Ornamental
Queen Lime Blush Zinnia is an elegant double and semi-double flowering zinnia that lives up to its regal name with blooms that shift between bright lime green and soft cantaloupe hues, often displaying both colors in a single flower. This 40-inch tall cultivar produces 2-3½ inch blooms that attract butterflies and bumblebees from summer into late fall, reaching peak flower production in about 75 days. Whether grown for stunning vase arrangements or garden color, this stocky, sturdy plant rewards deadheading with continuous blooms throughout the season.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
40in H x 18in W
Annual
High
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What sets Queen Lime Blush apart is the painterly quality of its petals, the interplay of lime green and cantaloupe creates an almost watercolor effect that's rare among zinnias. The flowers are substantial and full, with that sumptuous double-form petaling that looks almost too perfect for a flower you've grown yourself. At 40 inches tall with a refined 18-inch spread, it strikes an elegant balance between height and proportion, making it equally at home anchoring a cutting garden or commanding attention in a mixed border. The plant is remarkably generous with blooms, transforming from a green mound into a flower factory with minimal deadheading effort.
Queen Lime Blush is prized for fresh cut flower arrangements and bouquets where its bicolor blooms add sophisticated, unusual color that feels almost artistic rather than purely decorative. The flowers hold well in water and continue opening over several days, making them exceptional for florists and home arrangers seeking something beyond standard zinnia colors. In the garden, they function beautifully as focal points in perennial borders or as part of pollinator gardens where their magnetic appeal to butterflies and bumblebees makes them as ecologically valuable as they are ornamental.
Sow seeds indoors several weeks before your last frost date, providing warm soil temperatures for germination. Transplant seedlings to individual containers once they develop true leaves, then harden off gradually before moving outdoors after frost danger passes.
Transplant seedlings into the garden after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows spaced 24 inches apart to allow for their mature width and healthy air circulation.
Direct sow seeds into the garden bed after your last frost date, planting at the appropriate depth and thinning seedlings to 12-inch spacing once they develop their first true leaves.
Cut flowers in the early morning when they're fully open or at a stage just before full opening, depending on how long you want them to develop in the vase. Use sharp pruning shears or scissors to cut stems at a 45-degree angle, removing at least one-third of the stem to maximize water uptake. The 2-3½ inch blooms will continue opening for several days in water, and removing spent flowers from the plant throughout the season triggers the production of fresh blooms that you can continually harvest.
Deadhead spent flowers regularly throughout the growing season to encourage continuous bloom production. This practice redirects the plant's energy from seed production into creating more of those gorgeous bicolor blooms. The stocky, naturally compact growth habit rarely requires heavy pruning beyond deadheading.
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