Zinnia Flower Arrangements We Love

Orange You Glad?

TJ McGrath created his “Less is More” bowl featuring brilliant orange, locally-grown zinnias and cosmos for the Sustainable Flowers Project. Learn more about the event, see arrangements from Shane Connolly, Ariella Chezar, Becky Feasby, and Lucy Hunter, and get TJ’s tips for starting your own sustainable floral journey here. 

Pink and Green

Colorful linens and glassware, including Kate Rheinstein Brodsky’s bespoke handblown hurricanes, adorn this table. Big, bold zinnias are contained in quirky ceramic vases resembling tin cans sourced at Bloom in nearby Sag Harbor. See more of Kate’s Summer in Style and outdoor entertaining tips.

A VISUAL FEAST

When Michelle Nussbaumer entertains, she believes in “engaging multiple areas of the house.” The patio table features zinnias, Mexican marigolds, coleus, and roses from her garden, with floral design by Jimmie Henslee. See more of Michelle Nussbaumer’s Moveable Feast.

GREEN AND WHITE

Green and white is always right! Any season or setting, James Farmer loves this classic combo. Here, shades of chartreuse mingle with verdant foliage. Zinnias, hosta leaves, bolted basil and Queen Anne’s lace pods bloom out of trumpet vases. From James’ book, Celebrating Home: A Time for Every Season (Gibbs Smith, 2022). See more from James’ birthday dinner.

ARTFUL SIMPLICITY

Varied stem lengths thoughtfully placed in a humble glass jar creates negative space that allows us to admire an array of zinnias grown by Still Waters Farm and Gardens in Hickory, North Carolina. This all-zinnia flower arrangement features ‘Queen Red Lime,’ ‘Queen Lime Orange,’ and ‘Benary’s Giant’ in a variety of hues.

“Coming in a brilliant spectrum of colors, zinnias are an excellent summer annual. We direct sow the seeds in mid- to late spring, pinching them after a few inches of growth. The blooms are vibrant and productive continuing throughout the hottest part of summer.”—Still Waters Farm and Gardens

IN THE PINK

A bedside vase filled with pink and coral zinnias stands out in a pale pink-on-pink bedroom designed by Ashley Whittaker. See more of Ashley’s color-smart designs.

FARM TO TABLE

It’s time to dine among the flowers. With a pair of simple, vibrant zinnia flower arrangements, this idyllic table setting from the pages of Julia Reed’s South brings to mind a favorite quote from another consummate host, the late William Yeoward: “When you’re entertaining in the garden, it’s imperative that all the flowers come from the garden as well.”

SUMMERY TONES

Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers combined ‘Benary Giant Lime’ and ‘Queen Lime’ zinnias with summery tones of green with splashes of white dahlia and delphinium in this arrangement. See the full materials list and more of Eileen’s arrangements.

FARM FRESH

A freshly-picked bouquet of Benary zinnias and Oklahoma zinnias with stems of clary sage at Farmgal Flowers in Orlando, Florida. See more of Eileen Tongsen’s arrangements with fragrant herbs.

GARDEN BOUNTY

Deadheading helps perennials and annuals bloom throughout the summer. If you’re pinching off blooms before they are completely spent, why not bring them inside and enjoy the fruits of your labor for a bit? See more summer gardening tips.

FLOWER RING

The late Ryan Gainey, a renowned gardener, floral designer, and Flower magazine contributor, loved a good “pansy ring.” Today you can find vintage (and some new) versions designed to hold delicate, petite blooms in a wreath-like shape in antique shops or on Etsy. However, for a version large enough for zinnias and coreopsis, Gainey commissioned this terra-cotta piece from Hewell’s, an American pottery company dating back to 1850. Here, a trio of sunflowers punctuate a floating wreath of orange zinnias.

PEACHES AND CREAM

“I just couldn’t resist cutting my first ever dinner plate dahlia,” says Lauren Leigh Schmidt of this bouquet picked from her Midwestern garden. With dinner plate dahlias and other large blooms, one or two is often all you need. Cosmos and a variety of zinnias, including ‘Oklahoma’ salmon and ivory and ‘Zinderella’ peach, round out the bouquet beautifully.

APPRECIATION OF EVERY BLOSSOM

A casual arrangement that looks freshly gathered from both field and garden includes zinnias, snapdragons, coneflowers, coreopsis, wild statice, Minoan lace, and salvia. See more of Charlotte Moss’s lifelong love of wildflowers and its influence on her.

A CONSTANCE SPRY MOMENT

“We look to the garden for bright, happy flowers such as zinnias and dahlias and mix with traipsing vines—a sort of Constance Spry moment,” says John Loecke, co-Founder of Madcap Cottage. When a summer rainstorm brought a garden party indoors, Loecke did not miss a beat. He gathered an armful of zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers, roses, and other foliage and garden blooms and filled the home with no-fuss arrangements. Constance Spry, the iconic British floral maven who embraced simple beauty and shunned restrictive rules, would have approved. See more from this summer party.

WHAT’S BLOOMING NOW

Take a cue from Black Rooster Farm in Kentucky, and create a bouquet with a little bit of everything that’s in season. This one includes zinnias, tobacco flowers, dahlias, cupcake and seashell cosmos, opal basil, allium, and shisho from the farm.

OLD WORLD STYLE

‘Lime Cordial’ zinnias join a team effort in this monochromatic triumph by Kiana Underwood of Tulipina, based in San Francisco. Along with branches of walnut and young weeping willow, Chinese lantern, ‘Limelight’ hydrangea, Siam tulip, and orchids, the green-petaled zinnias create a multi-textured, verdant base. Then ranunculus and spray roses add a blush of pink. This floral design is one of many featured in Underwood’s book Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season. Get step-by-step instructions for this arrangement.

AUTUMN WREATH

A wreath of chrysanthemums, garden roses, and zinnias adorns a rustic gate, welcoming guests to an outdoor party at Breeze Hill Farm near Birmingham. See more from this Autumn Affair.

POLISHED AND PETITE

As summer transitions to early autumn, zinnias continue to shine in seasonal flower arrangements, such as this petite vase. “I love designing small sometimes. But I think the challenge lies in keeping small small, which means you have to be picky with your choice and placement of each stem so that it all stays in scale. The joy of a small design is that it can really highlight a petite blossom, like the many-petaled ‘Zinderella’ zinnia in this composition,” says floral designer Frances Harjeet. Along with ‘Zinderella’ zinnias, Frances’ design features ‘Color Spectacle’ dahlias, ‘Foxy Lady’ dahlias, ‘Caramel Antike’ garden roses, ranunculus, chrysanthemums, snapdragons, scented geranium leaves, privet branches, millet, and wild grasses.

LUXE ACCENT

Here, zinnias mingle with ‘René Goscinny’ roses, mokara orchids, sedum, celosia, tansy, yarrow, hypericum berries, and bunny tails grass. Michal Evans, one of Atlanta’s premier floral and event designers, styled this piece to accentuate the luxe decor of interior designer Suzanne Kasler’s home. See more floral designs by Evans.

AN EXERCISE IN CONTRAST

Sybil Sylvester, floral designer and author of Fresh (Glitterati, 2017), designed this arrangement of white zinnias, marigolds, black-eyed Susans, and pyracantha. It adds a dash of contrast against a pine green wall at a party in the home of architect James Carter in Birmingham, Alabama.

By Terri Robertson and FLOWER magazine editors

MORE BLOOMS FOR LATE SUMMER

• • Summer Flower Arrangements
  • P. Allen Smith’s Tips for Growing Zinnias, Salvia, and Sunflowers
  • Troy Rhone’s Guides to Shasta Daisies and Dahlias
  • Flower Magazine’s Favorite Dahlia Flower Arrangements