Hello Sheri,
You have done an excellent job of growing zinnias in pots and photographing them. As it happens, I grow and breed zinnias as a hobby. During warm weather, I grow them in a garden inground in the soil, which I have "improved" a little with added sand and granular gypsum. Our native soil is sedimentary and needs further improvement. Your pot-grown zinnias actually look healthier and bigger than my in-ground breeder zinnias. I have cross-pollinated my zinnias extensively. They say not to save seeds from F1 hybrid zinnias, but I have done the exact opposite and made further crosses between my crosses. So my breeder zinnias are "crazy mixed-up kids". Here are a few examples. You can click on the photos to see larger versions.
I also grow zinnias indoors under fluorescent lights in the colder months.
By growing zinnias indoors and outdoors, and by saving and planting green seeds, I can get four generations of zinnias in a year, which really speeds up my zinnia breeding hobby.
ZM
