drip irrigation to prevent fungal soil particles from splashing onto the leaves.

Bacterial diseases are typically less common and more serious. Black spots on the leaves aren’t always serious; removing these leaves will usually take care of the problem. Bacterial wilt is not curable, however. Remove plants with bacterial wilt and dispose of them away from other plants. 

Frequently Asked Questions