Since I was a little girl I've loved picking flowers. Even before I knew what a cut flower garden was, there was a longing to grow them, be present among their beauty, and pick flowers that I could enjoy and share. All of this led up to a special birthday gift from my husband hoping to fulfill my lifelong dream of growing my own flowers: a packet of Cosmos seeds. I hurried myself outside and planted those seeds in the garden per the packet's instructions looking forward to seed their blooms. But I had two problems. The first was that I knew very little about growing flowers from seed. And second, my birthday was in September.
If you know more than I did back then, you'll quickly realize that those seeds never grew. It was the wrong time of year in the wrong type of soil with less sunlight than these cut flowers needed to grow. After that experience I decided that I no longer wanted to grow flowers from seed. There was way too much to learn and I didn't think I could figure it all out. But as you may have guessed, that thinking didn't last and a few years later I grew my first cut flower garden.
My first seed-grown cut flower garden was in a 4' x 8' plot my husband tilled over for me in our back yard. Funny enough, out of the four types of flowers I grew that year, the Cosmos were my favorite. Over the last few years I've learned to love the work it takes to create a beautiful garden. I keep making mistakes and I keep gaining more knowledge. In fact I'm amazed at what I've learned in even just the last year! I wanted to put together a list of flowers that I've personally grown and felt were the easiest all around cut flowers to successfully grow. Can you guess which is first on the list? :D
1. Cosmos
These beautiful flowers are a classic vision of flower garden beauty. I love their delicate, fiercly colored petals paired with the contrast of bright green and yellow. They're great for attracting bees, constantly push out flowers all season long, and are a dreamy addition to any cut flower arrangement.
Cosmos made the list of easy to grow cut flowers for a few reasons. First, you can start them indoors or outdoors and still find great success in theire growth. You'll want to wait until after your last frost date to direct seed in the garden, but you can start Cosmos seeds indoors as soon as 6 weeks before the last frost. Second, they are not too picky about their soil. Although you'll want to make sure the soil your Cosmos are planted in is well-draining, the blooms will actually suffer if you spend too much effort pampering the dirt. And third, Cosmos love warm, dry weather. Cosmos will thrive in the summer heat and will produce endless blooms through the season without asking for much in return.
Quick tip: Cosmos LOVE to be cut. Be sure to harvest your blooms regularly and cut off spent blooms. The more you can do this, the more flowers the plant will produce.
2. Zinnias
I LOVE zinnias. They are such a unique flower and you could plant an entire cut flower garden with zinnias and it would still be filled with variety. These cut flowers come in an abundance of breeds ranging in size, shape, and color. Zinnias are a truly magical flower.
Most gardeners will agree that zinnias belong on this list. First, Zinnias are easy to start. It's actually recommended that zinnias are direct seeded in the garden after the frost but I always start mine indoors to ensure a longer blooming season. I've found it best to start them no more than 4 weeks before I plan to transplant them into the garden. Second, these cut flowers will grow in almost any soil. Of course if you treat the soil a bit you'll get faster growing blooms but if you don't have the time or money, your zinnias will likely grow anyway. Third, zinnias are deer resistent! If you live in an area where deer like to munch your garden, planting zinnias here and there may just deter those hungry guys from making a meal of all your hard work.
Quick Tip: Zinnias are quite prone to powdery mildew so be sure to space your plants out enough to provide for good circulation through the garden.
3. Bachelor Buttons
Also known as cornflowers, these little blooms are like tiny fireworks of bright color that can be displayed all throughout your garden. Bachelor buttons come in several colors, the most popular being pinks and blues.
Besides the fact that bachelor buttons were one of the first flowers I grew, here's why they belong in your easy-to-grow cut flower garden. First, bachelor buttons are not picky about the type of soil you plant them in. From sandy soil to clay, these flowers will grow bright and happy. Second, I've found that these flowers have been some of the easiest flowers to start from seed. They definitely prefer to be direct-seeded into the garden but they quickly become fairly self-sufficient growers. Third, bachelor buttons are early bloomers. Depending on your zone, you'll be able to plant these seeds in late fall or early spring and see blooms as soon as May! That's a big plus for those of us with long, dreary winters.
Quick tip: Once bachelor buttons start getting tall you may notice they will bend and even fall over. In order to keep them standing up, use a proper support system such as staking or netting.
4. Sunflowers
I didn't start growing sunflowers until last year but now I'm hooked. We all know how popular these flowers are but watching them grow in real life is magical. Lucky for us, these bright and beautiful cut flowers aren't too hard to grow!
There are a few great reasons to grow sunflowers. First, they can be direct seeded into your yard, garden, or even a pot or container! A friend who visited the garden last summer said her daughter planted a bunch of potted sunflowers on her small apartment balcony. I just love that! Second, sunflowers will grow in most any soil as long as it's well draining. You can always add compost to give your flowers an extra boost but even then you don't want to fertilize sunflowers too much can harm their stems. And third, hence the name, sunflowers love the hot, sunny days of summer. You'll only have to give these beauties a good, deep watering once a week unless the weather is exceptionally dry.
Quick tip: If you're using sunflowers as cut flowers, harvest them just as they begin blooming for the longest vase life.
An extra flower to add to your cut flower garden: Dahlias from Seed
Dahlias are generally grown from tubers that you pull up and separate every fall and then re-plant in the spring. This was my third year growing dahlias but I've never planted a tuber. I've grown all my dahlias from seed! These beautiful flowers are generally easy to grow and it's always exciting to see what different flowers bloom. I didn't include them on the list because in our climate, we tend to get a very short dahlia blooming season and it takes a lot of care to keep the bugs from eating their petals and to harvest them at just the right time. At least for now, I've decided they don't bring enough value to our flower farm for the work we put in but I still recommend trying them out if you're looking for something exciting to be a part of!
