Zinnia elegans Canary Bird

The Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird' stands out for the incredible size of its flowers, which are a very bright yellow. Its large semi-double flowers, in the form of heads, bloom from July until the first frost. With large, sturdy, and rigid stems, it reaches a height of 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35in). It enriches your garden with its long and intense flowering, creating a festive atmosphere. Cultivated as an annual flowering plant, the Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird' grows quickly to enhance summer flower beds. The flowers, borne on long stems, are also stunning in fresh or dried bouquets. Resistant to diseases and tolerant of hot weather conditions, this variety, easy to grow, requires little care. Well-drained soil and sunlight are enough for it to show its best. An attractive and carefree plant!

The Zinnia elegans is an annual herbaceous plant native to scrublands and desert meadows in the southern United States and Mexico. It is a flower of the Asteraceae family, closely related to daisies and cosmos. Zinnia is synonymous with friendship and romantic love in the language of flowers. In the Victorian era, red and magenta zinnias were very popular for expressing romantic and amorous feelings. They also represent celebration and gathering among friends. Their Latin name, Zinnia, comes from Dr. Johann Gottfried Zinn, a European scholar who described one of the species in the genus in the 1600s. The common zinnia only became popular a century later.

The Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird' was selected for the abundance and duration of its flowering, with very large and brightly coloured heads. It has a relatively fast growth, forming a well-branched clump, ranging from 0.70 to 0.90 m (2 to 3ft) in height. Its stems are hollow and relatively brittle, adorned with rough and fuzzy lanceolate to elliptical leaves, of medium green colour. Flowering occurs from July and continues until the first frost. The flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, they are large semi-double, hemispherical heads, slightly flattened, measuring 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in) in diameter, composed of numerous ligulate petals with fringed edges, of a very bright yellow. The flowers resemble the inflorescence of some dahlias. It is a nectariferous plant that will delight bees and butterflies.

Highly appreciated for its vigour and robustness, the 'Canary Bird' Zinnia is also resistant to diseases, while perfectly tolerating heat and drought. Easy to grow, it likes neutral, rich, and well-drained soils, in a sunny location. In flower beds or borders, it can be combined with Gauras, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Nigelles de Damas, or grasses like Stipa tenuifolia or Eragrostis trichoides, for a more contemporary look. To add colour to the vegetable garden and attract beneficial insects, it can be planted between rows of vegetables. It can also be sown in pots to decorate the terrace in summer. Indoors, this zinnia will enhance your bouquets or floral arrangements with its large flowers.

The gardener's tip: Be careful of powdery mildew, which stains the foliage and hinders the plant's development. It can be avoided by spacing the zinnias moderately, allowing air to circulate between the plants, and avoiding wetting the leaves through ground watering.