This season we bring 10 more fabulous flowers for the cutting garden. Most of the flowers available in grocery stores or florists have been imported from South America, raising concerns about the carbon footprint of travel and pesticide use.
Organizations like Slow Flowers have made it a mission to bring awareness to this issue through hashtags like #grownnotflown and start a locally-sourced cut-flower movement, connecting customers to their local flower farmer, designers, and florists.
You can take the local cut-flower movement one step further by growing your own cutting flowers. Growing flowers in your own yard brings beauty and satisfaction, and you may just find yourself snip, snip, snipping, and arranging, and gifting, and then you are hooked! What better activity to be hooked on than flower gardening?
Delight in the mystifying flower color of ‘Blue Planet’ Ageratum, an out-of-this-world shade of blue! Feathery flower clusters are like tiny explosions on tall stems, begging to be picked for bouquets. Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects.
‘Green Mist’ Ammi. Also known as bishop’s flower, you can create striking bouquets with this must-have cutting flower. Crisp, light green and white, lacy flower heads complement every color scheme. The large, rounded umbels start out a bold green, turning to white as the tiny flowers open. Practically care-free, and drought tolerant. A great dried flower, too.
Look no further than Griffithii Bupleurum for an easy-to-grow bouquet filler that makes colorful cut flowers really pop! Chartreuse flower clusters are the perfect backdrop to colorful, cut blooms. The bright green foliage and sprays of tiny, yellow-green flowers can also stand alone in a stark white vase for an unusual, airy, and whimsical display. Also known as hare’s ear.
Amazement in a vase! Pampas Plume Tall Blend Celosia makes a bold statement in the garden with colorful, feather-like plumes and equally attractive foliage. Plants handle heat with ease and are fairly drought tolerant. A stunning cut or dried flower. Also known as Prince of Wales feather.
Add intrigue to the garden with the sunny orbs of Craspedia. Bold, yellow globes rise high above silver, grassy leaves to light up the garden like a village of lollipops. Dazzling in fresh or dried arrangements. The blooms may look delicate, but the plants are tough, tolerating drought, heat and heavy, poor soil. Also known as drumstick flower and Billy buttons.
“Showy” is an understatement when it comes to these bright globes of the summer garden. QIS Fiery Sunrise Blend Gomphrena has intriguing, papery flowerheads in bold colors that are long lasting whether enjoyed in a garden bed or in fresh or dried arrangements. Also known as globe amaranth, the tough plants don’t flinch at hot, humid weather or even drought.
Like fiber optics in the garden! Frosted Explosion Grass adds a whimsical burst of shimmering, airy tufts to bouquets, flower beds, and containers. Quietly the stems grow, forming tiny flowers which then give way to the seeds and “explode” into a wondrous panicle of marvel! Not a fussy plant, this ornamental grass is most fabulous as a long-lasting cut-flower bouquet filler.
Bring long-lasting, pastel charm to your garden and vase with Cotton Candy Blend Statice. Delicate, papery flowers and everlasting appeal. The texture of the flowers adds a unique trait to dried flower arrangements and crafts. Grow in mass for a sweet burst of color. Long stems make for charming bouquets. Attracts pollinators and is drought tolerant.
A show-stopper of flower spikes bursting with color and fragrance, Column Blend Stock will be the next star of your bouquets or dried arrangements. Densely packed, large, fully double blooms have a spicy, clove-like scent. A can’t-miss for the cut-flower garden. Stock thrives in cool weather and is excellent in containers.
An excellent cut or dried flower, Colorado Blend Yarrow grows in just about any well-drained soil. This trouble-free, hardy perennial is at home in any sunny spot with a bit of room to spread. Sturdy, straight stems with feathery, finely-cut leaves are topped with large, long-lasting flower clusters in shades of red, rose, pink, yellow, and white. Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, and is drought tolerant.
