With Christmas and New Year’s over, every January I start thinking about spring plans for the garden. Let me rephrase that, I never STOP thinking about it, but around now it becomes an obsession. I start obsessively checking my seed stash to make sure I managed to order everything I needed in the fall. I spend hours scheming over my field plans, trying to finagle acres of flowers into my current space. A space decidedly smaller than my very optimistic grow list. I hum and haw and eventually come up with a field plan that I can live with, as long as I don’t pick up another seed catalogue that is…
This past year I’ve had a surprising number of questions about the easiest cut flowers to grow and where to find them. With growing uncertainty in the world around us, more and more people seem to be realizing that they could use a little more beauty in their everyday lives. If you are new to growing cut flowers or want a little refresher and are ready to cultivate a little more loveliness in your own life then this blog post is for you! With all the planning for the farm fresh in my mind I have put together an easy guide to starting your own cutting garden. I have included my top 4 favorite easy to grow cut flowers, tips and tricks to give you the best start and a list of my favorite tried and true sources for seeds.
The Flowers:
As far as cut flowers go, the choices are nearly endless but simplicity is often the key to success so I narrowed it down to four of my favorites. These beauties are the prefect way for a new gardeners to dip their toe into the world of cut flower gardening without getting overwhelmed with too many options. Each one was carefully selected because they:
a) can be direct sown right into the garden, no fussing with cell trays and grow lights required
b) are free flowering and bloom over a long period of time, the more you cut the more they bloom
c) thrive even when conditions aren’t perfect
d) are simply stunning, enough said.
Let me warn you, these flowers are the gateway drug. You start with a few plants and before you know it, the dirt under your fingernails is permanent, your house in overflowing with bouquets, there’s not a blade of grass in sight and your husband is mad because he doesn’t get to use the ride-on lawn mower anymore. The pollinators and birds will thank you, even if your back (and husband) do not. Don’t say I didn’t warn you ;)
So here it is: my four favorite easy-to-grow annual cut flowers. With each you will find my favorite varieties to try and tips on how to grow them. Let’s get growing!
4 Easy Cutting Garden Flowers:
1. Zinnias:
Is there anything more happy and uncomplicated than a handful of zinnias? They’ve gotten a bad rap for being a bit old-fashioned but breeders have been quietly working away producing stunning colours on plants that are just so darn easy to grow. Sown directly into the garden in full sun just after last frost, they will pump out the blooms all summer and well into fall if kept deadheaded and well watered. There are an impressive number of zinnia varieties out there but I grow three varieties unfailingly, every year:
1) Benary’s Giant series which produces huge flowers in a rainbow of colours on tall plants
2) Queen series which produces medium sized flowers in a lovely antique range of colours that blend well with almost every colour palette
3) Oklahoma series which produces compact plants smothered in the sweetest little double blooms in a wide range of colours.
I have also grown the Zindarella and Cupcake series on and off over the years and love their unique colours and forms. While they don’t always make the cut if space is tight, they are definitely worth considering for the home garden. Pinching the growing tips off seedlings at approximately 8-10” tall will result in longer stems and more flowers overall.
Zinnias are known as “dirty flowers” meaning their stems are covered in tiny hairs that can gunk up vase water and clog up the stems of other flowers, reducing their vase life. For best results, cut zinnias into their own vase containing a drop or two of bleach to condition for a few hours before adding them to mixed bouquets. Be sure to change the water often in your vase and use a drop of bleach or flower food keep the water fresh.
2. Cosmos
There is something so cheerful and welcoming about cosmos. A handful in a pretty jug is pure effortless charm. Not only are cosmos great on their own, their flowers add movement and airiness to bouquets, their delicate foliage is gorgeous in arrangements and they produce endless blooms all summer and fall. To get a jump on the season you can start seedlings indoors under lights or in a greenhouse. However, cosmos germinate so easily in the field that we direct seed ours every year just after our last frost date. A word to the wise, cosmos can be a bit overwhelming in their enthusiasm. Most of the cutting varieties grow big and tall and bloom like crazy but as far as problems go, too many flowers is a good one to have. Cosmos are pretty unfussy when it comes to growing conditions. While they do prefer full sun, a less than optimal soil gives great results. They’re also fairly drought tolerant once established. I am especially fond of the fancy varieties like the Double Clicks and Cupcakes but single whites like ‘Purity’ and ‘Afternoon White’ will always have a place in my field. Pinching seedlings when they are 8-12” high will produce better branching, longer stems and more flowers.
3. Larkspur
I will admit I have always been a little bit obsessed with larkspur. The lacy foliage, tall elegant spires, sweet colours; what’s not to love? The delicate airy lines of larkspur add drama and height to mixed bouquets and are stunning arranged en masse. They also dry beautifully so you can enjoy their beauty year round! Seeds can be sown directly into the garden in the fall or very early spring. For best results plant larkspur in full sun in an area with good drainage. Throwing your seed packet into the freezer for a week or two before planting will help increase germination. Larkspur prefers cool temperatures so be sure to start early for the longest season of bloom. Cutting deep into the plant on your first cut will encourage side shoots to develop with long stems for cutting. I don’t think you can really go wrong with any larkspur but my all-time favorite colours are QIS Carmine, QIS Lilac and Fancy Smokey Eyes with its unique double blooms.
4. Dara / Queen Anne’s Lace
I’ve put these two into the same category (which might technically be cheating but it was very hard to get it down to four😆) because they are in the same family and have very similar flowers in different colours. Queen Anne’s Lace and Dara prefer full sun and can be direct seeded into the garden in the spring. They also don’t mind lean soils and are fairly drought tolerant once established. I like to stagger my planting of these two for a full season of these blooms. I plant Queen Anne’s Lace in the fall or very early spring for blooms in June and July. The airy, almost lace-like white flowers blend beautifully with spring and early summer colour palettes. With Dara I wait to plant until my last frost date for an abundance of maroon and pink blooms from August until frost, the colours perfectly complementing fall bouquets. Keeping these dead-headed is key to keeping them blooming. However, leaving a few flowers on the plant at the end of their bloom will allow them to self-seed. Extras are easy to pull out as needed.
3. Larkspur ‘QIS Carmine’ 4. Queen Anne’s Lace
4 Things to Consider When Planning a Cut Flower Garden:
1) Water and soil are very very important. If possible, amend your chosen area with 2-4” good quality compost and work it into your soil well before planting. This will not only provide nutrients and improve your soil structure, it will also help retain water. Unless you are very dedicated, automatic watering is the way to go. It is hard to water enough by hand and in the heat of summer it may need to be done every day depending on your soil. A battery operated timer hooked up to drip lines or a hose with a sprinkler on it are inexpensive solutions and take the stress out of weekends away. Set your timer to come on early in the morning for best results. When direct seeding, it is very important to keep seeds moist or they won’t germinate. Plant in a shallow trough and gently fill the trough with water from a watering can or the shower setting on a hose nozzle every day or two to keep seeds moist.
2) Choosing the right spot: almost all annual cut flowers prefer full sun and good drainage.. This means a minimum of 6-8hrs of direct sun each day and water that quickly soaks into the soil without pooling. Without these most plants are prone to poor productivity and disease. Before investing more time, energy or resources I suggest spending a few days observing your chosen spot every few hours. Is it shaded? Is the soil soggy? Is it windy? If the answer to any of these questions is yes consider moving to a different area of your yard to save yourself a lot of headache and effort trying to fix the problem after your garden is established.
3) Nurseries almost never carry seedlings of cut flower varieties. I don’t know how many times I have been told by would-be cut flower gardeners that they planted zinnias or snapdragons from the nursery but they only grew 10” tall. This is not user error or lack of a green thumb. Nurseries tend to offer only bedding varieties that have been bred to be very compact and while they look beautiful, won’t produce stems long enough to cut no matter how good your soil or how often you water. Flowers suitable for cutting generally need to be started from seed which means planning ahead and starting earlier than you normally would if you were planting bedding plants. But don’t worry they’re worth it! Below you will find a list of my favorite seed sources for cut flower varieties in Canada and the United States.
4) Cut flower varieties almost always need some sort of support. These varieties have been bred specifically to have long stems and large flowers which make the plants top heavy, especially in heavy rain or wind. Staking plants will keep them from flopping over and will keep stems straight for cutting. With just a few plants, providing support can be as simple as a few wood garden stakes and some twine. Longer rows can be corralled by tying twine around stakes driven into the soil at row corners and at 4-6’ spacing down the row. An option we use a lot on the farm is to stretch 6” plastic netting horizontally over the row between stakes at ½ the finished height of the plant. It’s not the most visually appealing solution while plants are small but as the plants grow up through the holes in the netting it supports each stem and the netting all but disappears.
In the first picture you can see both horizontal netting on the left side of the photo and corralling on the ride side. We use baling twine (available at farm supply stores) for corralling because it doesn’t stretch or degrade over the season like twine made of natural fibers. At the end of the season we carefully collect it for reuse the following year.
Favorite Seed sources:
Some seeds sellers have seed available year round while other smaller companies offer sales at certain times of year. Check their websites for availability and mark your calendar for sale dates, some varieties sell out quickly as soon as sales open.
Canadian sources:
William Dam Seeds: a wide selection of cut flower seeds at reasonable prices. A variety of seed package sizes available for bulk buying. Shipping can be slow, order early if possible. Also carry a wide variety of veggie seeds, seed starting supplies, tools and gardening supplies for all your gardening needs in one place!
Stems Flower Farm: beautifully packaged seeds and a good selection of cut flowers and veggie seeds as well as dahlia tubers in the spring.
Whistling Prairie Flowers: a beautifully curated selection of cut flower seeds along with specialty bulbs, ranunculus and anemone corms and dahlia tubers.
https://whistlingprairieflowers.com/
American Sources:
Johnny’s Select Seeds: An extremely extensive list of cut flower, herb and veggie seeds. Quick shipping, a variety of seed package sizes for bulk buying, extremely reliable quality seed and no surprise border charges when shipping into Canada. Many varieties available year round. Their website is a gold mine for growing information, a great reference to have on hand when planning and planting.
Floret Flower Farm: an extensive and carefully chosen selection of classic cut flower varieties, hard to find novelties as well as their farm bred varieties in spectacular proprietary colours. Seeds sell out extremely quickly when sales open and seeds packages can be expensive depending on the exchange rate. Duties may apply when shipping into Canada.
https://shop.floretflowers.com/
Select Seeds: large collection of cut flower, veggie and perennial seeds with many unique, hard to find varieties, definitely worth a look. Lots of organic and heirloom varieties, many available year round.
I hope this has inspired you to get out there and grow your own little patch of beauty! If you are raring to go and hungry for an expanded list of my favorite annual cut flowers check out our blog Sweetbriar’s Top 10 Cut Flower to Grow From Seed here for even more inspiration. On the other hand if it is all sounding like a little more than you bargained for don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Our bouquet subscriptions will give you all the beauty and joy without any of the back-break or dirt. And if all you really want to do is enjoy beautiful flowers each week we even deliver them right to your door. Check out all the details and sign up here.
Happy planning and chat soon,
This blog post was written in participation in a Blogging Bee--an online gathering reminiscent of the quilting bees and sewing bees of days past when women would bring their work together to create art. If you enjoyed this post with the theme of “Four,” take a look at these posts from other farmers, small business owners, homesteaders, and creatives.
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Top Four Reasons to Shop Farm to Table by Jessica Haberman
