I am a lazy gardener, so when it comes to plants, I tend to favor blooming perennials over annuals.
When we relocated over a year ago, a friend sent me a package of Zinnia seeds, but I didn’t plant them.
This spring, I found them in my gardening bag and thought, why not? I was going to be away for a few weeks, so if they were a bust, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
When I returned, I found blooming Zinnias thriving from neglect, despite record breaking high temperatures,with butterflies, ladybugs and hummingbirds stopping by the blossoms. What a wonderful surprise.
I had totally missed the symbolism of my friend’s gift as well.
The Victorian meaning of Zinnia are thoughts of an absent friend, or a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
Zinnias also symbolize a “joyous endurance.” They are happy to bloom in the steaming heat of summer and really any other trials it encounters, such as drought and bugs, yet they never fail to produce vibrant, beautiful flowers.
In short, Zinnias are one tough bloom- So it’s fitting that their symbolism has evolved with them over time to represent endurance in many forms.
It gets better…. There are over 80 varieties to try. They are deer resistant. They are inexpensive and are sown directly into the soil after the last frost. They don’t need to be staked. Since they are fast growing and tall – they shade out weeds. They are easy to cut and last for 5-10 days in water. Mine are in full sun, but they are also shade tolerant.
Kind of a lazy gardener’s dream 🌺
Needless to say, this gardener is a convert. I couldn’t be happier to have taken a chance on them.
Thank you,Mary, for your gift of Zinnia seeds. I miss you too.