[mrswashi]

Anyone growing/ grown Zinnia flowers?
Just wondering how they're doing?
Mrswashi

[arugula]

Have done in the past, not sown any this year (yet). Are yours not behaving as you'd hoped?

[Sweetpea C]

Hi, my first year of trying them and they were growing great so I potted on and now it looks they have been eater. I'm going to get some more growing inside to see if I get late flowers from them, they look beautiful.

[allotmentann]

Mine have germinated well, but like most of my annuals are only at pricking out stage! Ithink I am going to struggle to get flowers this year!

[Flowertot]

I had 3 seedlings (from 12seeds) in my mini plastic greenhouse and I thought I was doing well.  Then one night last week they were eaten!     I have sown more seeds and have my fingers crossed...

[JayG]

Love them - grow them nearly every year and the bright colours and sometimes extraordinary flower construction never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Attached pic is from 2011 - sown individually to avoid thinning at about this time of year in a sunny border, and protected against slugs when first through. They were nowhere near as good last year - I think it was just too wet for too long for them.

[Sweetpea C]

They really are beautiful, right, sowing some in the next 15 minutes!

[JayG]

It's no trick of the eye - the pink one near the bottom left and also towards the top left really do look like that (like a mad cake decorator's handiwork!) 

If it's not too hot, or they don't get rained on too much each individual bloom lasts for weeks too! 

[Sweetpea C]

Any tips on how to stop them from getting eaten?

[sion01]

I never have any luck with zinnia.Every time I prick them out or plant them out they seem to sulk for weeks.How do you treat them JayG ,they seem to like it

[JayG]

I don't think they like being transplanted - best sown direct (and then cross your fingers weather-wise.)

With half decent weather they seem to do OK - as I previously mentioned they didn't think much of last year's summer (neither did I  ) but those in the pic were grown in 2011 which wasn't exactly brilliant either.

There are different mixes of them available - I didn't keep the seed packet for those in the pic so can't name them, and sometimes they are a bit less exotically shaped and look more like chrysanthemums to my eyes, but they are always extremely colourful.

[Sweetpea C]

ahhh, sow direct is the key then, I will try, thank you 

[mrswashi]

Glad you said that. I too had some lovely shoots in pots, transplanted and it all went wrong. Withered, eaten, whatever, they did not like it!
Have just sown some directly,......watch this space, fingers crossed!
Mrswashi

[allotmentann]

I don't think they like being transplanted - best sown direct (and then cross your fingers weather-wise.)

With half decent weather they seem to do OK - as I previously mentioned they didn't think much of last year's summer (neither did I  ) but those in the pic were grown in 2011 which wasn't exactly brilliant either.

There are different mixes of them available - I didn't keep the seed packet for those in the pic so can't name them, and sometimes they are a bit less exotically shaped and look more like chrysanthemums to my eyes, but they are always extremely colourful.

Mine may be doomed then! They are in paper pots! Yours look really beautiful.

[arugula]

Any tips on how to stop them from getting eaten?

Funnily enough, they don't normally suffer from slug and snail attack here even though it is one of the wetter parts of the UK.