I've been told that this is a zinnia, but I haven't been able to ID it any further, to species or cultivar. Would someone be able to assist me, please? The photograph was taken in a park in Somerset, United Kingdom. Thanks.
In the U.K.this sort of Zinnia is normally grown from seed and used for bedding displays, at the end of the summer they are dug up and composted.They will not survive the winter here. It is possibly Zinnia elegans. http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/4264/1.html
Thank you for this information, Silver Surfer. I had a look through some Z. elegans cultivars and this could be one of the State Fair mix or Benary's Giant Lilac. It looks like this flower was in the early stages of its bloom, so it does make it more difficult to pin down the cultivar. Thanks again, ;-)
The way I look at it, is that you saw them in a Somerset garden. Therefore the plants will have been grown locally (probably) , the seeds will ( probably)have been purchased from a U.K supplier. Maybe checking U.K sites in this instance is safest. Z.Benary's Giant Lilac according to this site has flowers that are fully double, ie. has a lot more petals than your pic, on long sturdy stems. http://www.benary.com/index.cfm/addin/plants/artnr/Y4841C.html Z. State fair mix, are described on the site as tall and robust, growing to 3-4ft. http://www.burpee.com/product/annua...r+mix+(dahlia+flowered)+-+1+pkt+(50+seeds).do
