By Tom Kalb, Horticulturist

NDSU Extension

Zinnias are one of the most popular flowers grown in the Dakotas. They are easy to grow, do not need much water and bloom all summer.  

Every year I work with over 300 gardeners to test promising varieties. Our team loves to grow zinnias, and we have discovered a new group of varieties that are both amazing and very affordable.

These are the Dessert Menu zinnias. These varieties consist of beautiful mixes of colors and cost only 5% compared to premium varieties.

Dessert Menu zinnias are exceptional in many ways. First, each variety is a specially designed blend of colors. My personal favorite is Fruity Beauty, which comes in bright shades of orange, yellow and coral. These vibrant colors seem to glow in the garden.

Many gardeners love red flowers. To them, I recommend Berry Tart. It is a radiant blend of scarlet, cherry, burgundy and coral blooms.

Strawberry Parfait flowers are a blend of rose, pink and white. Blueberry Cheesecake is a mix of deep purple, lavender and white blooms. Lemon Meringue has yellow, white and lime green flowers.

I think a blend of colors provides for a more natural look in a garden, especially when planted in a large bed. For example, the blend of deep purple, lavender and white flowers in Blueberry Cheesecake zinnias is more appealing to me than a row of all purple flowers.

Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love Dessert Menu zinnias. These zinnias have an open flower habit that provides easy access to nectar and pollen.  

Dessert Menu zinnias bloom earlier than most other zinnias. You can sow them in your garden and they will bloom in only 70 days. You don’t have to buy transplants from a greenhouse. This will save you lots of money.

Speaking of saving money, these zinnia seeds are very affordable. The standard variety for cut-flower growers are the Benary’s Giants zinnias. These are excellent zinnias, but a packet of 50 seeds will cost you about $5. You can buy a half ounce (1,500 seeds or 30 times more seeds) of Fruity Beauty for about $8. If you want to plant a big flower bed, there are major discounts for larger volumes of these seeds.

The low cost of the Dessert Menu seeds made me suspicious at first, but they have performed well in hundreds of gardens throughout our region. These varieties have received some of the highest scores of all vegetables and cut flowers grown in our trials. Many gardeners rave at how easy the plants are to grow and how beautiful the flowers are.

The plants grow tall, about 3 to 4 feet high, but can withstand our prairie winds. They have sturdy stems that make them great for cut flower arrangements. They rarely suffer from diseases.

Remarkable varieties similar to the Dessert Menu series have also performed well in recent testing. These include South of the Border and Lava Lamp, which have bold red, orange and yellow flowers. Blushing Bride has soft pink and white flowers.

For the record, we have discovered other great zinnias over the past 15 years. In addition to the Benary’s Giants, State Fair has huge blooms. The Oklahoma series has smaller, 2-inch flowers that work well in flower arrangements. Attractive zinnias that grow on compact plants include the Zahara series and Old Mexico.

I often get asked where you can buy these varieties. Do a Google search of the variety, and many seed companies will pop up.

NDSU will be testing zinnia varieties again in 2025. You are welcome to join our team. Go to ndsu.ag/homegardentrials and sign up to receive our online catalog.

For more information about gardening, contact your local NDSU Extension agent. Find the Extension office for your county at ndsu.ag/countyoffice. 

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Jan. 30, 2025

Source: Tom Kalb, 701-877-2585, tom.kalb@ndsu.edu

Editor: Kelli Anderson, 701-231-6136, kelli.c.anderson@ndsu.edu