Some Tips on Designing with Zinnias
Zinnias are one of the flowers that are polarizing in the floral design and the flower farming community. It appears that most people have a love-hate relationship with them and we’re no different.
On one hand, there are some gorgeous zinnias out there - ‘Queen Red Lime’ and ‘Oklahoma Ivory’ and ‘Zinderella Peach’ are some of the most stunning, breathtakingly gorgeous blooms. On the other hand, there are also a lot of ugly zinnias out there.
In addition, there is a certain stigma of zinnias being a rather basic flower. Since they are so easy to grow and they are so readily planted by home gardeners, this same virtue makes the value of zinnias not as high as other flowers out there.
The way that zinnias are used in design is also problematic. The traditional way of using zinnias is similar to other compound flowers like gerbera daisies and mums - simply placed into an arrangement overlapped with foliage and filler until you have a solid mass of vegetation.
It’s not a bad look - all those petals pushed together and overlapped on each other is a very luxurious and full feeling, and one that lends a feeling opulence and splendor. On the other hand, it can feel a bit too ruffly, especially if zinnias are paired with a lot of other broad-leafed and broad-petaled flowers that brings to mind Dolores Umbridge and fussy, super-ruffled bed skirts (which is great if that’s your thing, but it’s not really my thing!)
Some of my favorite materials to use are those materials that have a combination of strong, shapely stems and beautiful delicate blooms. The combination of the two lends to wonderful floral design combinations, and allows for each and every single flower to stand on their own.
I personally think zinnias are massively underrated and underutilized as far as their form and line, especially because zinnias in the garden or field get some very interesting and beautiful stem shapes. The same way that a stem of ranunculus may swoop and snake around to create some of the most interesting shapes, zinnias when used in the same way can also create the same visual interest.
Here are a few design tips that you may find helpful in working with zinnias
Leave the stems on the longer side
It’s tempting to chop down zinnias so that they appear super short in an arrangement - and if we were doing a traditional mound-shaped arrangement that might be the case (they work particularly well for this). However we find that leaving the stems long and allowing the form and shape of the zinnias is more interesting and lends dimension to the arrangement as well.
Remove all foliage
A lot of arrangements I see with zinnias tends to leave the foliage on. I was previously guilty of this when making mounded arrangements, especially centerpieces .
The problem with leaving the foliage on zinnias is that it distracts from the form and visual presence of the stem. When you remove all the foliage from the stem, it really helps to draw attention to the flower held aloft on the stem.
That’s why we strip all the leaves from the stem - it elongates and shows off the line of the stem. It goes from being a more “shrubby” floral material (more similar to a mum or spray rose) into a much more elegant material - similar to a ranunculus or poppy or Gebera. Especially if your zinnias haven’t grown completely upright in a straight line, the natural curve and bend to the stem can lend itself well to adding motion and action to your design.
Leave a good amount of space
Instead of cramming all the zinnias together, it’s important to let them “breathe” or “give room for a butterfly to fly through”.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s tempting to shove zinnias all together to create a mass of colorful petals, but it’s much better if they are allowed to create a sense of depth and dimension by allowing space between each bloom.
More importantly, this allows the eye to focus and rest on each zinnia instead of being pulled about by an overabundance of blooms.
Pair with fine-textured foliage and filler
As I mentioned previously, zinnias have very broad petals that are smooth and wide and usually come in many layers. This is great for drawing your attention to the flower itself, but you have to be careful not to start packing in similar textures and shapes.
For instance, I find that when I combine zinnias with other flowers that have big, fluffy, petals such as dahlias, roses, phlox and hydrangeas, everything starts looking big and poofy and multi-petaled and a blob - not exactly the look I’m going for.
Foliage should be of contrasting form and texture with zinnias. You either have to choose very broad-leafed foliage such as cardoon leaves, ricinus foliage or tropical palms and bird of paradise leaves, or conversely pair with very fine-textured foliage such as eucalyptus, basil, and mahogany splendor.
Even filler should be a different texture from your zinnias. Something spikey like celosia works well, or spherical like echinacea and globe thistle, or a fine spray like jewels of Opar and grass seed heads are good choices for pairing with zinnias.
Fine and airy textured materials (like grass seedheads or the umbellifers shown here) are excellent companions.
Choose double-flowering varieties
The best zinnias we find for design are the fluffy double-formed blooms - Queens, Oklahomas, Lilliput, Zinderellas (when they throw the double or scabiosa-shaped blooms). If you’re using single, more discoid shaped zinnias like the Benary Giants, we recommend using them more sparingly (think of them more as a focal flower that is paired best with other smaller focal flowers to add interest and nuance).
I’m particularly liking the ‘Oklahoma’ blooms - they get this lovely almost spherical shape with tightly-packed petals that again, remind me of ranunculus.
I hope this helps you in designing with zinnias!
Although they are a very common flower, I think that they are a secret weapon for designers when it comes to utilizing their unique shape and texture and colors. Even if you’re just supplementing zinnias to other materials, they have a presence and form that few other flowers have. Just remember these tips for the next time you design with them.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to grow these gorgeous flowers, here are a few articles you may find useful: