Zinnia Holi Scarlet

* Common name: Zinnia Holi Scarlet

* Botanical name: Zinnia elegans Holi Scarlet

* What it is: One of the best zinnias to come along in years is this bushy, compact, and mildew-resistant variety that produces big, double, three-inch-wide red flowers with yellow stamens all summer long.

   It was good enough to earn a 2019 All-America Selections award but isn’t a fan of deer or other animals.

* Size: Plants grow 12 to 16 inches tall and about 18 inches wide in a single season.

* Where to use: Affordable because they’re seed-grown, Holi Scarlet are ideal massed in any sunny bed or border. They also grow well in a sunny pot.

* Care: Plant out after danger of frost passes in spring (mid-May or after). Zinnias are very sensitive to cold.

   Keep soil damp the first few weeks to aid rooting, then water is needed only in extended dry spells. Zinnias are among the most heat- and drought-tough annuals. Work compost and timed-release flower fertilizer into soil at planting.

   Supplemental liquid flower fertilizer each month throughout the growing season is helpful but not necessary. Snip off any browned flowers to keep plants neat and encourage continuing bloom. Yank and compost when plants die with frost in fall.

   In pots, water daily when it doesn’t rain, and fertilize with a half-strength flower fertilizer every week or two.

* Great partner: Gold sun-loving annuals are good partners, such as marigolds, lantana, bidens, mecardonia, or melampodium. Ornamental grasses or gold-tinted conifers make good backdrops.