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Growing flowers to cut


How to Plant & Grow a Cut Flower Garden, plus 5 flowers to get started

While growing vegetables is my passion, I also grow a cut flower garden because I enjoy having a non-stop supply of beautiful flowers to harvest for homegrown bouquets. And while many plants are grown for their flowers – perennials, biennials, bulbs, and even edibles – annual flowers like zinnias and sunflowers are among the most popular type of cut flowers grown by gardeners. They’re productive, easy to grow, beautiful, and can be planted in gardens or containers.

Zinnia Queeny Lime Orange is a recent introduction with large, dahlia-like flowers in a unique combination of apricot and lime green.

Planning a cut flower garden

If you’re new to gardening, start with the right spot. Flowers need plenty of sun and rich, well-drained soil. Prep the site before planting by loosening the soil and digging in some compost and a slow-release flower fertilizer. Raised beds are a popular choice for gardeners who want a tidy garden that is easy to care for.  No space for a cut flower garden? No worries! If you’re a casual cut flower gardener like me, you can tuck annual flowers wherever you have space – between vegetables, amongst your perennials and shrubs, or even in pots and planters.

First timers may want to stick to a few easy-to-grow annual flowers like zinnias and sunflowers. Read the descriptions in seed catalogs or on the plant tags at the nursery carefully. You’ll want to organize your cut flower garden so that the tallest plants are at the back of the bed, medium-sized ones in the middle, and short stature plants at the front. Also take note if certain cut flowers, like sweet peas or climbing nasturtiums grow on vining plants. These will need netting or a trellis to climb. Tall annuals, like certain zinnia and sunflower varieties, may need stakes or other types of support to prevent them from toppling over as they grow.

The ProCut Series Sunflowers are extremely popular among cut flower growers for their beautiful color range and long-lasting, single stem flowers that are pollenless. This is ProCut White Nite. (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Planting a cut flower garden

While many annual flowers are fast-growing and can be direct sown in the garden in spring, planting seedlings gives you a head-start on the season. Generally, I start my annual cut flowers inside under my grow-lights around 6 to 8 weeks before our last expected frost. Read the seed packet or catalog for variety-specific growing information. 

You can also buy annual flowers like cosmos and phlox at your local nursery, but it can be hard to source the varieties that have been bred for cut flower production. And if you want high-quality cut flowers, these are the varieties to grow. They offer outstanding characteristics like long vase life, longer stems, and bigger flowers. Again, it pays to read seed catalogs carefully.

The key to a non-stop supply of beautiful blooms is succession planting. Cut flower farmers don’t plant zinnias, for instance, just once. Why? After a few weeks of intense blooming, the flower production of many annuals declines or the bloom size shrinks. Planting fresh seedings every two to three weeks ensures a steady supply of large, florist-quality flowers. My season is short, but I still make three plantings of zinnias so that I have gorgeous, huge blooms for my bouquets.

Growing cut flowers

There are a few tasks to keep on top of as the growing season progresses. Many plants, like zinnias and Celosia benefit from pinching. Pinching is done to young plants to encourage them to branch and produce longer stems for bouquets. Plants are usually pinched when they are 10 to 12 inches tall. Use your fingers or a clean pair of pruners to remove the growing tip, pinching back to a healthy set of leaves.

Pay attention to watering as water-stressed plants produce fewer and smaller flowers. Hold soil moisture with a mulch like straw, shredded leaves, or black landscape fabric applied to the soil surface. Mulch also reduces weed growth and, if a black landscape fabric is used, it will warm the soil promoting growth, especially in late spring and early summer.

To keep flower production high, feed the plants every two to three weeks with a liquid organic flower fertilizer. Never leave dead flowers on the plants. If they are producing more flowers than you need, harvest them all as they open and share them with friends, family, neighbors, or a local nursing home. Spent blossoms that are left on the plant reduce production so be sure to pick all newly opened blooms several times a week.

Harvesting flowers at the right time of day and with the right techniques can mean the difference between an arrangement that lasts for hours or one that lasts for weeks! (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Picking flowers from a cut flower garden

Did you know that proper flower harvesting can extend the vase life of cut flowers? Here are a few cutting tips:

5 Awesome annuals for your cut flower garden:

1. Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a must in a cut flower garden. Not only are they easy to grow, their cheerful flowers come in a wide array of colors, sizes, and forms. There are two main types of sunflowers: single stem and branching. Single stem sunflowers do exactly what you think – they produce a single stem that is topped with one flower. When growing single stem varieties, like the Pro Cut series, you can plant the seeds close together (6 to 7 inches apart) to get more from your growing space, but expect smaller flowers. Those planted on a one-foot grid spacing will produce larger blooms. Single stem sunflowers last up to two weeks in water. 

Branching sunflower varieties, on the other hand, yield plants that produce flowers over an extended season. The stems are generally not as strong as those of single stemmed sunflowers and they do take several weeks longer to flower. Personally, I like to plant some of each type so that I have a long harvest season and plenty of variety. 

One last note about sunflowers – certain hybrids are pollenless and don’t drop pollen that can stain clothing and tablecloths. You may wish to grow these in your cut flower garden.

I love sunflowers! And to enjoy the longest season of the cheerful blooms, I plant fresh seeds every 2-3 weeks from late spring through mid-summer.

2. Celosia

I am a BIG fan of the velvety, long-lasting flowers of Celosia which come in a tempting palette of colors. Some species have feathery plumes, while others have rounded, folded combs and are also known as cockscomb. All make excellent cut flowers for homegrown bouquets.

Celosia takes a bit too long to go from seed to harvest to direct seed in my zone 5 garden and therefore I grow them from seedlings. You can grow the seedlings yourself or buy them from a local nursery. If you’re after a certain variety however, I’d recommend starting your own seeds indoors about eight weeks before the spring frost date. Chief Mix is a choice blend of cockscomb-types in bold shades of dark red, fuchsia, carmine, and gold.

Celosia is a heat-lover and wants a site with plenty of sun as well as compost enriched soil. The two to four foot tall, top-heavy plants benefit from sturdy support, so after planting it’s a good idea to erect horizontal netting over the bed to encourage tall, straight stems.

Chief Mix Celosia produces large, velvety cockscomb flowers held on 36 to 40 inch tall plants. (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

3. Zinnias

If I could only grow one type of cut flower, it would be zinnias. I grow several species and at least a dozen varieties every summer in my veggie garden. Zinnias bloom all summer long, require little fussing, and have an incredible range of flower sizes and colors. Plus, they’re super fast from seed to bloom. That said, I still prefer to start them indoors so that I don’t have to wait as long for the show to begin. 

To plant a bed of zinnias for cutting, space the seedlings around 10 inches apart and erect horizontal netting a foot above the ground. As the plants grow, they will grow up through the netting and not flop over in high winds or heavy rain. 

Once zinnias have been flowering for a few weeks, the bloom size begins to diminish. Succession planting fresh seedlings every few weeks extends the crop of large, high-quality blooms. Cut flower farmers often pinch their zinnia plants to encourage longer stems. Zinnias should be pinched when they’re around a foot tall. Using clean pruners, remove the top few inches and cut back to a fresh set of leaves.  

Grow a rainbow in your garden with zinnias! This cottage garden favorite is one of the easiest cut flowers to grow and can be direct seeded or transplanted after the risk of frost has passed. Benary’s Giant Mixed produces huge flowers up to six inches across in a variety of bright colors. (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

4. Rudbeckia

While there are hardy perennial Rudbeckias, there are also some, like Rudbeckia hirta, that are grown as annuals. When started indoors and planted out after the last spring frost, this hardworking cut flower begins to bloom by mid-July and continues all summer long.

Like zinnias, these are super easy to grow, but unlike zinnias, they don’t need to be pinched to produce plenty of flowers. Cherokee Sunset mix yields large four to five inch diameter flowers in rustic red, orange, bronze, yellow, and gold. Many of the flowers are doubled, but there are also single and semi-doubled flowers too – a wonderful mix of flower colors and shapes. 

With annual-grown Rudbeckias like Cherokee Sunset, you’ll enjoy huge four to five inch diameter flowers in rustic shades of red, orange, gold, and chocolate. (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

5.

Phlox

Phlox drummondii is an under-appreciated annual that produces charming clusters of dainty flowers. Some are dwarf plants, growing just a foot tall, while others grow up to two feet and make excellent cut flowers. My must-grow varieties include Art Shades Mix or Cherry Caramel which add old fashioned charm to bouquets.

Unlike most of the annual flowers I’ve featured, phlox does not transplant well and is often direct seeded in mid-spring, or as soon as the soil can be prepared. If you do wish to start the seeds indoors, use care when transplanting the seedlings to the garden and avoid disturbing the roots.

The ridiculously beautiful flowers of Cherry Caramel phlox have made it an in-demand variety for cut flower growers. (Photo Courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

For further reading on how to grow a cut flower garden , check out the wildly popular book, Floret’s Farm Cut Flower Garden.

To learn more about growing beautiful flowers, check out the following articles:

Are you going to grow a cut flower garden this year? 

21 Top Cutting Garden Flowers

Looking to grow your own cutting garden? Whether you’re a professional floral designer looking to add some unique options to special bridal bouquets or a home gardener who loves to bring a garden-fresh bouquet in to grace your kitchen table, growing flowers for cutting is a true joy. Swallowtail Garden Seeds carries a wide variety of seeds that will produce excellent cut flowers, and here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Many gardeners plan their gardens for color and visual interest, but what about design style? Here is a selection of plants that provide fantastic cut flowers in four different aesthetics: a wildflower look, a traditional floral design look, a fresh-from-the-garden look, and an unusual look.

Wildflower Look

This is a currently a very popular design style for weddings. Many couples have gone away from traditional wedding flowers such as roses or lilies and are asking for a wild, unstructured aesthetic for the floral art created for their weddings. If you’re also a fan of the natural and unstructured, you know that many true wildflowers don’t make good cut flowers, as they have not been bred for cutting or vase tolerance. If you’re looking for a wildflower cutting garden, here are some flower types to plant to add to that wild, natural feel indoors and out.

Cosmos

Cosmos are a longtime favorite of home gardeners, and many cosmos require low effort for high reward. Cosmos can be tall or short, bloom through a long season, and range in color from white to cream to bright yellows and oranges, and in pinks and purples to a deep wine color. A traditional cosmos has a very simple bloom with a cheery yellow center, but there are many varieties that have a more unusual look – picotee edges or striping, ruffled doubled petals. All are beautiful, and add something a little on the wild side to your garden or arrangement.

Laceflower

Beautiful, ethereal, and light-as-a-feather, laceflower is the non-invasive and hardier-when-cut iteration of Queen Anne’s Lace. Valued for both its feather-light white spray of tiny blooms and its lacy, fernlike foliage, laceflower brings that wild, gathered-from-the-meadows feel to a garden bed or a cut arrangement. Laceflower is tall, easy to grow, and attracts beneficial insects to your garden. It works very well in fresh-cut or dried arrangements.

Love-in-a-mist

Love-in-a-mist, also known as nigella, grows in shades of white to burgundy, pink, purple, true aqua blue, and dark violet blue. It features light, feathery foliage and blooms beautifully, followed by an unusually-shaped pod streaked in green and dark maroon that adds visual interest to cut or dried arrangements. Love-in-a-mist is hardy, prefers cooler weather, and blooms quickly once established. It is also a deer-resistant plant.

Veronica

A showy flower with spikes in shades of white, rose pink, or purple, veronica is an excellent perennial for your wildflower cutting garden. Cut veronica is long-lasting, and many varieties will bloom multiple times in a year if blooms are cut. Each bloom is 1-3 inches in height atop a stem anywhere from 12-30 inches, depending on variety, and adds dimensionality and movement to a cut arrangement. Veronica is both deer- and rabbit-resistant, and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Yarrow

Yarrow has been used for a variety of purposes around the world and for much of human history for medicinal and agricultural purposes. Yarrow produces flat bunches of tiny flowers in shades of white and cream, bright yellow, and pinks, peaches and oranges to deep reds and purples. Yarrow can grow in coastal climates, salty soils, and tolerates both heat and drought. Attractive to butterflies and beneficial insects, yarrow is also resistant to deer and rabbits. Flowers grow on long stalks and blend beautifully into cut fresh or dried arrangements.

Additional flower varieties that fall under a wildflower design aesthetic:

Traditional Floral Look

If, on the other hand, you love the look of a well-structured bloom or traditional design, you can still add some interest and unusual color or texture to your grocery store bouquet. These varieties are tried and true cut flowers, delighting generations of gardeners and couples alike. Why not try some traditional cut flowers with a bit of a homegrown twist?

Dianthus

Flowers in the dianthus family are also known as pinks, sweet William, and carnations. Dianthus in general make excellent cut flowers, and many carnation varieties have a beautiful spicy fragrance in addition to an extraordinarily long vase life. Dianthus are in large part easy to grow, and come in a very wide variety of colors and textures. Add some garden-grown dianthus to your table décor, make yourself a boutonniere, or add some old-fashioned fragrance to your scent-free grocery store mix.

Lisianthus

Graceful and elegant, lisianthus resembles a softer version of a rose. Also known as eustoma, lisianthus grow natively in warm areas of the Americas. They come in all shades of white, pink, purple, and even peach and butter yellow. The echo blue variety has greenish white buds that slowly turn to deep royal purple. Lisianthus make excellent cut flowers and can last for up to two weeks in a vase if cared for properly. In traditional Victorian floriography, lisianthus means “appreciation.” Try growing lisianthus in your cutting garden next season!

Poppy

Poppies are some of the garden’s most spectacular show-offs, and luckily many varieties of poppy work just as well cut as on the plant. Poppies can vary from simple to complex, come in sizes from smallish to huge, and can resemble peonies or carnations. The pods of many poppies are also excellent additions to cut arrangements. Depending on the variety, poppies have dark or yellow centers and can come in colors ranging in the white/cream/peach/yellow/orange and the pink/red/dark purple families. Consider planting poppies to add show-stopping color, size, and texture to your garden and your table. Peony Poppies, Breadseed Poppies and Shirley Poppies are all great additions to a cutting garden.

Stock

Underappreciated and lovely, stock’s unattractive name belies a beautiful line flower with an amazingly spicy fragrance. Stock, known as gillyflower in the UK, makes an excellent fragrant addition to a cut arrangement and comes in shades of white, cream, apricot, pink, magenta, and purple. Stock grows best in cooler climates, attracts butterflies and bees, and is deer resistant.

Sunflower

Sunflowers have long been grown for their seeds (consumption of seeds and oil made from seeds), but many sunflowers are showy and beautiful flowers that are excellent in a cut arrangement. Sunflowers come in dwarf (short) and tall (up to 16 feet tall in giant varieties) and range in color for both the center and petals: yellows, oranges, reds, rusts, and even deep crimson brown. Some sunflowers are bicolored; others have unusually-textured petals or centers. Smaller blooms are excellent for mixed arrangement, and monobotanical arrangements can also be stunning. Sunflowers need full sun to thrive.

Zinnia

Zinnias come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and the flowers can vary wildly from small and simple to huge and complex. Some zinnias resemble dahlias or scabiosa, while others rival sunflowers for height and size. Zinnias can be white, cream, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, multicolored, variegated, or even bright lime green! They are easy to grow, do fine in heat and drought, and are resistant to deer. Most zinnias bloom continuously over a long summer and fall growing season, and mix well with other traditional flowers in a homegrown arrangement.

Additional varieties that fall within a traditional design aesthetic:

Garden Look

The Victorians had interesting ideas about a lot of things, but their garden aesthetic is still popular for a very good reason. A garden-style floral aesthetic is also very popular in wedding floral design. These are flowers that bring to mind a dowager countess competing in a country horticultural contest, or a Colonial estate garden. Here are some garden-style blooms for the Downton Abbey or Hamilton fan.

Anemone

Ethereal and captivating, the anemone, a perennial, makes a beautiful addition to a garden-style arrangement or a Victorian-styled garden bed. Also known as windflower, anemones come in lovely shades of white and pink, and have lasting vase life. The plants are deer- and rabbit-resistant and easy to grow, spreading via stolons underground. Anemones prefer light shade in most climates but can tolerate full sun in milder climates, and grows well in coastal landscapes.

Delphinium

The ultimate flower for a cottage garden look, delphinium grows in both dwarf and tall varieties, producing long stems of beautiful blooms in shades of white to pink to purple and a wide variety of blues. Delphiniums can handle full sun to part shade and prefer moist soil. They are the perfect line flower for a garden arrangement and make for a striking addition to a cottage or country-style garden.

Scabiosa

The scabiosa, or pincushion flower, brings a delicate yet showy face flower to your cottage garden. Flowers have long vase life and range from white to pink to a light blue-violet. Scabiosas are perennials and once they’ve bloomed, the pods left have an interesting texture and color that provides a pop of rustic neutral green-brown to set off brighter or white blossoms in a garden-style arrangement or bouquet. Scabiosas are easy to grown and attract bees and butterflies.

Sweet Peas

Sweet peas are a classic Victorian garden flower, a flowering vine that climbs fences, trellises, or arbors and spills over shrubs. Sweet peas have enchanting scents, come in a wide variety of colors including white, cream, pink, salmon, orange, purples, reds, bicolored, and even blues, and make a beautiful, wild-yet-traditional addition to a garden bouquet or arrangement. Sweet peas, while delicate, are long-lasting when cut and an excellent way to bring that heady fragrance into your home.

Additional varieties that fall within a garden-style aesthetic:

Unusual Look

Some cut flowers deserve to stand apart from the rest, with their unusual sizes, colors, shapes, or textures. Here are a few plants whose flowers make for an eye-popping unusual addition to your dining room table.

Red Hot Poker

The red hot poker, also known as the torch lily, blooms in strikingly bright shades of green, yellow, orange, and red. They are attractive to hummingbirds and grow well alongside daylilies. Red hot poker plants are perennials and will bloom the first year if started early. The plants tolerate heat well, prefers drained soils to wet over winter. Red Hot Poker varieties all make excellent cut flowers, and will provide some striking color and style accents to your more humble or commonplace arrangements.

Armenian Basket Flower

Rising on 3-4 foot stalks and tolerant of heat, drought, and able to grow in even salty coastal soils, the Armenian basket flower is a true stunner – growing 3-4 feet tall and producing brown buds that open to 4 inch bright yellow thistle-like flowers in midsummer. Attractive to butterflies and repellant to rabbits and deer, the Armenian basket flower is a true perennial, living up to 15 years with minimal care. Flowers last when cut and work well in both fresh and dried arrangements.

Money Plant

Beautiful both in its flower and pod form, the money plant has heart-shaped leaves and fragrant purple or white flowers in the spring. Cut flowers when blooming to bring in splashy color and fragrance, or wait until the flowers have formed ripened seed pods that release their outer covers to reveal translucent, silver dollar-like circles. These work well in dried arrangements. Money plant can thrive from full sun to part shade and prefers moist soil. The flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies, and the plants are deer- and rabbit-resistant.

Bee Balm

Bee balm, a member of the mint family, has long been used by Native Americans for its medicinal properties, and is attractive to butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. An unusual flower both in shape and texture, bee balm grows 2- 3 feet tall and comes in reds, rose pink, salmon, scarlet, and crimson. Bergamo bee balm in particular is a workhouse flower, blooming in as few as 10 weeks and well into fall if watered regularly. The leaves of Bergamo bee balm are citrus-scented, and all bee balms make excellent cut flowers for both beauty and fragrance.

Mignonette

Tiny, creamy white flowers on long, 2-3 feet tall spikes produce spicy-sweet fragrance that lasts even when cut or dried, the mignonette is an excellent choice for an unusual bloom to add to a more traditional arrangement. Mignonette prefers cool weather and moist, rich soil. Mignonette can be grown in 6-inch pots or in annual beds, in full sun to part shade.

Additional unusual flower options to consider:

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Written by Emily.

CUT FLOWERS - Growing plants

Home - Growing plants

Most gardeners prefer to admire the flowers in the garden, in their natural state. However, it cannot be denied that they can be examined in more detail only at home. Collected and placed in vases, flowers and leaves will light up the gloomiest room and bring pleasure to both hosts and guests.

Cut flowers

It is best to cut garden flowers early in the morning or late in the evening, when the air is cool, the stems of the plant are elastic and have good turgor. Stems cut on a bright sunny day are not always able to absorb water quickly enough to stop the wilting process. The flowers picked in the morning, when heavy dew still lies on the grass, also wilt.

Flowers are cut with secateurs or special scissors. The stems of the collected flowers should be immersed in water as soon as possible so that their ends do not have time to dry out and delay the absorption of water.

How to prolong the life of cut flowers

Cut flowers last much longer if you follow certain rules. Removing leaves. Regardless of the type of plant, remove all leaves that, when placed in a vase, are under water. This prevents the water from becoming polluted quickly and also frees up space for other stems. Immersion in water. Withering flowers can be restored by immersing their stems to the inflorescence in warm water (a basin or bucket is suitable for this). When the flowers left in this position fully come to life, they are collected in bouquets, trying to keep them in the air as little as possible. This method is especially effective for roses.

Notching. Many plants with lignified stems have difficulty absorbing water when cut. To facilitate this process, some gardeners crush the ends of the stems with a hammer, others prefer to split the lower (2.5 cm) ends of the stem with a knife.

Boiling water treatment. The stems of some plants absorb water faster if their ends (2.5 cm) are placed in a vessel of boiling water. A minute later, the same container is filled to the brim with warm water and the plants are kept in it for several hours. The method is especially effective for roses, leaves of tropical plants, milkweed, poppies and other "weeping" plants.

Plugged stem. Hollow-stemmed flowers, such as lupins and delphiniums, are turned over, their tubular stems filled with water and plugged with damp cotton or tissue paper. This eliminates the formation of an air lock that prevents the absorption of water.

Use of chemicals. Many flower growers know that aspirin thrown into a vase of water keeps the bouquet fresh and the water clear. For the same purpose, charcoal is used. In addition, powders are available that are designed to extend the life of cut flowers. They are especially effective for rare and expensive flowers.

Perforated stems. Some flowers tend to wither immediately after they are cut. This is due to the fact that air enters the stem of the plant. Tulips are a classic example. You can avoid wilting of the stems by pricking them from top to bottom all over with an interval of 2.5 cm with a needle or a thin carnation.

Care. The bouquet retains its attractiveness with the regular addition of water at room temperature. It is not necessary to completely disassemble and regroup the bouquet due to a few withered plants. It is enough to remove the drooping stems and replace them with fresh flowers.

Flowers for a bouquet throughout the year

January: springweed, witch hazel, jasmine, viburnum, marigold iris, red lungwort, hellebore, nearly rough-haired plum, saffron.

February: bergenia, springweed, witch hazel, garria ellipsis, erica, jasmine, holofacial, viburnum, candyk dog's tooth, marigold iris, lungwort, hellebore, yellow narcissus, snowdrop, blueberry, nearly hard-haired plum, chaenomeles, chionodoxa, saffron.

March: bergenia, spring white flower, springweed, anemone, doronicum, erica, camellia, candyk dog's tooth, lungwort, yellow narcissus, snowdrop, blueberry, hazel grouse, forsythia, chaenomeles, chionodoxa, saffron.

April: bergenia, anemone, viper onion, doronicum, wallflower, Iberian, shadberry, camellia, kandyk, lily of the valley, magnolia, hellebore, yellow narcissus, primrose, hazel grouse, tulip, forsythia, endymion.

May: columbine, carnation, geranium, doronicum, gorse, iris, lacfiol, lily of the valley, onion, laburnum, forget-me-not, primrose, peony, broom, roses, hazel grouse, cyanothus, endymion.

June: astrantia, boranchik, columbine, carnation, geranium, deutsia, shrubby rosemary, iris, bellflower, krasodnev, onion, lupine, laburnum, foxglove, roses, lilac, yarrow, hebe, cyanotus, black rank.

July: marshmallow, alstroemeria, buddleia, loosestrife, gaillardia, galtonia, gelenium, St. roses, eryngium, tobacco, physostegia, chrysanthemums (perennial border), centrantus, eucrephia.

August: agapanthus, acanthus, marshmallow, aster, gaillardia, carnation, gelenium, dahlia, kniphofia, bluebell, krasodnev, crocosmia, lavender, liatris, lily, onion, monarda, mordovnik, penstemon, roses, rudbeckia, scabiosa, yarrow, skewer, eucrephia.

September: aster, wrestler, windmill, golenium, dahlia, St.

October: aster, wrestler, heather, anemone, gayardia, erica, liriope, nerina, prominent rosary, rose, scabiosa, schizostylis, physalis, hebe, chrysanthemums, saffron.

November: erica, jasmine, viburnum, marigold iris, cotoneaster, liriope, pyracanthus, snowdrop, almost-rigid plum, schizostylis, physalis, hebe, chrysanthemums, saffron.

December: witch-hazel, erica, jasmine holoculis, black winterweed, viburnum, marigold iris, red blister, holly, pyracantha, snowdrop, plum almost rigidly hairy, schizostylis, saffron.

Trees shrubs Flowers Vegetables Mushrooms Greenery

Top 15 cut flowers

A bouquet of freshly cut flowers is a bright touch in the interior, drastically changing the look of any room. He, like a magnet, attracts the eye and fills the room with comfort and freshness. And a bouquet is traditionally a great gift for lovely ladies for any reason and even without a reason.

Photo: 7dach.ru7dach.ru

Bouquet in a vase on the table

Video of the day

Some do not like bouquets, growing cut flowers causes them negative feelings. I think that cut flowers are the second life of flowers. Cutting flower stalks is not only not harmful to the plant, but even useful. That's why I specially grow flowers for this purpose. In the corner of my garden there is a corner reserved for this, and future inhabitants of bouquets also lurk between some vegetables.

How are these flowers different from their garden counterparts? I will answer that they are no different, they are the same flowers, only ready to stand cut indoors a little longer than the others. So, for example, I love peonies, but the blossoming terry flowers will stand for no more than two days, and then - a sea of ​​crumbling petals and a sad withered look. Because of this, I rarely use them in bouquets, they grow in my garden to decorate the site.

my peonies

If you still really want to, you need to cut the peonies when they just decided to bloom, then there is a chance that they will last longer.

my peonies

When is the best time to cut the plants? The best time for cutting is early morning, the flowers are saturated with moisture and strength for a new day. It is worth cutting flowers just starting to bloom or still in the bud stage.

peony bud just beginning to bloom

In some plants, you can see whitish milky juice on the cut: let it drain, and then, as if sealing, lower it into hot water.

It is not enough just to collect a bouquet of flowers, you need to choose them in such a way that their withering period is approximately the same if the composition contains different types of plants.

Roses

I would like to introduce you to flowers that can stay at home for some time. I do not use chemical components that increase the standing time in water of plants after cutting. Only water and fresh flowers from the garden.

After many unsuccessful trials, I have identified plants that are incredibly attractive in their simple beauty, but capable of pleasing the eye in a vase for a long time.

1. Asters It is no coincidence that they lead the first place in the ranking of plants for cutting: asters stand in a vase for 7-14 days. They are easy to cultivate, they bloom closer to autumn. Even one terry aster flower can transform a home space. Half-opened flowers are best for cutting.

Cut asters

The stems are cut while holding the plant under water. In Astra's publication: planting and care, you can learn more about growing this flower.

2. GladiolusGladiolus have long topped the list of first flowers by September 1st. Even during my childhood, my mother collected beautiful bouquets of gladioli for us half our height.

My golden-eyed gladiolus in flower arrangement

Now every year I try to grow some new gladiolus with an unusual color that has not yet pleased my eye. So this year, my new pets decorated my garden and house with their amazing flowers.

Cut gladiolus

I bought my new orange-brown gladiolus from a chain store in a sale box, there was no picture on them, only bulbs. It turned out that they are undersized, unlike all my previous varieties, and that's such an unusual color.

My gladioli

You can read even more about gladioli in the following articles:

Secrets of planting gladioliGladiolus in the country houseHow to grow gladioli

. The colors are also amazing, blue zinnias are especially good, but this year I did not manage to grow them. The reason for this is an unprecedented drought.

Zinnias

Other interesting and useful publications of our site about zinnias:

Zinnia is an elegant beauty. Planting and Care of Zinnias: a Festival of Light

4. Celosia Celosia, which is popularly called "cockscomb" is a very bright plant, I do not like to use it in a single cut, so I dilute it with other flowers from bouquets. But as an independent bouquet, set off by various onions and herbs, it will also look good in the cut. Retains decorativeness when dried, without losing flowers and shapes.

Celosia

The best time to cut cellosia is when the plant has a quarter of its buds open. It will stay in a vase for 10-14 days, the tips of the stems are dipped in boiling water to clog the flowing juice. I don't do that, I'm fine with a week of standing in a vase.

Even more interesting and useful information about this flower you will find in these publications of our website: the big antirrinum is a beautiful, proud plant with tall stems strewn with multi-colored flowers. I heard the opinion that it is necessary to cut off the antirrinum when it already has 5 flowers. I can neither confirm nor deny this. I can only say that you need to ensure that the lower flowers are not wilted.

Cut snapdragon

Can be kept in a vase for about 2 weeks, blooming gradually. I removed the lower flowers as they withered, continuing to enjoy the new blossoms.

6. Tulip It's hard to imagine a spring bouquet without tulips. They are chic in any form: in combination with other flowers, and single bouquets. A bouquet of tulips can stand for about 7 days, and if you fix the closed bud with an elastic band, then longer. It is worth cutting in the early morning the still unblown dense buds, then there is a possibility that they will be more resistant in cutting.

Bouquet of blooming tulips

You can learn more about tulips in the articles How to store gladiolus and tulip bulbs in winter, All about tulips, Tulips and the secrets of their planting.

7. Carnation ShaboThis carnation is truly the queen of the whole diverse carnation family. Lush, shaggy, she conquers at first sight. Shabo carnation can stand in a vase for 7-10 days.

Shabot carnation

However, in my garden it turned out to be very capricious in growing, I never managed to get the desired result. I take Shabot from my friends, but in order not to be upset, I supplement the bouquets with Turkish carnations, which not only grow like a weed, but also stand in a vase for a long time.

Turkish carnation cut

Learn more about carnation in the article Carnation is the flower of Zeus

8. Rose Queen of the garden, loved by millions of gardeners. She is no less desirable in the cut. A bouquet of roses is a sign of good taste and well-being.

Composition of small roses

But not every rose is suitable for cutting. So, for example, curly or shrubby are worse. And there are special requirements for growing cut roses, for example, the planting must be compacted. With a ridge width of about 60 cm, roses are planted in several rows with a distance of 30 cm between rows.

Cut buds preferably early in the morning and at the initial stage of blooming.

Delicate buds

If you have to cut bush roses, which, moreover, have already blossomed, I take into account that such a bouquet will stand no more than 3 days, while maintaining a beautiful appearance.

Shrub rose flower

There are a lot of publications on our site dedicated to roses. Here are some of them:

How to prune roses for the winterAll about rosesHow to grow roses in your garden6 mistakes when growing roses

9. Chrysanthemum When my husband gives me huge white chrysanthemums, my heart skips a beat. The joy of the gift lasts for two weeks or more.

Chrysanthemums

Even 2-3 large bright flowers can become a wonderful bouquet, and if you add various bright herbs, small shrub roses to some chrysanthemum shyness, then this will already be a work of art.

Bouquet with chrysanthemums and roses

Other publications of our site about chrysanthemums:

Chrysanthemums: planting, growing, care Secrets of growing chrysanthemums How to keep chrysanthemums until spring? Once, a bouquet of tubular lilies stayed with me for more than two weeks. But due to the strong smell, not everyone liked it. Do not put a bouquet of lilies in the bedroom.

Bouquet of cut white lilies

More about lilies can be found in other publications on our site:

Lily - the virgin queen of the garden How to grow lilies and achieve gorgeous blooms. The subtleties of planting and care What do the mysterious ciphers in the names of lilies mean? Features of growing different hybrids Is it too late to transplant lilies on September 1? All about lilies

11. Hyacinth Hyacinth is incredibly popular in spring, winter, summer - yes, anytime! If in winter we are content with this plant in a pot version for distillation, then in spring and summer we can plant it in the garden for cutting.

Hyacinths in a pot

I like hyacinths in a bouquet without extraneous plants, but if desired, they can be supplemented with other spring flowers. Worth about 7 days.

Hyacinths

Other interesting and useful publications about hyacinths on our website:

Forcing flowers or fresh flowers for the New Year holidays Hyacinths in the garden

12. Lily of the valley This beautiful plant is included in the Red Book. In the forest, my hand did not rise to pick a bunch of cherished flowers for myself, instead I dug up a little for myself and planted it on the site.

lilies of the valley in my house

Now I just have a sea of ​​lilies of the valley, and for the coming of spring into my house, I can easily make a small bunch of them. These flowers have been loved by Russians for many years, bouquets of them delight and smell incredibly wonderful. What prevents you from planting them on your site?

Bouquet of lilies of the valley

You can learn a lot of interesting things about growing lilies of the valley from our publications:

Symbol of spring - lily of the valley! Bells of spring - lilies of the valley: care, features and varieties

13. Calendula Classically, calendula is a small plant with a strong aroma and orange calyxes. To date, the usual flowers, due to selection, have become unusually double, which makes these resistant plants also attractive for cutting.

Cut calendula

For example, among the tall ones, we can recall the calendula "Golden Emperor" with large double flowers of orange color, on the inside of a darker shade, about 60 cm high. In addition to its attractive appearance, it also serves as a "phytosanitary".

I had a wonderful medium-sized variety for cutting "Pink Surprise" - height up to 60 cm, diameter of terry golden-cream inflorescences with a pink tint reaches 10 cm, which, you see, is quite a lot for marigolds. The small tubular petals of this variety are dark in color, which favorably sets off the pleasant color of the plant.

Calendula

Among the undersized ones, I liked the Apricot Pigmy marigold variety, its height barely reached 25 cm, very double heads, the petals of which are painted in a pastel-apricot shade. The diameter of the inflorescence is only 5 cm, but in addition to aesthetic properties, the variety also has medicinal properties.

Other articles on our site about calendula that may interest you:

Irreplaceable calendulaCalendula - nails that do not need to be painted and cutCalendula in the garden, vegetable garden and cosmetology: video

14. Allium Not everyone knows that allium is a real onion, one of its types. It may seem ridiculous, but from my own experience I can say that a decorative bow with large “balls” heads looks good not only in a bouquet with other flowers, but also in an independent composition.

Round hats of decorative allium

Such a “curiosity” is able to please the inhabitants of the house with its flowers for about 7 days. Not so long ago I saw an allium in a flower shop with bright green inflorescences, with a diameter of at least 20 cm.

You can learn more about decorative bows from the publications of our website: greens Allium - cultivation and care

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