At an industry event, we attended in June highlighting new and improved varieties, there was a new section called Bloom Studios focusing on cut flower introductions. This was one of our favorite parts of the event. The reasons to grow flowers you can use in a floral arrangement are endless. Flowers provide a sense of well-being and beauty to any room or outdoor space. Other reasons to grow flowers you can use in a floral arrangement are as follows:
- To enjoy the beautiful colors and scents
- To have an everlasting show of flowers for your guests
- To be environmentally friendly
Growing flowers for floral arranging might sound like an easy task, but there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration. You can't just grow any old flower in your garden, you need to grow the right type of flowers for the perfect arrangement.
Some of the most popular types of flowers used in floral arrangements are roses, carnations, tulips, and baby's breath. These are all seasonal plants which means their availability varies depending on the time of year. There are some other plants that you can grow for use in floral arrangements such as chrysanthemums and poppies. These plants can be grown at any time of year and typically come in different colors and textures than the traditional garden variety flowers listed above. We thought we would highlight some different flowers to add to your cutting garden.
Here are nine thrilling flowers to consider adding to your cutting garden:
Mona Lisa Anemone – Bouquet-lovers make sure you check out this flower. It produces up to 18 blooms on a single plant. The flowers are large for anemones as they measure up to 4½ inches across and grow 18 inches. The plant is a robust grower. Mona Lisa Anemones have strong stems for cutting and they come in many colors. The stems are best cut in the cool of the morning just before the buds open. The cut flowers will last a week. These flowers drink a lot of water in their vases, so keep an eye on this.
Blue Donna Delphinium - Blue Donna Delphinium produces beautiful deep blue flowers during warmer weather. The soaring spires of blue flowers are great in a cottage, cutting, or border garden. There are more than 25 varieties of this plant. They start blooming in early Summer and can grow through the fall. They do require some maintenance but are worth the work.
Celway Celosia – This flower has one main spiky plume surrounded by several smaller spikes. The stems grow around 40 inches tall, and the plants produce sturdy stems with 2–4" clusters of flower spikes. Blooms tuck neatly into bouquets and add a touch of sparkle. They are available in a variety of colors, and some have dark red stems and leaves. Harvest stems when more than half of the flowers are completely open.
Feverfew – The beautiful flowers of small-clustered button or daisy-shaped blooms make a great bouquet. They are also known as Vegmo Matricaria and Chamomile. Other varieties of these flowers have double flowers, yellow flowerheads, or pompom flower heads. Depending on the variety they grow around 28-36 inches tall. Harvest these flowers for your bouquet when they are 65-75% open. The vase life is around 11 days, and they help add a wildflower look to your bouquet.
Lisianthus – Lisianthus is often grown as an annual flower but in zones 8-10 it is perennial. It is considered to be a finicky flower but if you learn the needs of the plant, you will not have problems. It can be grown from seeds. It looks wonderful in a special occasion bouquet. It grows 1 to 3 feet tall and comes in blue, pink, purple, white, and bicolor.
Xochi Marigold – This variety of Marigold has stronger stems and richer colors when compared to other varieties. Xochi means “flower” or “princess of flowers”. The plant will grow 24-36 inches tall, and the blooms are 3-4 inches. They come in Apricot, Peach, and Orange.
Katz Series Matthiola – Matthiola is a fragrant, spiky flower that also goes by the name common stock. The Katz Series of this flower have double flowers which are 1¼ inch wide and appear in close clusters along 6–8 inches of the stems. The overall length when cut is 12–28 inches. The main colors are white, red, pink, cream, purple, and yellow. This variety produces one flowering stem per plant. Pinching is not advisable as it will terminate flowering. Harvest the plant when 3-5 florets have opened.
Maryland Snapdragon – This plant is a hybrid snapdragon that makes the transition from professional cut flower production to garden borders seamlessly. It will bloom all summer where nights cool down, and hot summer areas where temperatures stay in the mid-eighties. Flowering resumes in fall, continuing until there is a hard freeze. Another plus, snapdragons attract native bees and are deer resistant too!
Statice - This annual is a very useful plant both for the color display it brings during summer to the garden and for being an excellent cut flower. The plant is also known as Limonium sinuatum and produces masses of tiny flowers. These flowers are easy to ship and have a long vase life. They are used as cut flowers and can also be dried, where they will retain their color for years. It reaches a height of nearly 32 inches and has a spread of about 12 inches.
Let us know which flowers you are going to add to your garden!
Photos courtesy of Ball Seed.
