Description: Herbaceous, tender, bushy, cheerful; Diminutive, dense, small and bushy depending on cultivar, mostly small and beneath 2' in height with greater spread; Ovate to lanceolate, medium green, scabrous; medium fine texture; Flowers bright white to yellow, red and mahogany, perfect ray flowers, single and double born terminally on stems, fruit inconspicuous.
Seasonal Color: Flowers profusely from May to early December
Temperature: This is a remarkable heat tolerant Zinnia species. Great for use in the arid Southwest lower deserts as a water season annual, even in reflected light locations and wester exposures.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Tolerant, well drained but with moderate to high organic matter content. A good organic mulch that helps conserve moisture and keep soil temperatures cool will benefit this plant much. Watering: Make sure to provide copious and frequent amounts of water for this plant to thrive during the hot summer in Phoenix.
Pruning: Almost none required. Fastidious gardens will want to remove spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
Propagation: Seed, really easy - a good dependable, beginner gardeners plant. Can re-seed in ensuing years in a garden spot if conditions are favorable.
Disease and pests: Relatively pest free.
Additional comments: This wonderful warm season annual does amazingly well in Phoenix during the summer. I highly recommend it for summer color in Phoenix during a time of year when live is generally stressful. There are many named cultivated varieties of different flower colors such as the dwarf cultivars named 'White Star' and 'Orange Profusion'.
Hardiness zones: Sunset All zones as annual, USDA All zones as annual
Landscape Use: This is a great warm season accent bedding plant for all of Arizona and a spring and fall bedding plant for the lower Arizona desert landscapes. It is much Zinnia elegans in that it is a great summer youth garden plant because it's easy to grow, dependable, and showy.