what I’m planting in my cut flower garden, and where I order my seeds.

top. jeans. book. lip color. (the strand)

Last year was the first time I grew a cut-flower garden, and in the process, I learned so much.  Growing a cut flower garden is something I had dreamed about for 8 years since I first spotted them driving through Whidbey island in the Pacific Northwest.  When I started I was nervous, because historically I’ve had a rather black thumb, but it turns out, growing a cut-flower garden isn’t that hard  at all.  If you’ve been thinking about trying it this year, I highly recommend it.  I got an immense amount of joy from the process and our house was filled with fresh bouquets all summer and into the fall.

Today I thought I would share with you what I am planning to plant in my cut flower garden this year and where I order my seeds!

Before you begin:

To start, I want to tell you if you are planning to plant a cut flower garden for the first time this year is don’t get overwhelmed.  There is so much information out there on “how to do it right” and it can feel very intimidating if you are starting from novice.  But here’s the good news, you don’t have to do it perfect and even if you leave something things out or make “mistakes” you’re probably still going to grow a whole bunch of beautiful flowers, and it will still be really fun.  Last year, I killed all my starts while trying to harden them off, and I still grew thousands of flowers.  Also, I learned so much from my mistakes, I now feel like they were a way bigger benefit than if I had had beginners luck.  Think of it more like baby steps, each season adding a little more knowledge and know-how.  Progress over perfection!

My #1 resource for my cut flower garden.

Before I started my cut flower garden last year, I bought Floret Farms’ book “Cut Flower Garden” and it was such an amazing resource for the process.  Plus it’s gorgeous!  Erin has a wealth of knowledge and I referred back to the book constantly throughout the season.  She give tons of information on soil, planting, seeds, flower varieties, and even ideas for bouquets you can make throughout the growing season.  Her beautiful images will inspire you as you grow.  I highly recommend buying this book if you plan to grow a cut flower garden.

What I plan to grow this year.

Last year I didn’t have a huge strategy for what I grew in my garden.  I just picked flowers that I thought were pretty and that I had read worked well in cut flower gardens.  This year I wanted to be more intentional with my seed choices, picking pretty flower varieties and colors that would compliment each other to create beautiful and interesting bouquets.  This is new for me, last year I didn’t even consider the bouquets or colors.  I’ve also added fillers to my garden plan, something I completely overlooked last year.  Here’s what I am growing:

Zinnias!

Zinnias were my favorite flower I grew last year and the breed I ordered the most seeds of for this years garden.  I’ve ordered 8 different zinnia varieties and I cannot wait to see how they turn out. Zinnias are heat tolerant, easy-to-grow,  and bloom all summer long.  They come in every color, size and shape imaginable from giant double blooms to petite ones.

Cosmos.

I also grew a lot of cosmos last year and they are a really easy flower to grow from seed and great in bouquets. They are a VERY productive flower, the more you cut, the more they grow, so they are great for a cut-flower garden.

Sweet Peas.

I tried sweet peas last year and failed miserably, so this is attempt #2.  I’ve read a lot on them and now know what I did wrong, so I’m excited to see what I can do with them this season!  Sweet peas are frilly and so fragrant, but need to be grown on a trellis (mistake I made last year, whoops). This is my season!

Snapdragons.

Another favorite for the cut flower garden!  I’ve been planting snapdragons since we bought our first house, but you want to make sure and buy the cut-flower variety because they grow much taller.  (more on that later…) These double-petaled beauties smell like a dream and bloom for a long time.  They are a gorgeous addition to a bouquet.

Amaranth.

This is a new one for me and it’s great as a garnish for bouquets to add texture.  I bought 2 varieties and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

Poppies!

I have a soft-spot for poppies, being from California and last year I spread wildflower poppy seed all over our property.  But this year I am growing several varieties for the cut-flower garden and I am so excited for these ones.  The tissue thin petals makes these delicate flowers a gorgeous addition to any bouquet.

Celosia.

This is another new variety for me this year and I am so excited to add this to my summer bouquets.  They have a wooly look and are long lasting.  They also dry really well and I can’t wait to use them in dried arrangements around my house this year.

Dahlias:

I’m growing a bees choice variety of Dahlias this season.  Last year my Dahlias were a deep purple and they were so gorgeous.  Excited to see how these turn out. I love these tuberous plants, they’re from the sunflower family, but in my opinion much prettier.

Fillers:

Last year I didn’t think about planting fillers and I am so excited about it this year.  I am doing baby’s breath and three varieties of Basil (Cinnamon, Mrs Burn’s Lemon and Aromatto).  These will give my bouquets so much depth, and I can’t wait to grow them.

Where I ordered my seeds:

This will come as no surprise, but I ordered my seeds from Floret Farms.  I’ve never found a better or more inspiring resource for cut-flower growing than Erin, and I only wish I had discovered her before we left the Pacific Northwest so I could have taken one of her in-person.  Last year I bought my seeds from a local nursery, and it’s important to buy from someone who specializes in the cut-flower varieties.  For example, snapdragons that you buy already growing at Home Depot will only grow 6-10 inches tall, but the ones you start from seed grow to 24-30 inches and are much better for bouquet cutting.  Johnny’s seeds is also a great place to order your cut flower garden seeds.

I hope this post is helpful for those of you who want to get started with a cut-flower garden this year.  I’ve also list a few more of my favorite resources below!

More resources for your cut-flower garden:

Books: Grow More Vegetables Book. (such a great resource for info on soil and garden plotting even though it’s for vegetables it works for flowers too.)

Cut Flower Garden: by Erin from Floret. AKA the Bible of cut flower gardening.

Year in Flowers:  by Erin from Floret: more inspiration for flower arranging.

Blogs: Floret Flower Farm.(Awesome constant resource for me.)

Christine Covino. I’ve gotten a ton of great info from her as well.

Seeds: Floret Farms, Johnny’s Seeds.

Gardening tools and accessories:

This garden set bag goes with me every time I head out to work on my garden.  It was a gift from my sister for Christmas (who’s an amazing gardener herself,) and it’s come in so handy.

Work gloves: These are my favorite work gloves, they come in multiple sizes down to XS and are perfect for working outside.