How the Christian Life is Like Harvesting Zinnia Seeds

Saturday Morning Devotional

Do you ever see something in life and get a spiritual revelation? That happened to me this summer as I enjoyed my zinnias. Did you know that the Christian life is like harvesting zinnia seeds?

When we finished building our house back in January of 2002, everything outside was a blank slate! Our property was right in the middle of what used to be a hayfield. There were no trees, flowers, or plants of any kind.

That summer came, and I wanted to add color, so zinnias were the answer. We had them in the flower bed lining the sidewalk that led to the front door. They were amazing! 

Even though zinnias are annual flowers, the next year a few zinnia plants popped up in the flower bed. What a treat these beautiful zinnia flowers were!

The following year, none of the zinnias came back in the flower bed, and for some unknown reason, I did not replace them. That was the last of my zinnia plants until this year.

Over the past year, I have seen so many people talking about zinnias. I love seeing Stacy Ling’s zinnias (and her videos on YouTube) – they are amazing! Wendy from WM Design House shared her colorful zinnias, and my daughter planted zinnias in her vegetable garden for the first time this year. I started wondering why I hadn’t had them since those first years.

I have seen so many reasons to plant zinnias:

• Easy to grow
• Attract beneficial insects
• Many zinnia varieties
• Variety of shapes and vibrant colors
• Blooms at least through late September
• Great cut flowers
• Beneficial to vegetable gardens
• Deer resistant

Look at the variety in just this one area!

It was time! I didn’t go to a fancy nursery to buy plants or even order from a reputable seed company. I simply added 2 zinnia seed packets to my Walmart+ order to be delivered – I didn’t even pick them out myself at the store.

Besides making sure they got full sun and so many hours of direct sunlight, I did everything else wrong. These were the instructions:

• Start seeds indoors 4 weeks before planting time – Didn’t do that!
• When planting the zinnia seedlings, space them 10 inches apart – Didn’t do that!
• Water freely during dry weather – Not all of the time!

I am almost embarrassed to share what I did. I bought two packets of zinnia seeds, opened one, put them ALL in the planter – not spaced out 10 inches, covered them with potting soil, watered, and hoped for the best.

Whoever said that anyone could grow them was 100% right! They flourished and are actually still thriving. It was the best $1.96 I have spent in a long time!

Check the seed packets for further directions on planting. You will want well-drained soil, good air circulation, and you need to check your climate zone. They can be planted anywhere from early spring through summer, and they will continue to bloom through early fall.

I did not really expect the zinnia seeds to sprout. I had never planted flowers from seeds. As it turned out, it was very interesting to watch the progression of these beautiful flowers. This is what I noticed:

• Seeds are planted.
• Zinnia seedlings start to sprout.
• Seedlings grow into full blown plants.
• Buds start to appear on the plants.
• Buds open and flowers bloom.
• Flowers change and grow almost daily.

• Each mature flower starts to fade.
• Flowers eventually turn brown and die.
• Seeds are either harvested or fall onto the ground and can self seed.

Like I mentioned, I did not plant these zinnia seeds like I should have. I guess that just proves their hardiness. However, when you think about planting a seed, you think about a seedling coming up and growing. 

As the seedling begins to grow, many buds appear on that one plant. Each bud opens and the zinnia blooms into a single flower with vibrant colors. Think about all of the buds and flowers that grow on the plant from the one seed that was planted. 

Let’s take it a step further. Once those flowers die, you can harvest a multitude of seeds from the each flower, Now think about all of the flowers that bloomed on the plant that came from the one seed! Talk about multiplication!

These pictures give you an idea how much the seeds multiply.

• 1st picture – The small bowl shows the amount of seeds in one seed packet. The large bowl has the seeds I have collected so far (along with some petals). I am not going to try and separate them at this point.
• 2nd picture – This is one seed pod from a flower.
• 3rd picture – These are the seeds collected from the one flower.

Now think about all of the flowers growing in that planter. That is amazing growth!

This has been a really fun activity for me this year. I learned about harvesting zinnia seeds from the websites I mentioned above, and I have been amazed at the amount of seeds I have collected.

Things I learned in the Process

• Make cut flower arrangements for your home or others.
• Let the flowers dry and then collect the seeds.
• Store the zinnia seeds in a labeled envelope until next year.
• Store the seeds in a dry place until you are ready for them the following year.
• If you collect all of the seeds, you will have your own bulk zinnia seeds to share.

Additional Ideas for Harvested Zinnia Seeds

• Divide some of the zinnia flower seeds by color. You may want certain colors in an area.
• Since you will end up with more zinnia seeds that you will know what to do with, have a seed exchange with friends.
• Make seed packets and give to friends, church members, co-workers, and neighbors.
• Add cute homemade labels to the seed packets. To see more on this, see Michelle’s post at Vintage Home Designs linked below.

I love it when the Lord uses things in our everyday lives to teach us spiritual truths. He has pointed several things out to me over the summer. Here are a few lessons.

Lesson One

The first thing that got my attention while observing the stages the zinnias went through was the fact that they actually had to die to produce more life.

“Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
John 12:24

In this passage, Jesus was predicting His death. When you think about it in this context, Jesus died and was buried, like the wheat (or zinnia seeds in this case) and rose to new life. However, by doing this, He made a way for all of us to have eternal life! There is no way to even begin to count all the lives who have been buried and raised eternally because of His sacrifice. The zinnia seeds turn into beautiful flowers, but they are no comparison to eternal life with the Father.

Lesson Two

Just like those little zinnia seeds that look nothing like those vibrant blooms, our earthly bodies will one day be buried and raised to something so glorious that we cannot even imagine! We will not be the same as we are now – we will “bloom from the seed!”

^“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?’ Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the future body, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. But God gives it a body as He wants, and to each of the seeds its own body.”
I Corinthians 15:35-38

Lesson Three

The way the seeds mass produce make me think of these scriptures:

“You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.” Colossians 1:5b-6

Just like the zinnia seeds mass multiply, so do the spiritual seeds we sow.

Are you sowing seeds of faith?

Are you watering seeds that others have planted?

They are multiplying and growing, and one day they will be full blooming flowers, ready for the harvest. Spread the seeds wherever you go!

For more on this subject, I encourage you to read the Parable of the Sower. It can be found in Matthew chapter 13. There are so many lessons for us in that story. I hope you will share the lessons and treasures you take away from it with us.

The affiliate links below are for your convenience. Click the link to go directly to the products.

• Zinnia Seeds
• Pruning Shears w/ Garden Gloves
• Seed Envelopes

Join Us

I would love for you to join us each week if you don’t already. Here is a sign up to receive the messages directly to your inbox. You will also receive 5 of the EASIEST candy recipes I have ever found.

I am clearly not an expert on zinnias; that is pretty obvious. I just wanted to share some lessons that the Lord pointed out to me. For more detailed instructions and directions, please go to the posts of the ones I consider experts:

• Bricks ‘n Blooms (Growing Zinnias Made Easy)
• WM Design House (The Ultimate Guide)
• Vintage Home Designs (Harvest, Store, and Share Hollyhock Seeds)
• Lazy Girl’s Guide to Growing Colorful Zinnias from Seeds
• Understanding the Zinnia Life Cycle – Zinnia Growth Stages

I just wonder how many people added zinnias to their garden beds this year. If you did, I encourage you to harvest some of the seeds and save them for next year. I plan to get a head start next year on my zinnias, and I may try following the directions. You clearly do not have to be a flower expert to have success with these beautiful flowers.

Related Posts

Eternal Gift for the Ones We Love: Bible Gift Ideas

Until next week…

disclosure: Amazon Associate affiliate links are used on this page. Thank you for supporting Home with Grace and Joy. When you purchase an item, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure and privacy policy on the website. 

“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
Isaiah 40:8