Is Zinnia deer resistant?
Zinnia elegans
About Zinnia
Rough hairy leaves that deer take only when other options run out, so it is a reasonable annual for a garden under moderate pressure. Powdery mildew is the thing that ruins it. Zinnias are notorious for it in humid summers, turning grey and shabby from the bottom up by August. Air movement is most of the answer: space them properly, water at the base rather than overhead, and avoid crowding them against a fence. Cultivar choice matters more than anything you spray. The narrow-leaved types are far more mildew resistant than the big classic ones and flower just as hard. Cut them for the house constantly; the more you pick, the more they produce.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 10 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- High
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Marigold
Straightforward annual bed. Both take full sun and neither is a deer favourite.
Similar to Zinnia
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual CandytuftIberis umbellataGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual SalviaSalvia splendensGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual VerbenaVerbena x hybridaGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Bachelor's ButtonsCentaurea cyanusGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BasilOcimum basilicumGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BorageBorago officinalisGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
Where Zinnia grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Zinnia belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Zinnia
- Is Zinnia deer resistant?
- Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Zinnia grow in?
- Zinnia is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Zinnia grow in shade?
- No. Zinnia wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Zinnia get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–36 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Zinnia bloom?
- Zinnia flowers from June–October.