Zinnias have developed into one of our easiest and most colourful of summer annuals - as long as you sow the seed direct into the soil. And it's not so much the large flowered types that remind us of show chrysanths that are so successful, it's the bushier, more prolific, smaller flowered varieties.
New in this style is ‘Frazzy Jazzy'. Each fully double flower has petals which are dark at the base and pale at the tips, creating dazzling colour combinations: crimson and cream, scarlet and orange, purple and white... The result is a continuing sparkling display of delightful double flowers which can be enjoyed in any sunny place in the garden and also cut for posies for the house.
But they dislike being sown in pots or trays and then pricked out for planting later. Better to sow them very thinly, direct into the soil, in May or June, thin them if necessary and them just let them get on with it. I always find that the best technique is to make your drills with the corner of the rake or the point of a cane, then soak the drills thoroughly, sow the seed on the wet soil and cover them with dry soil. That will give them a flying start.
You can order seeds of Zinnia ‘Frazzy Jazzy' from Mr Fothergill's Seeds.