expanding the zinnia palette, with siskiyou seeds’ don tipping

WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE about zinnias? Organic seed farmer and breeder Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds and I both vote an emphatic “yes” in favor of making zinnias a part of every garden year.

But what goes into creating the diversity of zinnia colors and forms and sizes? And what are some new looking ones that you might want to try in 2024?

Don Tipping founded Siskiyou Seeds, a family run farm-based seed company, in 1997. His farm with a view is located at 2,000 feet of elevation in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon, and has close to 1,000 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in its collection. As if that were not enough, Don creates a YouTube channel of how-to videos and a long-running blog, and hosts multiple on-farm trainings for gardeners and farmers each year.

We talked about that beloved annual flower, the zinnia (that’s ‘Queeny Lime Orange,’ above), and more.

Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page to enter to win a $25 gift certificate for Siskiyou Seeds.

Read along as you listen to the Feb. 5, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

zinnias and more, with don tipping

Margaret Roach: Winter! But I guess it’s seed-selling season, so probably not winter, not quiet, for you.

Don Tipping: Yeah.

Margaret: You and I recently collaborated on a story in “The New York Times,” a garden column on growing onions and leeks, something you taught me how to do almost a decade ago, how to grow them from seed. And so I’ll give a link to our former conversation, for people who want to get started on those earlybird crops. But zinnias: We share this passion,