WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE about zinnias? Natural seed farmer and breeder Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds and I each vote an emphatic “sure” in favor of creating zinnias part of each backyard 12 months.
However what goes into creating the variety of zinnia colours and kinds and sizes? And what are some new trying ones that you just may need to attempt in 2024?
Don Tipping based Siskiyou Seeds, a household run farm-based seed firm, in 1997. His farm with a view is positioned at 2,000 toes of elevation within the Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon, and has near 1,000 forms of greens, herbs, and flowers in its assortment. As if that weren’t sufficient, Don creates a YouTube channel of how-to movies and a long-running weblog, and hosts a number of on-farm trainings for gardeners and farmers annually.
We talked about that beloved annual flower, the zinnia (that’s ‘Queeny Lime Orange,’ above), and extra.
Plus: Remark within the field close to the underside of the web page to enter to win a $25 reward certificates for Siskiyou Seeds.
Learn alongside as you take heed to the Feb. 5, 2024 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant under. You may subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
zinnias and extra, with don tipping
Margaret Roach: Winter! However I assume it’s seed-selling season, so most likely not winter, not quiet, for you.
Don Tipping: Yeah.
Margaret: You and I just lately collaborated on a narrative in “The New York Occasions,” a backyard column on rising onions and leeks, one thing you taught me easy methods to do nearly a decade in the past, easy methods to develop them from seed. And so I’ll give a hyperlink to our former dialog, for individuals who need to get began on these earlybird crops. However zinnias: We share this ardour, as I mentioned within the introduction, for zinnias, sure?
Don: Yeah, very a lot so. It looks as if sort of an apparent factor to love, like having vanilla ice cream be your, or I imply chocolate be your favourite sort of ice cream. However I feel as a result of they’ve a lot potential by way of range of flower kinds and colours, I simply hold coming again to my intrigue with them.
Margaret: Yeah. I imply, I’ve at all times recognized them since I first gardened, and but I by no means knew ones just like the sizes and shapes and no matter that I’m seeing lately. And so, I discover, I see on some catalog web sites that there are some hybrid zinnias, however all of yours, the entire Siskiyou Seeds’ forms of the whole lot, are open-pollinated, sure?
Don: Appropriate, yeah. And I feel it’s tough; folks need to cut back issues down into binaries of open-pollinated or hybrid. However the reality of the matter is, is that populations are continually hybridizing, and that’s the place Dr. John Navazio taught me: to make use of the time period proprietary F1 hybrids when referring to these business ones. Whereas zinnias, particularly, as a result of they’ve what are referred to as leaping genes (laughter), they’re transposons, the molecular-biologist time period for them. However mainly, that is how epigenetics present up in flowers, of genes that may be turned on or off.
So, it’s actually tough to stabilize among the distinctive variants of zinnias. You actually should develop hundreds of vegetation to see that one-in-a-thousand particular person. And simply since you save seed from it doesn’t essentially imply that you just’ve stabilized it and people traits will proceed to specific in subsequent generations.
Margaret: Proper. So, the guardian plant, all its infants gained’t be equivalent, any greater than I don’t appear to be my mother and father (laughter).
Don: Yeah, precisely.
Margaret: To simplify issues. So, what number of years because you first tinkered with a zinnia, because you let a complete inhabitants develop out in a area someplace at your house and mentioned, “Ooh, I actually like that one over there. I’m going to save lots of seed from that one.” How way back, do you suppose?
Don: Properly, it was type of an evolution. We used to develop zinnia seed yearly for Seeds of Change (catalog) in massive portions, the place we’d develop 5 or 10 kilos of seed. And once we are doing that, we’re usually rising a single shade. So something that deviated from that, we’d really destroy these vegetation, pull them out by the roots. So then finally, in about 2009, is after I started to understand that, oh, these distinctive ones, that is likely to be one thing value saving seed from and really starting to nudge it in that path, as a result of similar to my analogy with ice cream, you will get vanilla and chocolate anyplace.
However distinctive sorts, I feel that’s actually the bread and butter for these small regional seed firms like Siskiyou Seeds—not providing the same old variety, however having distinctive sorts. Yeah, and it retains it fascinating for me, as a result of I’ve been doing this 30 years, so I’ve obtained to search out new methods to maintain it thrilling.
Margaret: New adventures. First, there have been, a long time in the past, I don’t even bear in mind the names of the zinnias, after which the ‘Benary’s Giants’ (above) turned a factor. However currently, these Queeny Lime ones, those with the phrase queen in them-
Don: Precisely.
Margaret: … are simply so attractive, and so they sort of appeared and all people, lots of people began promoting them. I can’t discover any info on who bred them or the place they started. I see “the breeder” known as simply “the breeder” in varied catalog descriptions in varied locations, however I don’t see who it was (laughter). So, that’s been type of one of many newest in ages.
However you’ve gone off in a path; yours, as you described, a few of them appear to be “undersea creatures,” and simply a few of them come off type of cactus-shaped flowers and get even wilder and crazier. Yeah? (Under, a few flowers from his ‘Tidepool Combine.’)
Don: Properly, I feel you’re really shining a lightweight on, whenever you describe a few of these new varieties that present up within the large mainstream catalogs, on a little bit of the underbelly of the largely Dutch flower-seed commerce. And I can’t confirm this, however I need to begin trying and poking round. I’ve heard that they use irradiation to induce polyploidy and novelty in plenty of flower variants, as a result of florists are at all times searching for the brand new factor, and genetics tends to throw out the off sorts. The mutants have a tendency to not specific readily.
However by means of actually irradiating or doing novel breeding applied sciences like cell fusion and cisgenics, the mainstream trade has been tinkering with issues. So, it’s totally different than the standard GMO.
We’re not doing that right here. I’m simply actually combing the fields searching for novelty, and we take little ribbons of surveying tape the place I really use jewellery luggage which can be like breathable mesh.
So, if I’ve a big inhabitants, let’s say 1,000 vegetation or extra, and I observed a person, zinnias are within the Asteraceae, so that they’re associated to calendula, sunflowers, lettuce, marigolds, chrysanthemum, asters, that sort of factor. And that they extensively open-pollinate, and so they have two forms of flowers in them. They’ve disc flowers and ray flowers. And when you’ve ever held calendula seed in your hand, you’ll be able to actually see this, or checked out a zinnia, for example, up shut and see how the disc florets have little yellow flowers that in and of themselves are flowers, which have each female and male flower elements and might pollinate themselves or be cross-pollinated. Whereas the ray florets, what we have a look at as petals.
Margaret: Petals, proper.
Don: … are literally showy bracts, to make use of the botanical time period. These don’t have stamens, so that they don’t make pollen, however they’ll obtain pollen. So, whenever you have a look at the calendula seed, again to that instance, you see what appear to be little grey fishhooks, after which bigger buff-colored fishhooks. The little ones are from the disc florets, and the bigger ones are from the ray florets. This differentiation is much less pronounced in zinnias, however when you fastidiously type out your zinnia seed, you’ll be able to work out which seeds got here from the disc florets-
Margaret: Wow.
Don: … whereas people who got here from the ray florets.
Margaret: Cool.
Don: So, each time a pollination factor occurs, you may have a complete myriad of, it may very well be self-pollinating. So, I’m explaining this to explain the jewellery bag. Why use that? As a result of then you already know that complete plant is self-pollinated, or that flower, and that’s assuming you bought to it earlier than the florets on the disc opened up. So, you must exit within the morning—when it’s nonetheless sort of cool out and there’s dew—and search for flowers which can be slightly on the immature aspect, after which put the bag over it after which let it mature. You’re drastically lowering the quantity of viable seed whenever you do that, however it’s a option to start to slender down within the path you need to go.
Margaret: Oh, O.Ok. So, you’re not irradiating, you’re placing jewellery luggage on it.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: So that you’re making observations and placing ribbons on them and placing jewellery luggage on them (laughter) and so forth, and sort of steering the inhabitants, when you can, in a path that appeals to you. And the assortment of zinnias that you just promote within the Siskiyou catalog, I imply, you may have some actually enjoyable ones. You do have a kind of Queeny sorts, I overlook which one you may have. And one other combine that I’ve at all times appreciated, the ‘Jazzy Combine,’ which I feel is so well-named as a result of it’s obtained such enjoyable type of colours in it. However you may have one which I’ve by no means really grown, referred to as ‘Crimson Spider?’ (under). Inform us about that one. That’s fairly totally different. It appears to be like like a species plant to me, that one. Are you aware what I imply? It looks-
Don: Oh, completely.
Margaret: …very previous, back-to-the-roots sort of genetics. Yeah.
Don: Properly, you talked about the ‘Jazzy Combine,’ and that’s really a distinct species from the standard zinnias that folks develop. So, the standard zinnia that most individuals are accustomed to, the Latin identify is Zinnia, the genus, and elegans is the species.
Whereas the genus for the ‘Jazzy Combine’ is Zinnia, as soon as once more, the species identify is haageana, so it’s really a distinct species. All of them originated in central Mexico, the place it was mainly a wildflower. And so, the ‘Crimson Spider’ is, I feel, actually extra of a progenitor of recent zinnias.
Margaret: Isn’t it like tenuifolia or one thing? It’s like a complete species into itself.
Don: Precisely, yeah. So, the vegetation are extra diminutive. They solely develop 18 to 24 inches tall. They’re all crimson. I’ve by no means seen one other one which’s a distinct shade. And so they don’t are inclined to thrive as a lot right here, and maybe we reside within the mountains, so possibly it’s our cool nights, whereas subtropical central Mexican highlands is a distinct local weather than Oregon. However nonetheless, I like rising them only for their novelty. And the petals are usually thinner, so I feel that’s the place the identify spider comes from.
You may consider dahlias, that are additionally native to central Mexico. And when you have a look at the seed-grown varieties, you get to see type of the parental kinds that gave beginning to all of the totally different fashionable ones that have been in the end hybrids, after which folks went to tuber replica.
Margaret: Yeah. You’ve gotten some enjoyable with them. I imply, you may have, talking of ones which can be within the Zinnia elegans, the extra anticipated species or extra widespread species, you chose from one that folks could know, the ‘Peppermint Stick,’ to make one that you just name, I feel ‘Firestarter?’ Is that proper?
Don: Yeah. Properly, this began, Frank Morton and I, we had a dialog of, I simply requested him like, “Hey, the ‘Peppermint Stick’ is 2 totally different colours.” And actually three, there’s type of yellow and crimson, after which white and crimson, however there’s additionally type of a cream and crimson in there, which I feel is an middleman one.
Margaret: Yeah, and we should always say Frank is a seed farmer, Wild Backyard Seed. Sure, yeah.
Don: Yeah, thanks for mentioning that. And he’s positively an expensive buddy and mentor of me.
Margaret: And so many.
Don: And an early pioneer.
Margaret: He’s superb. Yeah.
Don: And yeah, verify them out earlier than, I feel they’re inching in the direction of retirement, so sort of get it whereas the getting’s good. However we have been joking round. I used to be like, “Hey, have you ever ever considered stabilizing one of many colours?” And he was doing the white and crimson. So I used to be like, “Properly, I’ll do the yellow and crimson.”
So, we use greenhouses generally if we need to stabilize one thing that’s actually enticing to pollinators, with the pondering that we will management pollination slightly bit extra. So, the ‘Firestarter’ is basically simply saving seed from probably the most yellow and crimson ones.
And I need to point out a extremely enjoyable factor, and possibly you’ve observed this in zinnias or different flowers, is that selection particularly tends to supply what are referred to as chimeras. And you may as well see leaping genes in motion. So, in my collection of that selection, I anticipate the primary flower to occur, and I solely need to save the vegetation that produce yellow-and-red-striped ones, that actually appear to be both yellow petals that someone took a paintbrush and painted a stripe of crimson on them, or not directly.
So then, I rip out all those which can be white and crimson, after which I lower off all of the flowers of the yellow-red ones, that first flower, as a result of it might have cross pollinated with the white and crimson ones. Then, I let all of them flower, and what I’ve seen occur is ones that produce all crimson flowers. And earlier than I discovered this, I’d lower these off or rip these vegetation out. However then, I started to note, like wow, on the identical plant, they’ll produce all crimson and yellow-and-red-striped. And what that’s, is the plant doesn’t distribute development hormones and its genetic potential equally.
Margaret: Oh.
Don: Identical to we don’t appear to be our siblings, although we technically have the identical genetics. And the opposite factor it’ll do is chimeras, which is, I don’t know if that’s a botanical time period or simply within the flower commerce, one the place the flower is mainly half crimson and half one other shade, like on this occasion, red- and yellow-striped. I’ve tried saving seeds from this, however I don’t suppose chimeras is one thing you can pin down genetically. It simply has to do with development hormones and transposons, and the way genetic potential is distributed in a given plant relying on environmental stresses.
Margaret: Yeah, it’s fairly cool. So, that’s a enjoyable one, ‘Firestarter.’
A few of yours are these mixes, otherwise you generally name them remixes. You’ve gotten one that you just name the ‘Dreamin’ Remix,’ for example. And that was already a cross of elegans, and haageana.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: That was already a cross of elegans and haageana, that another person did, at Peace Seedlings, Dylana Kapuler. So that you then have a look at the inhabitants and you retain going, yeah? You may hold going?
Don: Yeah. And this may’t… Possibly you would describe it as a backcross, so it’s a hybrid between these two zinnia species, then backcross to the ‘Cactus Combine,’ and attempting to get my objective with that. And I feel gardeners like novelty, and I attempt to be clear in our catalog to not count on each plant to exhibit the identical traits. However you’re certain to, it’s sort of like, I don’t know, Cracker Jacks, you’re going to get a distinct shock in each field or one thing.
That my objective is to supply one that appears just like the ‘Dreamin’ Combine,’ that Dylana took over from her father, Dr. Alan Kapuler, of that cross. And so they’ve by no means disclosed it’s a cross, however I’ve grown sufficient zinnias the place that’s my hunch, due to that trait that you just see within the ‘Jazzy Combine’ or the ‘Persian Carpet’ sort zinnias.
I need to get one which has that fascinating sort of bullseye sample of various colours on each petal, however with the quilled petal form of the cactus sorts. So, we’ll see. There’s no assure. I feel generally when you may have a breeding goal, it’s really counter to the reproductive success of the plant (laughter), and the one means you study that’s by means of trial and error.
Margaret: Yeah. I like the identify of 1 that you’ve your providing that you just bred, you name it ‘Loopy Legs’ (above). Inform us about ‘Loopy Legs,’ talking of this type of cactusy…
Don: Properly, in order that began by rising massive quantities of the ‘Cactus Combine,’ which has a quilled petal form, which the botanical time period would both be revolute, like rolled outwards on itself, or rolled inwards on itself (which is involute).
And I started to note ones that had these different traits. One really has a botanical identify referred to as fimbriated, the place the petals don’t finish at a tidy level, however are extra splayed out.
After which I observed one the place the petals themselves, as an alternative of rising straight, have been type of squiggled. And my preliminary breeder’s identify for that was Frippertronics, after Robert Fripp, who was the guitarist for the sort of ’60s, ’70s progressive rock band King Crimson. However my seed employees, who’re all underneath 40 was like, “No, that doesn’t work.”
Margaret: “No, Grandpa.” They mentioned, “No. Grandpa.” Proper? (Laughter.)
Don: Yeah, completely. Properly, and I take these surveying ribbons and I write with a Sharpie on there simply so I can hold monitor of all these items. So, I used to be like, “O.Ok., you’re going to be Frippertronic,” as a result of he invented the primary digital tape-loop music, simply one thing novel. So, ‘Loopy Legs’ was a extra descriptive identify. ‘Loopy Legs’ is a fuchsia one. I’ve cream-colored model in improvement and an orange one in improvement and a yellow one. However these aren’t stabilized but.
Margaret: Properly, they’re enjoyable and wild as is your one I discussed earlier than, the one which type of appears to be like like undersea anemones, the ‘Tidepool Combine.’
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: So, earlier than we take up on a regular basis with zinnias, I need to simply ask you about what else are you enthusiastic about in the meanwhile? As a result of it sounds such as you’re nonetheless taking part in with zinnias. Are there different issues that you just’re…
Don: Properly, yearly we choose three or 4 issues to do selection trials on, and that enables us right here on the farm to essentially use the farm not only for seed manufacturing, but additionally as a analysis and improvement facility. So, those we’re doing for that this 12 months are radicchios, as a result of there’s a complete pattern beginning there and we simply need to study as a lot as we will to develop as a lot range. After which we are going to supply that blend as a seed crop for 2025, which feels bizarre to say that.
After which, we’re additionally doing carrots, however just like zinnias, not many individuals develop China asters, however they’re simply as simple to develop and I feel simply as spectacular. And I feel it may very well be one of many subsequent large issues for house gardeners and small-scale farmer-florists.
Margaret: I feel these are, what Callistephus, is that the genus? Callistephus, I feel.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: Yeah. And so they’re stunning flowers. And talking of issues that may come in several flower kinds, they’ll appear to be an enormous double chrysanthemum (under, ‘Tower Chamois’ China aster) or they’ll look ethereal and, I don’t even know easy methods to say with simply, I don’t know, simply so effusive, a few of them.
Don: Precisely.
Margaret: So that they actually, they are often fairly totally different.
Don: Yeah. And I’m simply now pondering they might make a superb companion, like some cool variant combine with the ‘Tidepool Combine’ zinnia. And possibly for some future Octopus’ Backyard assortment or one thing.
Margaret: Oh, I like that. The Octopus’s Backyard assortment. Yeah, plenty of tentacles (laughter).
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: ‘Loopy Legs.’ A number of ‘Loopy Legs.’ Yeah. Good. O.Ok. So, these are three issues: radicchio, carrots, China asters.
Don: Yeah. After which, one other factor sort of, just like the zinnias that I’ve been engaged on, is a striped kernel candy corn that I name ‘Starburst Choose.’ And also you see this trait in flour corn, some Native communities name it chin-mark corn, named after the cultural custom of tattooing ladies in among the Northwest tribes. However mainly, on the stage of consuming, I’ve this selection in improvement that may be a candy corn, and whenever you eat it, every kernel appears to be like like someone took a small paintbrush and drew slightly starburst of crimson on it.
And I’m 85 % of the way in which there of getting a spread that, so far as I do know, has by no means existed earlier than, and I don’t know why, as a result of it wasn’t that tough to create. So, that’s thrilling. And we provide seed of that. We at all times promote out. It’s very restricted amount proper now.
Margaret: Huh. Fascinating. You’ve performed lots through the years with flour corns, those as in you’ll make meal or flour out of them, not flower corns.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: Very colourful, a few of them have been very colourful, that are simply stunning as properly. And I feel it looks as if you’ve been including some medicinal herbs to the catalog as properly, yeah?
Don: Yeah. And as a seed firm, we’ve got what we’re enthusiastic about, however we even have to reply to the place the tradition goes. And that’s one thing I’ve observed an enormous resurgence in curiosity in folks rising their very own medicinal herbs. So I’ve an worker who has some expertise with that, Taryn Hunter, who I’ve actually simply tasked with determining what’s the recent herbs to develop, what ought to we be both rising. Or we additionally work with an important firm out of Washington referred to as Associates of the Bushes Botanicals, and that’s Michael Pilarski who goes by the identify Skeeter, who’s one in all our permaculture elders right here within the Northwest. And so they develop and harvest medicinal herb seed that we provide.
Margaret: Properly, plenty of enjoyable selections. As I mentioned, there’s like 1,000 issues in your assortment and possibly 700 in any given 12 months being supplied. I’m so glad to talk to you; I at all times study from you, Don, and I hope that we’ll hold the teachings going for extra years to return. So, thanks, thanks, and have an excellent seed-selling season, huh
Don: Thanks a lot.
extra from don tipping
Our earlier dialog about rising onions (and leeks) from seed
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