Dreamland Red Zinnia Shines in the Flower Garden

Virtues: We love 'Dreamland Red' zinnia for its time-tested performance in flower gardens across the United States. This annual zinnia offers rich red flowers and a compact growth habit. What's more, it typically does not fall victim to powdery mildew. Good as a cut flower, too, and a nectar source for butterflies. 'Dreamland Red' zinnia is being honored as a winning flower by the Prairie Star trial program at Kansas State University.

Common name: 'Dreamland Red' zinnia

Botanical name:Zinnia 'Dreamland Red'

Flowers: Bright red, 3- to 4-inch-round dahlia-type flowers appear all over the plant throughout summer.

Foliage: Narrrow, deep green leaves show decent resistance to powdery mildew.

Habit: 'Dreamland Red' zinnia plants grow about 9 to 12 inches tall with a 10- to 12-inch spread, making them a good choice for flowerpots or the front of the garden border.

Season: Summer, for flowers.

How to grow 'Dreamland Red' zinnia: Like all zinnias, 'Dreamland Red' requires a well-drained garden spot in full sun for its best flowering, growth habit and health. Dreamland zinnias can be started from seed. In mild regions, sow them into the garden soil once all danger of frost has passed. In colder regions, start them indoors four to six weeks before the typical last spring frost date. Sowing indoor seeds in degradable pots makes transplanting them into the garden easy. Although 'Dreamland Red' zinnia has shown good resistance to powdery mildew, it's a good idea to water any zinnia at ground level rather than from above, to avoid excessive wetting of the leaves. Annual.

Image courtesy Prairie Star/KSU

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FInd other quick-growing flowers for your garden in the book Plantiful.

Shop for zinnia and other seeds, including flowers, vegetables and herbs, at GardenersHub.com.