Zinnia elegans · continuous summer bloom
Blooms from July through frost without pause. The garden's most reliable pollinator signal — bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds on the flowers all day.
Flower Profile · Jamie's Garden 2026 · Santa Monica Mountains · 1,170 ft elevation
| Variety | Zinnia, Mazurkia |
| Species | Zinnia elegans |
| Type | Annual flowering zinnia |
| Container | 3–5 gal |
| Garden Role | Continuous mid-layer bloom · primary pollinator attractor |
Zinnia Mazurkia is selected for its extended bloom period — from midsummer until frost — and its mid-height habit that places flowers at the level most accessible to pollinators moving through the garden. The blooms are large, fully double, in a range of warm colors that provide visual continuity across the garden's flowering section.
Zinnias are among the most effective pollinator plants for California gardens, attracting a wider range of species than almost any other annual flower. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects all use zinnia flowers consistently. The extended bloom period means this function continues from midsummer through the end of the season.
Zinnia is one of the most broadly attractive flowers to pollinators in temperate California gardens. The fully double flowers in Mazurkia provide extensive nectar surface. The extended bloom period from midsummer through frost fills the insectary calendar when many other flowers have finished.
| Habit | Upright · branching · continuous bloom |
| Height | 1–3 ft |
| Container | 3–5 gal |
| Deadheading | Optional — deadheading extends bloom but is not required |
| Mildew | Avoid wetting leaves — water at base |
One of the easiest flowering plants in the collection. Sow directly or transplant after frost. Full sun essential — shaded zinnias produce few flowers. Avoid overhead watering which promotes powdery mildew on leaves. The Mazurkia selection is more mildew-resistant than older varieties.
Zinnia — Mazurkia · Jamie's Garden 2026 · Santa Monica Mountains · 1,170 ft
Zinnia Mazurkia is in this garden because there is no simpler way to fill a garden with pollinators than to plant zinnias. The relationship is almost automatic — the flowers open and the pollinators come.
The Mazurkia variety specifically because the extended bloom period fills a gap in the flowering calendar. Some of the more dramatic flowers in the collection — amaranth, sunflowers — are done by late summer. Mazurkia carries the pollinator attraction forward through frost.
And they are cheerful. In a garden with this much intentionality and philosophy, something that is simply and unambiguously cheerful has its place.
| Variety | Zinnia, Mazurkia |
| Bloom Period | July through frost |
| Pollinators Attracted | Bees · butterflies · hummingbirds · beneficial insects |
| Container | 3–5 gal |
| Care | Full sun · water at base |