Tip #7: Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
If you want fast results and non-stop color on a modest budget, zinnias are the ultimate warm-season annual for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. Easy to grow from seed, zinnias burst into bloom within weeks of germination and keep producing brilliant flowers until autumn. While modern breeding has produced double and pom-pom forms, single-flowered and semi-double varieties—such as the ‘Profusion’, ‘Zahara’, and ‘Benary’s Giant’ series—are the most accessible and rewarding for visiting pollinators.
Zinnias produce vibrant composite flower heads featuring a central ring of tiny disk florets brimming with high-grade nectar. In addition to harvesting nectar, hummingbirds frequent zinnia beds to hunt tiny insects, including aphids, thrips, and small spiders that gather among the petals. These microscopic invertebrates supply the vital protein, amino acids, and fats that adult hummingbirds need to rebuild muscle tissue after long flights.
Directly sow zinnia seeds in your garden beds after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose a location in full sun with average, well-draining garden soil. Space plants 10 to 12 inches apart to allow sufficient airflow between leaves, which minimizes the risk of powdery mildew during humid summer stretches. Water at the base of the plants using drip irrigation or a soaker hose rather than overhead sprinklers. Snip fading flower heads weekly to prevent seed formation and force the plant to generate continuous new stems loaded with fresh buds.
