Product Description
Scarlet King, a California giant zinnia flower, produces a stunning deep scarlet bloom. The fully double, 3-5 inch diameter blossom stands 30-36 inches tall and makes a dramatic statement in your garden. These gorgeous flowers look spectacular as a focal point in floral arrangements, too. These heirloom zinnia seeds are part of The Seeds That Built America collection by Harvesting History and are made in the USA!
Planting and Care
Plant your zinnias in a location with full sun in late spring, after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Zinnia plants grow easily from seed. When planting in spring, keep the soil slightly moist until germination, which takes 7-10 days. Sow the seeds at a 1/2-inch depth and 6-8 inches apart. When seedlings are 2 inches high, thin, leaving 6-8 inches between plants. Plants reach maturity in about 60-90 days. Produces about 30-45 blossoms.
Inspiration
Zinnias are primarily native to Mexico, but wild zinnias have been found as far north as Colorado and as far south as Guatemala. The Spanish colonizers brought the first zinnias to Europe in the 1500s, Zinnia peruviana. By the 1600s, the plant was known throughout Europe, but was little cultivated.
Dr. Johann Gottfried Zinn of Gottingen University in Germany was the first to describe the plant botanically. Much of the early development with zinnias was done by the French, who developed the first truly double zinnias in 1856. By 1864, double-flowered zinnias in purple, orange, salmon, and red had made their way back to North America.
Eighteenth-century Williamsburg was the home of many ardent gardeners and plant collectors who often exchanged seeds with fellow enthusiasts in Great Britain. Gardeners obtained their seeds from store merchants or from traveling seedsmen. Today, the Colonial Williamsburg seed program continues the tradition by offering many varieties grown in the 18th century.
