“Magenta is a Nasty Color”

 The only nasty color produced by the zinnia is a magenta,  and this, alas, is produced only too often.  When magenta threatens, I pull it up and throw in on the compost heap, and allow the better colours to have their way.

-Vita Sackville-West
February 12th, 1950

Yes, magenta does show up all too often when planting zinnias from seed, so much so that my Grandma complains every year about the abundance of ‘pink’.  She then enquires of my horde and I report that I’m in the same lot.
Then of course there’s the fatal mistake of buying the small “dwarf” zinnias instead of the giant “cut again” variety.  In my opinion the giant ones are better for cutting, and they dry really nicely at the end of the season.

Last year, before the first frost, I harvested the remainder of my yield for drying.  It was a pleasant thing to have the blooms there all winter.  Although shriveled and dull, the reminder of summer was grand.

If you also do not like the magenta, try clipping and drying it at its bud stage.  They make a striking appearance with their little folds of variegated green.  Grouped together in a vase their buds would be a beautiful sight to see.