Hi John,
" 5 weeks later I have blooms ! "
You must be doing something right. Most books say that zinnias bloom in 6 to 8 weeks. Some say even longer. I too have had a few 5-weeks zinnia blooms, and they always please me. It's really kind of remarkable that a seed can turn into a bloom in such a short time. That zinnia fast pace is one of the reasons why I like to grow them as a hobby.
Your whirligig bloom is a unique specimen, in addition to being a speed demon. That is a very unusual color combination -- orange and rose. And there is something else very special about that bloom. The back sides of its petals are white !!! Zinnia petal backsides are frequently a dull combination of greenish tissue and the petal color. Having a nice white color instead is an important advantage. It would be interesting to see what its progeny would look like, and how much variation there might be in those siblings.
I also see white backsides on petals from time to time, but not nearly as often as I would like. My tubular petaled zinnias particularly benefit from nice looking backside coloration, because their petal backside is the majority visible part of the petal. In some of my tubular zinnias, the backside of the petal is almost the only part that you see.
That zinnia would look better if its petal "backsides" were a nicer color.
Congratulations on your new Whirligig.
ZM
