Zinnia Art Deco

Striped, splashed and flecked zinnias in cerise, scarlet, gold and cream, with every bloom marked differently. Some are cleanly bicoloured, some look as though the colour has been thrown at them. It is a mixture for people who like a bit of chaos in the cutting patch.

Zinnias need warmth and hate root disturbance, so sow into modules rather than a tray and plant out only once the nights are mild. Cutting the first flower early forces the plant to branch, and a branched zinnia produces several times what an unpinched one will.

Water the soil rather than the leaves. Zinnias are prone to mildew in a damp English August, and wet foliage overnight is what starts it.