Zinnia elegans

‘Queeny Lime Red’

QUEENY LIME RED ZINNIAS

Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’
QUEENY LIME RED ZINNIA

Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’ is both very unusual and very beautiful.

Beautiful colouring like an antique tapestry 

Because the elegant blooms delicately shade from soft burgundy on the outer petals, with a flush of lime on the burgundy towards the ruff of central petals, surrounding rich rose centres.
Such stunning, unusual colouring makes Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’ very special.

Superbly coloured doubles & semi-doubles

Some blooms will be fully double; some will be semi-double; with the occasional single thrown in.
But all are strikingly beautiful, and breathtaking en-mass.

Covers with prolific blooms for many months

The recently bred ‘Queeny’ series are all renowned for their exceptional long blooming – through spring, summer and autumn.
Plus for their prolific production of blooms.
Although the blooms on ‘Queeny Lime Red’ are medium size, they make up for it by abundant quantity.

Beloved by florists

So florists adore blooms of Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’.
For their chic shaded colouring (very fashionable); for their long, strong stems; for exceptionally long vase life (easily lasting 2 weeks after cutting); and constant abundant flower production right through their long flowering season.

Zinnias symbolize thoughts of absent friends in the old language of flowers, as befits the old-worlde colouring of ‘Queeny Lime Red’.

Striking garden display, showy pots

So it is a perfect all-rounder for garden display, showy pots, or popular floristry commercial cut flowers.
It is a splendid “cut & come again” plant – because the more blooms you cut the more it gives.

Great bee food

Bees and butterflies cannot believe their luck with this long blooming smorgasbord of nectar and pollen, served up right through spring, summer and autumn.
So they make ideal companions in the veggie and picking garden where they haul in the pollinators.

Repellent to rabbits, deer & whitefly

Fortunately rabbits and deer find the flavour of Zinnias unpalatable. And Zinnias also have an age old reputation for repelling White Fly.
So they have long been used as companion plants with vegetables and fruit.

Edible flowers for the kitchen

Zinnia flowers are also growing in popularity as cooking ingredients, particularly to add colour to salads, drinks and as a colourful garnish.
They are wonderfully edible. However use the petals sparingly as they can add a bitter flavour if used too thickly.

Easy to grow in the garden or field

Grow Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’ in well-drained soils.
They prefer lighter soils, from the sandy side to good garden loam. But can also tolerate clay based soils as long as the soil is opened up with plenty of organic matter to improve drainage.
It is also tolerant of a wide range of soil pH, from acid to alkaline lime based soils.
But do not over fertilize for best flowering results.

Water-wise & heat resistant

Zinnia elegans ‘Queeny Lime Red’ is a water-wise plant to grow, requiring only minimal additional water during hot periods.
They relish summer heat and are drought resistant, so ideally suited to Australian summers.

Recently bred ‘Queeny’ Zinnias are made tough

Zinnias bask in the sun, and like plenty of fresh air movement.
So they are ideal for more exposed sites and seaside gardens, with their strong, stout stems.
They are after all natives of Mexico, and southwestern America. And as such well adapted to summer heat.
However the ‘Queeny’ series of Zinnias have been recently bred to be even more adaptable, hardy and easy.
So they are more tolerant of Partial Shade than other older Zinnia varieties.
And bred with increased resistance to mildew.

Quick & easy from seed to flower

Zinnias generally take around 60 days from seed sowing to flowering, given good temperatures.

Traditional medicinal plant

Zinnias were commonly used by native North American peoples for anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory medicines.
Though some tribes also believed the flowers should be regularly fed to children to improve their IQ.

Prolific blooming annual.
80cm. High with exquisitely coloured flowers x 50cm. Wide bushy foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Very suitable for beginners & gardening with kids

Zinnias can be started very quickly from seed indoors.
Ready for earliest possible flowers and longest possible flower production.
But do prick them out quickly from their seedling punnets, as they quickly develop a long, strong root system.
They can also be very successfully sown direct into the garden.
But you need to wait until day and night temperatures are quite warm.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the seed in a punnet on surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then gently press the seeds onto the surface of the mix, to ensure good contact.

Now cover the seeds only very lightly to a maximum depth of 1.5mm.
And you can use sieved mix, or fine grit, or vermiculite, or washed sand to sprinkle over the seeds.

Then place the sown punnet into a shallow water bath and allow the moisture to percolate up through the mix from the bottom to the surface.

Now place the moist punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sun).

Zinnias love warmth to sprout

Temperatures of 22-29°C approx. are best for rapid and optimum germination.
And do use a temperature-controlled heat mat if you have one, to keep the heat up and encourage rapid germination.
A warm window-sill or well-lit corner is also fine once temperatures are warm enough.

Adding a clear plastic cover or plastic bag helps to retain consistent moisture in the punnet.

And continue to keep the punnet moist by spraying the surface of the mix with a fine spray water bottle as required.

Seedlings begin to emerge in approx. 3-7 days.
Then get them pricked out into larger pots as soon as their first set of true leaves develop.

Seed Count: 15 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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