Are There Blue Zinnias? We Bought Some Seeds…
Have you ever seen a blue zinnia? My oldest daughter’s favorite color is blue, so I got to thinking, are there blue zinnias? I’ve seen so many different colors, so why not blue!?
Zinnias were one of our favorite flowers to grow last year. I’ve seen almost every color so far – so I hoped there would also be a blue zinnia!
And, a quick online search revealed blue zinnia flower seeds available for sale on Etsy. I’m no stranger to buying select seeds on Etsy so I was very excited to add blue zinnia seeds to my collection. (If they in fact, do exist… keep reading for my experience.)
Finding the patience to wait for that first bloom to open is the hardest part!
Are There Blue Zinnias?
It was truly exciting to find blue zinnia flowers seeds for sale! I was so excited but I didn’t tell my daughter right away. I thought about surprising her but ultimately decided on letting her plant them herself from the seed packet.
The blue zinnias seeds I bought came from the Ukraine, and arrived speedy quick. I was stoked that the seeds got here so fast, as I wanted to get a jump start sowing zinnias indoors this year.
Most of the blue zinnia seed packet writing is in Ukrainian, so I wish I could tell you what it says. Or read it for myself! I don’t even have the right fonts on my computer!
But as far as I’m concerned, gardens need no translation. Beauty is beauty, and I can’t wait to snap some pictures and add them to this post. (The Etsy listings say these are blue zinnias with tiny yellow centers.)
I was so interested in trying to grow blue zinnias, and I bought mine from Dmytro of AmazingAgroShop on Etsy. Selling seeds was actually HIS SON’S idea – and I am always one to cheer on young entrepreneurs! But before you buy your own seeds, keep reading for my full experience…
Growing Blue Zinnias from Seed
I planted my “blue zinnia seeds” indoors in the end of March so they could enjoy a longer bloom season. I *can’t wait* to see what shade of blue these babies are! (If they are…) (Post is now updated with the result…)
(My fingers are very tightly crossed in hoping I didn’t get tricked!)
My plan for growing blue zinnias is to grow enough for cutting AND seed saving. Since I had to buy these from overseas, I want to see what happens if I save seeds and try again next year.
We might end up with some really cool combinations!
A big focus for our garden this year is a cut flower garden for our young daughters. I am so excited to let them pick flowers all summer long if all goes to plan.
It would be wonderful to have enough blue zinnias to let them pick some, but also to save seeds.
Beyond that, though, I’d really like to try my hand at breeding zinnias and creating some new and unique hybrids! I think if I have enough different colored zinnias growing in the garden, I can hand pollinate a few blooms and see what happens with the colors of the plants the next growing season.
Will they be lighter?
Will they be darker?
Could we influence the shade or shape of the petals?
Might we end up with two-tone or ombre hued blooms?
Can we influence any other characteristics?
I am brand new to breeding zinnias but I plan to make some time to give it a serious try this summer.
By the way, if you want to increase your zinnia yield, check out our post on How to Deadhead Zinnias.
Editor’s Note 06/16/21 – I am still waiting for the blue zinnias to bloom! I will update the post as soon as they do.
Editor’s Note 08/10/21 – Our “blue zinnias” bloomed a few weeks ago and with disappointment, I report these flowers are anything but blue.
Are Blue Zinnias Real?
At least in our experience, blue zinnias are not real. The seeds we planted actually grew to be gold and red zinnias.
It now becomes very likely that someone realized gardeners like us would want to buy blue zinnias and therefore photoshopped the package to make the flowers look blue.
The distributor deliberately wrote on the listing that it was for blue zinnias when clearly ours were anything but.
Buyer beware!
Has anyone ever successfully grown blue zinnias? Anyone else get duped from a seed seller who claimed the zinnias were blue?
Do you know anything about breeding zinnias? Please share any of your garden knowledge, tips, or questions in our comments below!
I was wondering how this turned out considering the only place that I have found that sells blue zinnia seeds are on Etsy or Ebay?
Hi! Thanks for your comment. I can’t wait for them to bloom – I planted them back in early April so hopefully I’ll have some blooms in a few weeks. I marked them so I know which are the blue ones and I will be sure to update the post with a photo. I can try to email you, too, to let you know about the resulting bloom colors if you want. 🙂
I bought some of these on Etsy recently. Starting to feel really skeptical though, so please let us know if yours really are blue!!
Hi Will! I hear you! I can’t wait for mine to bloom. The seedlings are healthy and growing nicely so far. I will update the post with the results and post a photo as soon as they do. Hopefully just a few more weeks. Thanks for your comment! – Kate
Me too!
I know this is an older post and i only found this blog because i was looking to see if the seeds were real, but a really easy blue flower to grow is Borage. It’s edible, attracts pollinators, grows quickly and blooms fast. It also reseeds prolifically, the leaves and flowers taste like cucumber!
Hi Kendra! Thanks so much for stopping by with this great suggestion! I LOVE the beautiful blue flowers of borage. I only had 3 blooms open before frost the year that I tried growing it because I started it way too late in August or something. I am definitely in favor of trying it again – it’s a bummer the blue zinnias didn’t work out although I know some are trying to “force” blue with chemical manipulation and such. Will be interesting to see if anything “real” ever emerges! Thanks for your awesome recommendation! Happy Gardening! 🙂
Hello! Could you please provide an update on whether these are actually blue?
Thank you so much!
Hello! Thanks for your comment. Yes, I will update with a photo as soon as they bloom! I’ll update the post with this, too, but as of last week, the first week of June, we transplanted all the ones that are supposed to be blue zinnias outside already. Hopefully just another week until they bloom! Thanks again – Kate
Can you post a pic of your flowers? I think they should have flowered by now.
Hi Rhiannon! I certainly will as soon as they flower. I unfortunately didn’t direct sow and started them indoors in egg cartons, and then I wasn’t able to get them outside as quickly as I’d hoped due to having to harden them off. So I see some buds on many of the zinnias but none have opened yet, unfortunately. I promise I will post a photo as soon as mine bloom. It was so disappointing to hear someone received zinnia seeds in colors that weren’t blue at all. Fingers crossed for these!
Thanks for your comment!
– Kate
I too, purchased some “blue” zinnia seeds on Etsy – from a seller in the Ukraine. My zinnias have bloomed and I can report that it’s funny how their version of blue looks a lot like red, orange and hot pink. Very disappointing.
Oh no, I am so sad to hear this! Mine have not bloomed yet to compare notes but I will update as soon as they do. It’s so upsetting to hear this – they are marketed as Blue Zinnias on the seller’s listing. I will be sure to leave a review with my experience once I know and would encourage you to do that also if you feel comfortable doing so. So sorry that happened to you!
I am waiting on mine also-so close to blooming.
Hi Paula, thanks for your comment! Fingers crossed for us both! We just got a ton of rain so I am hoping we’ll have flowers blooming any day now.
Fellow Zinnia lover/grower, anxiously awaiting results on your “blue” zinnias. Have they bloomed yet?
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your kind comment! Frustratingly, these are the slowest growing zinnias I’ve ever planted. I was on vacation and then had to go out of town for a few days for a vet appointment – Fully expected them to have bloomed while I was away but nope! I do see a small, round bud forming, though, so I’m watching intently for a hint of color. I’ll check back with you guys as soon as I have some news! I really hope by the end of the week I’ll know something. Keep you posted!! Happy Growing!
– Kate
Hi, the listings on Etsy look like the photos have been edited to change the color. My understanding is zinnias do not come in blue but I look forward to your next update!
Hi Val,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and helpful comment. It will be so disappointing and I am wondering if they’ve done it intentionally to sell more seeds if that is the case. I’m going to update my post promptly as soon as these two flowers bloom. I’ll be quite disappointed as it’s marketed as “blue.” I truly appreciate your time and sharing of your insights!
– Kate
I know you must be disappointed. I was hoping you would have gorgeous blue zinnias!
Hi Mandy, thanks for your comment – I am with you – I bought these for my daughter since she loves blue so it will be really disappointing once we 100% confirm we’ve been duped. I was so hopeful for all the wonderful bouquet possibilities. I can’t believe we still have some that haven’t opened yet! I planted these in April. (?!) Thanks so much for following along! <3 - Kate
Hi Kate,
I am anxiously waiting to see if your Blue Zinnia bloomed. I wanted to get some but they are sold out. If yours actually bloom and are truly blue I will order some next season.
Hi Vera! Thank you so much for your kind comment! I will post immediately when these buds open to let everyone know. I am feeling a bit less optimistic based on a few readers’ comments so far on their experiences and will plan to look for a suitable blue replacement flower for next year if we cannot enjoy blue zinnias. Thank you so much for following along! <3 - Kate
Any update?
Hi Kandee, thanks for stopping by – I’ve just updated the post with photos of the zinnias that were supposed to be blue.
Happy Gardening!
– Kate
hiii ! I purchased the blue Zinnia from etsy earlier this year also and i am expecting sowing these seeds this month since the weather is changing here in South America Peru , Have yours bloomed yet? * sigh Keeping my fingers crossed
Hi Rocio! Welcome to my blog and thank you so much for your comment! I hope you have much better luck than I did. Ours bloomed red and golden yellow. We had hoped for blue so much but it seems we’ve been tricked unfortunately. Next year we may try to find blue for our garden in another type of flower, perhaps a cornflower / bachelor button. Best wishes with your garden – I hope you enjoy the beauty no matter what color! – Kate
Did they bloom?
Hi Hilary, they did! I’ve updated the post. Sadly, they were red and gold and nowhere near blue! 🙁
I bought the same Ukrainian blue zinnias, mine all tuned shades of pink and purple, they are giant and gorgeous. I wondered if my soil ph was to blame… Like with hydrangeas, acidic soil is key to getting blue flowers… I would try them again and experiment for sure
Hi Karla,
That is a fantastic idea! I’ve just recently learned about the hydranageas color changing and it’s a wonderful idea to try! Sounds like an awesome experiment! I’ll try to start with acidic soil next time I plant some and please stop back and update us if you do as well!
Happy Gardening!
– Kate
sorry you were tricked! I always hesitant buying overseas! anything rare marked as bonsai or showing unusal color should be researched from a few sources! you could try irises they come in true blue.many others to choose from though blue is the rarest flower color.stick with burpee or other well known seed company whentrying new colors,heights etc.
Hi Tina, Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment and insights! Very good advice on seed choices. I do love irises, thanks for the suggestion! I did not realize blue is the rarest flower color but do believe it as it’s probably the color I’ve seen the least so far, especially in seeds and bulbs / tubers, and since it’s a primary color. Thanks again for the great comment! Happy Gardening!
– Kate
Hi, we were able to make zinnias develop blue hues by chemical manipulation. They were grown near zinnias of other colors, so the seeds collected this year may not necessarily make blue flowers next season. But we will try growing them in a separate enclosed area next year for seed collection purposes, and will try to improve our blue-ing protocols – this was the first season we did it. Pictures of blue-ish zinnias can be seen on our website http://www.BloomGrowers.com under “Research and Development”
Greetings, V R! Wow, blue-ish zinnias may yet exist! What exciting news. It is lovely to hear from you about this remarkable development in your zinnia breeding research and efforts. I am so glad you’ve reached out and would love to connect to discuss your work further. I’ve sent you an email in hopes of learning more about your process in creating the blue-ish zinnias you’ve shared on your site. I’m sure it would be fascinating for our readers to get to know more about your work as well. Hoping to connect!
Thank you for your response, Kate, I replied to your email! Thank you for buying and reporting on these zinnia seeds from this Etsy seller – I was wondering if it was true.
V R – Thank you so much, I will definitely get back to you via email to continue the conversation! I am so glad you reached out and look forward to sharing your story. 🙂
– Kate
I’ve grown two type of blue zinnias light and darker ones. They came out as deep rosyred bleuish flowers, not blue but they showed somethind very special. At first I believed that it was a deformation of my glasses, but when I said to my friend that I saw a real royal marine blue aura about +/-1/16 of a inch all around of each ones of those flowers, I said that it was not my glasses I saw that too; it goes like this all summer long.
Hello Y. Rondeau, thanks so much for taking the time to share this wonderful news with us. Your zinnias sound amazing! If you have a photo you’re willing to share for the post, I would love to publish it and give credit back to you. Can you tell us anything else about how you achieved the blue halo / aura? Were the seeds sold to you as blue zinnias or is this a special miracle of nature? Love that you got to enjoy these special flowers! Thanks so much for sharing your story and hope to hear back from you!
I also ordered blue Zinnias seeds, yes from Ukraine.
However…I ordered 1 pack, and they sent me 5!
Didn’t research “blue” till after I ordered.
Garden will still SNAP!
Hi Charlie, WOW! That’s such a sweet surprise you lucked into buy 1 get 4 free, hah. Time will tell if we can sway the flowers to blue, but in the meantime I agree – zinnias of any color make a lovely and colorful display! Happy Gardening!
Can you show us a picture of your zinnias? I understand that this is an old post.
Hi Sandra! I appreciate your time in commenting and I will make it a priority to take a photo of the zinnias this year. I have some seeds left in the packet and plan to grow them out and see what happens! I’ll try to notify you once I have photos to share. Thanks for the suggestion!