42 zinnia plants for under $2.00 - potting up seedlings
Tall zinnias with large blooms attract hundreds of butterflies to our garden every year and planting them from seed guarantees that a lot of nectar will be available for butterfly-viewing season. They are members of the aster plant family - most are natives of the Americas. The seeds frankly, look like plant trash - thin, brown scraps, half the size of a dime. Taking them out of the packet can make a gardener wonder if someone sold them a joke pack - these things can't grow into big fat nectar plants! I planted them into a flat with many planting holes so I could keep track of their progress. Unfortunately I didn't notice at planting time how many planting holes were seeded so I can't report on the germination rate of this buck-thirty-nine packet of seeds. They rooted really well. To protect the seedlings during the process, use a plastic knife or something similar to loosen all four edges. The roots are three times as long as the little seedlin...