Hello Scarlet Tricycle,
" I am already thinking about my beds for next year as protest to the measurable snow we already have had of late. "
This thread should make the Snow Fairy sorry she even messed with us. I also had an early snow a few days ago. It is all gone now, though.
" ...and have read that they do better and stay double head if you sow directly. "
I had not heard that. It has been a while since I grew any green zinnias. This one was actually grown indoors in my Indoor Zinnia Project a few years ago. It was not in the "Queen" series, but was a Burpee Tequila Lime, which Burpee describes as a "Burpee Exclusive". Click on the photos to see larger versions.
Its white center makes me think it has both green zinnia and white zinnia ancestry. The Queen series show how you can get interesting color effects by crossing green zinnias with other colors.
" I have never had luck w any zinnia sowing direct and have to start mine indoors and move out. "
You should be able to do both.
" Will I indeed have issues if I do this? "
I can't imagine that a zinnia bloom will be double or not depending on whether it was sown directly in-ground or started indoors and transplanted outdoors. This year I had the majority of my zinnias started indoors and set in-ground from 3-inch square pots, and they made double blooms just fine. However, when you sow your zinnias directly in-ground, you can find yourself trying to distinguish small zinnia seedlings from weed seedlings.
In order to help me tell the difference from young zinnia seedlings and young weeds, I tie a string between the stakes at both ends of my row, and pull a straight furrow under that string with a pointed hoe. Having the zinnia seedlings in a perfectly straight line makes it easier to distinguish them from the competing weeds.
Do you think there might be something wrong with your soil that would argue against just planting your zinnia seeds in-ground? Sunshine is a healthy thing for tiny plant seedlings.
ZM
