Zinnia elegans Cresto Violet - seeds

Zinnia elegans Cresto Violet is a selection of Zinnia with scabious-like flowers from the latest generation that produces a very high percentage of perfectly double flowers on long stems. It is a generous and colourful annual plant with flowering reminiscent of large, purplish pompons. Stunning in flower beds, they are also excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried bouquets. This annual is resistant to heat and drought and requires little care but needs well-drained soil. Sow in seed trays from March or directly in the ground after the last frost.

Zinnia elegans is a robust annual plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. This botanical species, native to Mexico, has given rise to numerous cultivars. 'Cresto Violet' has been selected for the beautiful shape and vibrant colour of its double flowers. Some flowers may be semi-double or irregular. Each plant forms a beautiful, branching clump, which reaches about 75 cm (30in) high with flowers, and 30 cm (12in) wide in just a few weeks. Its stems are hollow and moderately brittle, adorned with rough and downy, lanceolate to elliptical, medium green leaves. Flowering occurs 10 to 13 weeks after sowing. It starts in June-July and continues until September-October, depending on the sowing date. The colour of the flowers is somewhere between magenta and purple, fading slightly over time. The nectar-rich flowers appear in the axil of the leaves and are large, 6 cm (2in) heads composed of numerous ligulate petals surrounding a pompon-shaped centre. The yellow central disk is visible on the rare flowers that are not fully double. After pollination by insects, seeds are formed that can be harvested for sowing the following spring.

Watching zinnias grow is always a surprise. They can emerge from the ground in the most unlikely places with their flowers blooming even in rocky soil and scorching sun. The vibrant colour of Zinnia Cresto Violet pairs well with your most beautiful white, mauve, or purple roses, as well as with purple and chocolate-coloured flowers or foliage. Try it with purple basil, 'Velvet Curtains' amaranthus, and 'Rubrum' Pennisetum x advena. Zinnias are perfect in rustic flower beds, alongside cosmos, autumn asters ('Little Carlow' Aster, A. turbinellus, etc.), or light grasses like Stipa or compact Miscanthus. They can also be sown in pots to decorate the terrace in summer.