Zinnia elegans Queen Red Lime Seeds

Zinnia elegans 'Queen Red Lime' is a tall-growing variety of Zinnia that presents a truly exceptional for its slightly nostalgic changing colours. Its petals come in a gradient of pale red, rose and dusty pink which is gradually overlain with chartreuse green and lime green, progressing from the centre to the tips. These fully double, medium-sized flowers are borne on strong stems that last long in bouquets. This tall plant is grown as an annual and flowers from July until the first frosts, depending on the date of sowing. An exceptional variety that every gardener can grow!

Zinnia elegans is a sturdy annual belonging to the family Asteraceae, that is native to Mexico and has given rise to many cultivars. 'Queen Red Lime' is just one of them, and was selected for the unique colouring of its flower heads. The plant forms a well-branched mound, which grows to an average of 60 cm tall and 30 cm wide. Its stems are hollow, thick, strong and carry rough, downy, lanceolate to elliptical, medium green leaves. Flowering occurs from July to September-October in the form of nectar-rich, melliferous blooms. The axillary flowers are hemispherical, slightly flattened, fully double, pompom-shaped capitula, 6 cm across, that are made up of numerous, spatulate, slightly tubular ligulate flowers, recalling the inflorescence of certain dahlias. Their very uniform colouring features a palette of slightly faded, muted tones that varies from antique pink tinged with light red and lilac to almond green, a very soft pistachio green, surrounding a purplish-pink centre.

Much appreciated for their sturdiness, striking colours and ease of cultivation, Zinnias are a valuable asset in any garden. Versatile, they can be placed in borders, flowerbeds or in the vegetable garden, between rows of crops. Zinnia thrives in the sun and tolerates heat very well, provided they are watered every once in a while. It performs best in neutral, rich, well-drained soil. It is quite undemanding, adapting to any average garden soil. You can easily combine it with perennials such as pink Rudbeckias or other annuals such as Coreopsis or Ammi visnaga. They can also be sown in pots to decorate the terrace in summer. The charming, old-fashioned Queen Red Lime variety goes well with pink or burgundy red Chrysanthemums or almost-black Dahlias like Tamburo or Nuit d'été (Summer Night).