From vibrant yellows, oranges and pinks to lime green, apricots, and vanilla white – Zinnia's candy coloured domes are irresistibly sweet!
The trick to arranging zinnias is no trick at all: just keep it simple! Remove the leaves, leaving a few for fillers. Then level the blooms in one hand to even out the stem lengths, and trim them with the other. Zinnias are a "dirty" flower, in that they generate a lot of bacteria in vase water. Change the water and recut stems daily. I always add a drop of bleach to help them last.
Zinnias are also edible, if not exactly tasty. Sprinkle individual petals on top of salad. They provide a dash of colour while also lending a little bitterness. Needless to say, leave them off the top of a wedding cake!
You might also notice that zinnias are a perfectly imperfect. Their petals can be slightly irregular. They sometimes curl and fade at the edges while their stems remain firm. Observing these differences, among the most eye-catching beauty makes me think of people, and how uniquely lovely we all are. And that makes me smile.
• Rosie, owner Quince Flowers
