Brighten up those flowerbeds and borders with award winning flowers. All-America Selections announced its 2005 winners. Among those are three new flowers, including Magellan Coral zinnia. This is an improved Zinnia elegans with larger-sized, long lasting, perfectly shaped flowers.

You’ll love the vibrant colors of these gorgeous blooms. Produced on very strong stems, these plants need no staking. So, Magellan Coral is also suitable for low maintenance landscapes.

Magellan Coral zinnia has a very uniform flowering and growth habit. They’re very neat-looking plants. Because of their petite size, they are also a great choice for container gardens. They are only about 15 to 17 inches tall with an equal spread. For best results, give Magellan Coral and other zinnias full sun.

This variety was bred for exceptional garden performance, and that’s what you get. They bloom non-stop until frost. The dahlia-flowered blooms are five to six inches wide. When they first open, they will only have a single row of shimmering petals. But you need not worry. As one layer of petals after another are added to the flowers, they become fully double.

I prefer to cut the old stems as the blossoms fade, but this isn’t necessary. In fact, new flowers will be produced on the new foliage so that the
plant will always look tidy.

Magellan Coral zinnia plants will be available at local nurseries and garden centers during the spring of 2005. Seeds can be purchased as most outlets, including local stores, mail-order catalogs, and online.

Those in colder climates may want to start the plants early indoors to get early blooms. Seeds can also be direct sown outdoors once the danger of frost is past. They can also be sown right into containers. By doing that, I eliminated the need for transplanting.

Magellan Coral zinnia is early flowering. It begins blooming about 6 to 9 weeks after the seeds are planted.

For annual flowerbeds, mixed borders, and containers of all sorts, Magellan Coral zinnia adds knock-out appeal to the landscape.