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Pumila Pompon Zinnia is a classic, old-fashioned annual flower that brings warm, cheerful blooms to gardens in zones 2 through 11. This semi-dwarf cultivar reaches just 12 to 24 inches tall, making it a natural fit for borders, containers, and garden beds where you want reliable color without overwhelming height. The fully to semi-double flowers open to about 3 inches across in a stunning range of colors, and they bloom prolifically from seed to first frost in just 50 to 70 days. Dead-head regularly and these flowers will produce continuously all summer long, delivering the kind of long-lasting, abundant blooms that made zinnias beloved fixtures in gardens for generations.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
24in H x ?in W
—
High
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Compact growth and rapid flowering make Pumila Pompon a gardener's workhorse. The semi-double blooms are exceptional cut flowers with impressive staying power both on the plant and in the vase, and their color range spans everything from jewel tones to soft pastels. This is an easy-to-grow variety that responds generously to deadheading, rewarding you with waves of flowers rather than a single summer flush.
Pumila Pompon Zinnia is grown primarily as a cut flower for bouquets and arrangements, where its compact stems, full blooms, and long vase life make it far more practical than taller varieties. Gardeners also use it as a flowering border plant, in containers on patios and porches, and as a reliable source of color in cottage garden schemes. Its ease of growth and prolific blooming habit make it popular for teaching children about gardening and the satisfaction of nurturing plants from seed.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date in soil kept at 70 to 80°F. Seeds germinate quickly at this temperature range and develop into sturdy transplants ready for the garden.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days, then transplant outdoors after your last frost date when soil temperature has warmed to at least 60°F. Space plants 6 inches apart, with 12 inches between rows.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after your last frost date and soil has warmed. Press seeds lightly into the soil surface, as light enhances germination.
Cut flowers for arrangements when blooms are fully open but still fresh, ideally in early morning after the dew has dried. Select stems at least 12 inches long and place them immediately in cool water. Flowers will continue opening in the vase and last one to two weeks with regular water changes.
Deadheading is essential with this variety; remove spent flower heads regularly by cutting just above a leaf node to encourage continuous branching and flowering throughout the season. Light pinching of stem tips when plants are 6 inches tall will promote bushier, more compact growth with more flower stems.
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“Pumila Pompon represents the refined selection work of heirloom breeders who isolated dwarf, heavily-flowered strains from standard zinnias over generations. The 'pompon' name refers to the densely-petaled, ball-shaped flower form that became a hallmark of early 20th-century flower breeding. This particular cultivar carries the lineage of commercial zinnia development, bred to be compact enough for home gardens and abundantly floriferous enough to justify regular cutting. It persists today as a non-GMO, organic seed variety because gardeners recognize its reliability and the pure satisfaction of growing what earlier generations grew.”