Zinnia elegans Polar Bear Seeds

Zinnia elegans 'Polar Bear' is a great variety of giant Zinnia that is a great classic of American gardens and that is yet, still rarely distributed in France. This heirloom plant's popularity is undoubtedly due to the rare hue of its enormous flower heads. Instead of displaying the usual bright colours that we are used to seeing in annual zinnias, their blooms are pure white with a small, elegant sea green centre. This imposing variety produces impressively large, fluffy pompom-like blooms on long stems that support the weight of the flowers perfectly. Sow this zinnia in March-April in a warm place, and it will flower from summer until the first frosts. Its long-lasting flowers are just as wonderful in beds as in bouquets!

Zinnia elegans is a sturdy annual belonging to the family Asteraceae, that is native to Mexico and has given rise to many cultivars. 'Polar Bear' is just one of them and was selected for its vigour, but also for its impressive size and the pure white hue of its double blooms. The plant forms a well-branched mound, which grows to an average of 75 to 80 cm tall and 40 cm wide. Its stems are hollow, thick and rarely bend or break. They carry rough, downy, lanceolate to elliptical, medium green leaves. Flowering occurs from June-July to September-October in the form of nectar-rich, melliferous blooms. The axillary flowers are hemispherical, slightly flattened, double capitula, 10 cm to 12 cm across, that are made up of numerous ligulate flowers that ever so slightly folded, evoking the inflorescence of certain dahlias. They are pure white whilst their centre is sea green, revealing a bright yellow eye later in the season.

Much appreciated for their sturdiness, striking colours and ease of cultivation, Zinnias are a valuable asset in any garden. Versatile, they can be placed in borders, flowerbeds or in the vegetable garden, between rows of crops. Zinnia thrives in the sun and tolerates heat very well, provided they are watered every once in a while. It performs best in neutral, rich, well-drained soil. It is quite undemanding, adapting to any average garden soil. You can easily combine it with perennials such as pink Rudbeckias or other annuals such as Coreopsis or Ammi visnaga. They can also be sown in pots to decorate the terrace in summer. It is a very nectar-rich plant that bees and butterflies adore.