If you are a florist, you may love to reserve the medicinal Zinnia in your garden. Besides being a feast for the eyes and palate, Zinnia Plants serve many other benefits.
If you don’t have a Zinnias homing around, you are missing out on leveraging plenty of the other perks from the plant!
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7 Zinnia Plant Benefits
Zinnias are annuals or perennial herbs with 45 known species in the Asteraceae family.
Their frilly eye-catching blossoms mimic that of Scabiosa or Pincushion, making your home and garden a part of a fairy tale.
But the Zinnia Plant benefits do not end here!
1. Antibacterial & Anti-inflammatory Properties
Many southwestern tribes, including the Navajo, employ Zinnia flowers and leaves as ritual and medicinal herbs.
Additionally, Zinnia leaves contain antibacterial properties, so apply them to wounds as a paste.
Similarly, the secondary metabolites found in the Zinnia flowers can protect the liver and treat stomach aches and malaria.
2. Help Rejuvenate Skin
Zinnia is suitable for oily skin, as it helps to contract and open up the skin pores.
Leaf paste of Zinnias decreases the swelling of boils and is also believed to treat tetanus.
Doctors often prescribe a warm bath of water infused with Zinnia leaves and petals for patients with skin diseases.
3. Serve Edible Flowers
As per ASPCA, Zinnias are safe to consume for humans and pets. So, Zinnias’s colorful flowers are a feast for the eyes and the palate.
You can also brew their fresh petals to gain benefits from Zinnia tea.
Additionally, you can dry and store the petals by filling them in tea bags to increase their shelf-life.
If you don’t have Zinnia flowers, try preparing tea from hawthorn berries that are healthier for your heart!
4. Beneficial Garden Companionship
Growing Zinnias next to fruits and vegetables will work wonders for your harvest.
Besides, the vivid Zinnia flowers captivate pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds for vegetables and other plants.
Interestingly, Zinnias also show heroic sacrifices for other plants in your garden by tempting pests and acting as a trap crop if grown as border plants around Cauliflower, Kale, and Asparagus.
But, this protective shield is fortified if you grow Zinnias and other plants, like pest-deterrent Marigolds, around the vegetables.
Zinnias are also deer and rodent-proof plants; growing them in the garden can keep these herbivores at bay.
5. Home & Garden Decor
An array of orange, red, white, pink, purple, and yellow fresh and dry blooms of Zinnias can serve as perfect flowers.
They bloom from mid-summer until frost (April to November), making them the foremost choice for summer or winter gardens.
Their long flowering season also grants an almost year-round supply of blooms.
You can even borrow some cut flowers from Zinnia and place them in a vase with water indoors.
Zinnia flowers can keep their freshness for 7-12 days, but they last much longer if you use them as a dry bookmark.
Additionally, due to their low height and somewhat creeping habit, they can cover garden beds with their vibrant flowers.
6. Gift with a Symbolic Gesture
In Victorian culture, gifting someone with Zinnia means that you consider the person your close friend.
One of the many meanings of Zinnias is friendship and lasting affection.
Flower Color | Symbolic Meaning |
---|---|
Pink | Love, Courtship, and Sentiment |
Purple | Nobility, Class, and Charm |
Red | Passion, Romance, and Aggression |
Yellow | Positive Vibes and Happiness |
White | Innocence and Purity |
Zinnia plants are perfect gifts for people who want to settle issues or search for the right path in life.
7. Easy to Care
Besides ornamental and medicinal uses of Zinnia, the plant is also a heliophile and grows under the sun.
Hence, it’s among the few plants that fit the bill if you have an open sun-kissed garden.
Additionally, Zinnia roots are sensitive to overwatering. So, you must wait for the soil to dry before watering them again.
Where to Buy Zinnias?
Zinnia makes a yearly comeback, and you can replant them from their seeds.
However, potted Zinnias are available in a few online shops during the offseasons!
Shops | Delivery Periods |
---|---|
White Flower Farm | Within 2-3 days after placing an order |
Annies Annuals | Within 2-5 days after placing an order |
From Editorial Team
Zinnia Planting Instructions!
To grow the Zinnias in warm spring soil, start their seeds in rows or clumps, about 8-18 inches apart from other Zinnias or garden companions.