When I see my zinnia buds beginning to look like this…
I get very excited, because…I know they will burst into full bloom within days.
I will finally know what color they will be and if they are single-petaled…
Or very full, resembling a pom-pom.
No matter the color…
The shape or the size…
I LOVE zinnias!
MINDING MY P'S WITH Q 
Are Zinnias like Columbine in that the bees frolic and one never knows what the seedling surprises will be? Twenty years ago I started with one pale blue single petaled one. I have never bought or planted another. I now have 5 different colors and 3 distinct petal styles including a deeply double ruffled wine and a very pointed white with green trim. One has to love those bees!
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Oh I love anecdotes like yours Mary! Thanks so much for the comment. I have saved zinnias in the past, in fact a gorgeous cantaloupe colored flower was one of my favorites. Unfortunately the seeds I saved bloomed orange. Now I love orange zinnias, but I was so disappointed the cantaloupe color did not come back for me. I usually start with new packets of seeds now, but I have saved them in past years. Almost all will grow. I have a picture of my great-grandmother in her zinnia bed, I will have to try and find it and post it. I love columbine, but they don’t do well for me. They seems to be prone to some type of leaf disease and only the Prairie Bonnet type comes back for me in a robust fashion.
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