Hi pinkruffles,
" I love zinnias too, but have never tried breeding them. I've only experimented with some daylily breeding. "
I invite you to experiment with zinnia breeding. Zinnia breeding has a number of advantages for recreational plant breeding. First of all, it is almost instant gratification. A zinnia seed can grow into a plant and show you a bloom in 6 weeks. (Inside under long-day lighting, that can be as quick as 5 weeks.)
Zinnia seeds are relatively inexpensive, so you can start with a good variety of them. And there are a lot of varieties and colors to pick from. And, unlike most perennials, annual zinnias have a long blooming time, continuing to bloom for several months, right on up to a killing frost. And an individual zinnia flower is relatively long lasting -- it can continue to put out new petals for several weeks, allowing you to pollinate it on a daily basis for an amazing yield of home-hybridized seeds from a single bloom. And butterflies and hummingbirds and children love zinnias, so your zinnia garden can be a really pleasant place.
By using green seeds, you can start a second generation of zinnias outdoors and see the results of your first crosses that same year. And, this Fall, you could be making crosses between those crosses in time to save green seeds for next year (or the next month if you plan to grow zinnias indoors.)
You could become a zinnia breeder this very minute. Just start looking for what zinnia varieties tickle your fancy and imagine the possibilities of different crosses between them. And, as they say, "expect the unexpected." I have found that zinnias can be full of surprises.
ZM
