One of my favorite annuals is the zinnia. In my central Texas garden the zinnia seems to be a super butterfly magnet.

Zinnias and Butterfly at Hensel Park Garden

Zinnias have humble beginnings as a native plant in the southern US and Mexico. The story goes that the Spanish explorers in Mexico named the native zinnias “mal de ojos” which translates to “sickness of the eye”. In the 18^th century they received their name, for the German botanist Dr. Johann Gottfried Zinn who wrote the first scientific account of the flower. Members of the daisy family, zinnias began to take their more familiar form and multitude of colors in the late 1800s, and gained significant popularity in 1920 with the introduction of the Bodger Seeds Ltd. Dahlia shaped ‘Giant Dahlia’.

Today zinnias come in a wide range of colors (white, pink, orange, yellow, green, red, and purple), sizes (dwarf to giant varieties), and flower forms (single, semi-double, or double). They are available in both seed and transplants, although I have had better heat tolerance in Texas with plants grown from seed. Zinnias reseed readily and are fast growers.

Zinnia in the Rain - Zinnia elegans 'Purple Prince'

Dwarf Yellow Zinnia

Zinnia elegans

Plant facts: Zinna elegans

Type: Annual

Blooming: Summer and Fall

Colors: all but blue

Light requirements: full sun to partial shade

Height: 5 – 40”

Spacing: 9-12”

Hardiness: all zones

Water: regular, do not overwater

Foliage: Soft/Fuzzy Textured

Common problems: mildew

Other: attractive to butterflies
cutting flowers, reseeds readily

Close-up pink Zinnia elegans

It seems gardening in the summer is my second full time job. I have so many things I would like to accomplish with our yarden (yard/garden), but as the primary manual laborer there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I am constantly looking for ways to reduce my hours of laboring, and maximize my enjoyment of gardening.

In my area of Texas we have dense clay soils that turn into an impenetrable brick layer once our summer dry spell begins in early June. Raised garden beds with thick organic matter seem to be the best solution for drainage, but installing them the traditional way (removing the sod/weeds, tilling or double digging) takes tons of time and effort. One of my favorite gardening time (and back) savers is lasagna gardening. Lasagna gardening involves piling layers of organic material over a thick base layer of cardboard or newspaper without having to remove or disturb the underlying sod or weeds. This layering, like a pan of lasagna, leaves a ready to plant raised bed with soil that will only improve as the components further break down.

About two years ago I tried my first lasagna garden. I had an approximately 30 foot by 10 foot area of sod that I wanted to turn into an organic butterfly garden. I first laid out the area to get the general shape, and then placed a thick layer of cardboard down to kill the grass.  The following layers consisted of newpaper, peat moss, partially decomposed matter from the compost bins, leaves, and manure.

Laying out the garden shape, right half of garden

Putting the cardboard layer down, left side of garden

Once I placed all the layers I planted. My selection of plants included mostly Texas natives, particularly those that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Maintenance on this garden has been minimal with an approximately 4″ layer of hardwood mulch added every fall and spring. Compared to my beds constructed by conventional methods, this garden seems to get fewer weeds and continues to have excellent soil and drainage.

Left side of Butterfly garden, once planted.

Completed Butterfly Garden, freshly mulched.

Butterfly Garden, Approximately 2 Years After Installation

After neglecting my vegetable garden for a year I’m going to revitalize the area using lasagna gardening methods. Last weekend we cleaned the sludge out of the koi pond and placed it on top of the now weedy vegetable garden. I added a layer of peat moss and covered it with heavy plastic tarps. This weekend I will add a layer of cardboard, paper shredding from our office, material from the compost bins, and a final layer of manure.

Vegetable Garden, tarped and ready for Lasagna

Hopefully the vegetable garden will be reinstated in time for pumpkins and winter squash!