Medium-height zinnias?

[Seven Bends]

Zinnia varieties such as Benary's, California Giants, State Fair Mix, etc. all grow to heights of 6' or more in our garden and become an unruly, falling-over mess by late August. Plus, the height makes it harder to see the blooms (until the plants fall over, anyway). Are there any zinnias that top out at about 3-4' in a climate with a hot summer and a fairly long growing season? Looking for a normal, dahlia-flowered type in a mix of colors.

Cut & Come Again is listed at 36" which would be perfect if true, but we've grown them and they get taller than that in our garden. I plan to try them again this year but would appreciate other other suggestions. I'm hesitant to just rely on catalog descriptions.

Also, can you top prune zinnias to keep their height in check and they'll keep blooming?

[PlainJane]

I always mean to pinch or prune my zinnias and I always forget.

[MissS]

Yes, zinnia's can be kept pruned. I grow then Benary's and the deer keep them pruned to about 3-4 feet.

The Queeny series grows 24-36 inches. The Magellan series is beautiful with large flowers but only gets 12-14 inches tall.

[Seven Bends]

Yes, zinnia's can be kept pruned. I grow then Benary's and the deer keep them pruned to about 3-4 feet.

The Queeny series grows 24-36 inches. The Magellan series is beautiful with large flowers but only gets 12-14 inches tall.

Thanks! Magellan might be shorter than I want, but it's pretty so I might try it anyway. I'm already growing Zahara, which is listed as 12-18", and I'm looking for something taller than that. It's weird, the Zaharas stay at about 12-14" in my garden, compact all year, true to catalog descriptions. On the other hand, the traditional, non-dwarf varieties grow way taller than their catalog descriptions in my garden (30-40" becomes 6' or more). No happy medium.

Queeny sounds like a good possibility for height, but I'd prefer something with vibrant, unmuted colors.

Maybe I'll just plant whatever varieties I already have and focus on pinching them back this year, and being sure to get some supports in early before they start falling over. I guess I could do a succession planting and pull the first patch out when they hit 5-6' and get unruly, but it's hard to make myself do that when they're still flowering.

[MissS]

@Seven Bends I'm wondering if you might have too much nitrogen in your soil. I don't give my zinnia's anything but bonemeal.

My Magellan seem to be a little taller than the Zahara. I use Zahara or Profusion in the front with Magellan in the mid garden and the Benary at the back of the border.

I know the feeling of pulling or pruning plants when they are blooming. I have a hard time with that too. I guess that maybe the deer are a blessing in disguise in that respect. Yet I cuss them all the time for pruning just as they start to bloom.

[Seven Bends]

@Seven Bends I'm wondering if you might have too much nitrogen in your soil. I don't give my zinnia's anything but bonemeal.

My Magellan seem to be a little taller than the Zahara. I use Zahara or Profusion in the front with Magellan in the mid garden and the Benary at the back of the border.

I know the feeling of pulling or pruning plants when they are blooming. I have a hard time with that too. I guess that maybe the deer are a blessing in disguise in that respect. Yet I cuss them all the time for pruning just as they start to bloom.

You're probably right about the nitrogen. We usually put a light sprinkling of 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 (whatever we have) in the patch at planting. Our clay soil hangs onto nutrients pretty well, so it could have built up over time, or maybe zinnias just don't need much and even a little bit is too much. They don't test for nitrogen in our soil tests, but phosphorus was too high in the last one, and potassium was at the upper end of the good range. I definitely need to improve my fertilizing approach overall in the garden.

Thanks for the Magellan height feedback and description of how you arrange the varieties for height; very helpful.