Zinnia Persian Carpet Seeds

Zinnia haageana 'Persian Carpet' is a selection of small Mexican zinnias, producing a multitude of spectacular, semi-double, bicoloured flowers which combine different shades of red, orange, yellow and white depending on the plant. This small plant is grown as an annual and blooms ceaselessly from July to mid-October. This plant is easy to grow, resistant to heat and free flowering, making this plant an absolute must-have for bee-friendly beds, wildflower meadows or naturalistic gardens.

The 20 or so species that make up the genus Zinnia are native to the dry grasslands of an area stretching from southwestern North America to South America, mainly covering Mexico. Zinnia haageana (synonym Z. mexicana or Z. angustifolia) is an annual plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, native to Mexico, that absolutely loves warmth and full sun and whose abundance of blooms compensates for their little size.

The 'Persian Carpet' selection, whose name evokes the way they look like a shimmering tapestry, bears blooms in a multicoloured palette. The plant forms a small, well-branched mound, which on average reaches 35 cm in height and in width. The hairy, medium green leaves are narrow and present sheathed bases. The slender stems are often tinged with red, closer to the ground. Their long summer flowering is nectar-rich and melliferous. The axillary flowers are semi-double capitula, 4 cm across, come in a palette of radiant colours and are made up of a double row of ligulate florets that slightly arch downwards. The centre of the capitula is occupied by tiny, fertile, bright yellow florets that darken as they mature.

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. The peppy 'Persian Carpet' selection will go well with blanket flowers, love-in-a-mist, perennial or annual flax, California poppies, snapdragons and wallflowers, all of which are just as easy to grow in light soil.