PlantFiles: Scabious-Flowered Zinnia
Zinnia 'Scabiosaflora Mix'

Purchased seed from Thompson and Morgan in 2005. Started indoors like I did all my other zinnias, before I read the note on the package that said that they should be direct sown to maximize the percentage of pincushion blooms (interestingly enough, their web site has no mention of this, and includes directions for starting indoors).
They grew well, but the flowers were all single - none of the blooms were pincushion-y. And they stayed that way all year until frost.
Purchased a second package of seed this year (2006) from Thompson and Morgan (our local nursery carries them). This time, I planted them direct seeded into my flower bed. They've just started blooming, and most of them are still single, but one plant has bloomed out the pincushion flowers. They aren't very large flowers (about 1 1/2 inches across), but hoping more of the plants will bloom out.

I live in central Florida although called "annuals" their are seeds at the end of each flower petal, just pluck off and dry and plant again. Every year when I cultivate the earth in all of my beautiful gardens after danger of frost has passed, they are the first to pop up to let me know it is spring. Giants and dwarfs all colors and species. when the flowers or seeds drop they reseed themselves. Love these beauties.