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Zinnias get their name from 18th-century German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, who wrote up the flower's first scientific description.

Zinnias are native to Mexico, where Aztecs originally dubbed these flowers mal de ojos - hard on the eyes. It's an apt description, since zinnias come in some many vivid colors (except blue) that they'll brighten up any corner of your garden, even on the cloudiest days, and prove to be a sure-fire magnet for butterflies.

Easy to grow and drought resistant, they are second only to sunflowers in popularity as kids' school or home projects. They are are also the perfect cut-and-come-again flower. The more you cut zinnias, the more they bloom! Zinnias also make for an excellent dried flower and holds its color and shape long after being cut.

A secret to growing success with zinnias: provide them with plenty of light sandy soil. They intensely dislike the "pinched toe" effect caused by planting in hard, compacted earth.

Another common problem with zinnias may be mold or mildew caused by too much rain or watering from above. To prevent this, simply give your plants a gentle shake to dispel any drops that have settled on them after watering or heavy rainfall....

On the Web - How to plant & grow zinnias :

Zest for Zinnias - Everything you ever wanted to know over 7 pages including how to start them from seed, guides to planting & maintenance, soil conditions, proper watering & sunlight, descriptions of uses & varieties along with interesting zinnia trivia & history.

Zinnias - Extensive guide to sowing, planting, growing, & caring for your zinnias from doityourself.com with related pictures and descriptions & suggested varieties.

Zinnias—If You Plant Them, Butterflies Will Come - Report from the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with tips on how to grow them, which varieties are best for attracting butterflies, and links to related resources.

Children Enjoy Growing Zinnias - Advice on making it an easy home project with instructions for helping kids prepare the flower bed, sow the seeds, and basic maintenance.

Flower Pots, Zinnias, and Butterflies - A fun classroom project with instructions and lesson plan from Scholastic.

also see in Garden Flowers -> Forget-Me-Not | Four O'Clocks

Impatiens | Marigolds | Morning Glory | Nasturtiums | Pansy

Petunias | Snapdragons | Sunflowers | Verbena