I’ve been growing flowers for 20 years and have never seen anything like this.
Robbie Caponetto
My sister Jennifer is the zinnia whisperer.
But this year, something surprising sprang forth.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
Some of her zinnias were normal.
But a handful of others sported wild mutations that we couldnt explain.
But look at it compared to the flower at the bottom right.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
We both couldn’t believe our eyesJen’s zins were almost beyond description.
There wasn’t a botanist in the bunch, so we couldn’t explain what we were seeing.
But that didn’t stop us from brainstorming some wild theories.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
What Caused These Zany Zinnias?
But what could have caused it?
Could it be the extreme heat of an Alabama summer?
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
Were my sister’s zinnias planted on top of a nuclear waste site?
Did aliens fly over and zap them with some kind of cosmic ray?
Finally, we stopped scratching our heads, and I contacted our resident expert,The Grumpy Gardener.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
“Your zinnias are infected with a virus called aster yellows,” Steve said.
“It causes flowers to do weird things.
If they’re perennials, it shortens their lives.
But since zinnias are annuals, you could just enjoy the CGI until the fall if you want.
Or you’ve got the option to pull up the weirdos and throw them out.”
How wild is that?
But we definitely didn’t pull up the “weirdos.”
We let them bloom in all their magical mutant glory.
It’s cool to be a little weird, right?
