Zinnia haageana Soleado Seeds

Zinnia haageana 'Soleado' is a variety of Mexican zinnia that has been awarded at Fleuroselect for its exceptionally vivid colour. Each small, semi-double, daisy-shaped flower has petals with bright orange centres and yellow edges, surrounding a red central halo, containing an even darker eye. This small plant is grown as an annual and flowers continuously from July to mid-October. It is easy to grow, resistant to disease and free flowering, making this variety a must-have for bee-friendly beds, wildflower meadows or naturalistic gardens.

The 20 or so species that make up the genus Zinnia are native to the dry grasslands of an area stretching from southwestern North America to South America, mainly covering Mexico. Zinnia haageana (synonym Z. mexicana or Z. angustifolia) is an annual plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, native to Mexico, that absolutely loves warmth and full sun and whose abundance of blooms compensates for their little size.

The 'Soleado' variety, whose name is already suggestive of light and summer, was selected for the unique colour of its flower heads. The plant forms a small, well-branched mound, which on average reaches 40 cm in height and in width. The hairy, medium green leaves are narrow and present sheathed bases. The slender stems are often tinged with red, closer to the ground. Flowering takes place from July to mid-October in the form of nectar-rich, melliferous blooms. The axillary flowers are semi-double capitula, 4 cm across, that are made up of a double row of orange and yellow ligulate florets with red bases, surrounding a centre packed with fertile florets that darken as they mature.

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. This vivacious, cheerful Soleado variety will go well with blanket flowers, love-in-a-mist, perennial or annual flax, California poppies, snapdragons and wallflowers, all of which are just as easy to grow in light soil.