Zinnia - Bouquet and Propagation

It's bouquet time again at Ramblings from a Desert Garden....

I use bright pink and light yellow coloured Zinnias in this bouquet.

Basil acts as an aromatic filler.

Each time I walk past this bouquet, I pluck a basil leaf and enjoy the aroma.

My first bouquet attempt was with red Zinnias and red chillies.

I use Zinnia because they are easily grown, beautiful and can last a week as cut flowers.

Aren't Zinnias just lovely?

Stem Propagation

Zinnia can be propagated via stem.

This method is useful when you are not hoping for any surprises in the propagation result.

I just cut the stem, stuck it in a pot of soil and water it daily.

It has only been a few weeks and you can see that it is blooming already, as in the photo above.

Seed Propagation

The way I usually grow Zinnia is by sprinkling the seeds on  a bare patch of ground in a sunny location.

Since they germinate so well, I do not even sow them half inch deep into the ground and cover them with loose soil like I do for other types of seeds.

To save the seeds, I usually cut out the dried seed heads on a very hot day, remove the petals and save them in a bottle, to be given away.

To ensure that they don't turn moldy, you may want to dry it for a week.

I am now removing all those Zinnia plants with single-petal.

Cross pollinations amongst the best plants should produce better future batches of Zinnias.

For more seed and propagation ideas, head over to Seed Week at Kebun Malay Kadazan Girls.

For interesting mosaics from all over the world, visit Mosaic Monday at Dear Little Red House.