Zinnia Seeds - California Giants Mix - Large 1 Ounce Packet - 3,000 Flower Seeds - Mixed Colors and Large Blooms

Gardening has become one of my favorite hobbies in retirement, and these California Giants Zinnia seeds have been a highlight of my flower beds. The packet is generous – about 1 ounce of seeds which they say is around 3,000 seeds. It certainly looked like a lot when I opened it! I decided to sow them in two batches: one in late spring of last year and another this spring (I stored the remainder in a cool, dry place). The seeds are small and easy to scatter. I prepared a sunny patch of soil, raked it loose, and sprinkled the seeds fairly liberally since I knew I had plenty. Within about a week, I saw tiny green sprouts popping up, which is always a thrill. The germination rate impressed me – I’d estimate well over 80% of where I scattered turned into seedlings. I did have to thin them out a bit to give each plant room to grow, but that’s a good “problem” of having high germination. By mid-summer, I was rewarded with an explosion of color. These zinnias truly live up to the “Giants” name – many blooms were as large as my palm, in vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple. They stood tall, some reaching 3 to 4 feet. My granddaughter loved to walk through “Grandpa’s flower jungle” pointing out her favorite colors. The bees and butterflies loved them too; our garden was constantly buzzing with visitors, which is wonderful for pollination. I even cut bunches of these zinnias to make impromptu bouquets for the dining table and to give to neighbors. They last quite well as cut flowers, often a week or more in a vase if you change the water. It felt great to have such an abundance of blooms that I could share freely. These zinnias were also low maintenance. I watered regularly when they were seedlings, but once established, they handled the summer heat and occasional dry spells like champs. I did notice that a few plants got powdery mildew on leaves late in the season (a common zinnia issue when nights turn cool and damp), but it didn’t stop them from flowering profusely. Removing a few mildewy leaves was all that was needed. If you’re planting all the seeds at once, be ready for a lot of zinnias – they can crowd each other. I ended up transplanting some seedlings to other parts of the yard because I over-enthusiastically scattered in one area. In hindsight, spacing the seeds out more would have saved me that step. But honestly, it was a joy to have that “problem.” This packet of seeds is a fantastic value. For the price of one nursery plant, I got dozens upon dozens of zinnia plants that kept my garden lively and colorful until the first frost. I’ll definitely be buying these again when I (eventually) run out, though with so many seeds, I might be set for another year or two. Highly recommended for both novice and experienced gardeners – you just can’t beat the cheerful display these zinnias provide.

I had great success with these seeds. I started them in trays and they grew easily and were beautiful! Butterflies love them!

I always grow some Zinnia's because they are so easy and last all summer with a colorful display that attracts butterfly's and the hummingbirds like to flutter and bathe on the leaves after a rain. The seeds are nicely packaged in a re-closable bag and previous years I've used this brand the germination rate was high...I've tried many other brands and some from familiar seed companies that have been around for decades selling on the spinner racks in grocery and big box stores and and the price is getting high and there are barely any seeds in the packets but this brand has plenty of viable seeds in each packet at a good price. UPDATE: High germination rates, seeds have sprouted very well..... some appearing in about 5 days other took a few days more. (Note: For several years I have been growing these in a 4'x8' raised bed with about 4 inches of 'Miracle Gro' potting mix, I like that the potting mix does not compact and all I have to do each year is add a bit of all purpose fertilizer and stir it around then sow the seeds and lightly scratch cover with a spring tine rake. I water with a very light sprinkle about every other day for a week just to keep the bed from drying too much and then water occasionally as needed.) I've included some pictures of different stages with a close up of one of the blooms, germination stage, mid-season growth and initial blooming stage...... sorry about the unaesthetic unsightly fencing but living in a rural area I have to keep the critters out of the flower bed.

I live in USDA zone 5a, so I waited to direct-sow these seeds until mid-May. I mulched the flower bed with about 4 inches of compost (it was formerly grass), and spread the seeds by hand. I didn’t really measure distance between seeds, I just sprinkled them about pretty heavily because I wanted a nice full bed of Zinnias. My Zinnia bed measures 14” x 10ft, and I used maybe about a third of the packet of seeds, so they do go really far for what you pay! This is the first time I have ever grown Zinnias, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I covered the seeds with a thin layer of dried grass clippings to help keep the soil damp while they germinated. It took almost 8-10 days, but I was very pleased with the high percentage of seedlings that came up… maybe 80-90%? I had to lay a couple of wire cylinder tomato cages on their side along the bed to protect the fragile seedlings from my dogs, I removed them when the flower stems were about 4” tall. The flowers just started opening their buds end of last week, so that would make it about 9-ish weeks from seed to flower. They are between 12” x 18” tall and in a wide variety of colors, true to what is pictured on the seed packet. I am very pleased with the quality of the flowers and how they turned out! I am going to try collecting some seeds from the blooms after they shrivel and dry out and try them again next year! I do have to water the zinnia bed every day during hot, dry weather, the flowers begin to wilt by midday if I don’t. Lots of bees and butterflies are visiting the flowers, which makes me extra happy!

Absolutely the best thing I’ve ever planted. Every single seed germinated, and the plant quality has been perfect from the start. There are multiple varieties mixed in, so each bloom is a surprise, and I love it. They are bright, beautiful, and full of color. I’ve gotten so many compliments, and I’m able to make a fresh bouquet every day. It’s like having a little flower shop in my own backyard. So much happiness from one seed packet!

So happy that these are growing and I have fresh flowers. The pollinators are everywhere and my little postage stamp of a yard looks so pretty. I just threw them everywhere and figured even if 15% grew I'd be happy. I accepted that the birds and bunnies would be helping themselves to the seeds and was elated that they left so many behind. Will def. be planting more of these. Update: ordered more for next year so yeah, they were worth it.

I purchased the large bag per the craze on TikTok. I was excited to have a field of zinnias and they are slowly popping up. I direct sowed my seeds 5 days ago and am starting to see some germination outdoors. I was nervous I had a bad batch so I did a germination test. This is after 5 days and you can see 8 seeds have not germinated, and 15 did! I will update my review and my seeds start to sprout. Remember to keep watering your seeds! Try for the morning and evening. I hope this is helpful!

You can't go wrong with these seeds! I have ordered them twice now because we have a long growing season so I plant twice. Each one grows multiple blooms and they are easily 2 feet high. They flowers are stunning and they bloom in every color you can imagine. You get so many seeds and growing them is almost effortless. Just throw the seeds and water, then poof! You have more flowers than you know what to do with. They are also long lasting blooms. I will be ordering these every year from here on out. They are a great cake for what you get.