If you're looking to start a cut flower garden and you're not sure what to plant, here are 10 amazing plants for an endless supply of cut flowers for beautiful bouquets of flowers all season long.
Keep in mind that all these plants need at least a half day of sun or more to really do their best and produce abundant flowers.
And many of these plants are considered "cut and come again" which means that picking the flowers for bouquets actually helps to encourage more flowers to grow. Let's explore these 10 picks!
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Table of Contents
CUT FLOWER GARDEN PLANTS FOR ENDLESS FLOWERS
1. Dahlia
No cut flower garden is complete without dahlias! I plant them every year in my garden, and once they start blooming, they will bloom their hearts out all the way until frost strikes. This is a beautiful pink Dahlia 'Milena' in a small garden that I planted by my patio.
When choosing dahlia plants (or if you're buying tubers to plant yourself like I do), pay special attention to the label where it describes how tall the plants get. Dahlias come in a huge array of sizes, from just a few inches tall, to towering giants that can get several feet tall and need staking.
If you want longer stem dahlias for bouquets, go with the taller varieties that are at least 3-4 feet tall. Here is a dahlia bouquet I made to enjoy indoors right before our first frost struck one year. There is really nothing like these plants!
For details on growing these plants, don't miss my post on dahlia growing tips. They also come in so many shapes and forms, including huge dinner plate dahlias, single-flowered, waterlily, pompon, cactus and other varieties.
2. Zinnias
Zinnias are another must-have for cutting gardens. I grew the ones below from seed and planted them in a pot. This variety is California Giant and they grew a few feet tall and supplied so many flowers for bouquets. The bees and butterflies also love them!
Some other great varieties for cut flowers include Cut and Come Again Mix and State Fair Mix. There are many varieties out there, and they also come in a big range of plant heights from a few inches tall to 3-5 feet, so if you want longer stems, go with the taller varieties.
Zinnias are also super easy and fast to grow from seed, so if you can't find small plants at your local nursery, grow them from seed.
3. Echinacea (Purple cone flower)
Echinacea purpurea, commonly called Purple Cone Flower, is native to central and eastern United States and is a perennial so it will come back year after year. I grew the clump you see below from seed. Keep in mind that if you grow them from seed, they will usually start flowering the second season.
Echinacea also come in different colors, like yellow and red and white, but the species that you see above is purple. It has the added benefit of being very tough and drought tolerant. No sunny garden should be without this plant!
And make sure to leave some flowers on the plants. The goldfinches love the seed heads. I leave mine be all winter and clean up the plants in the spring.
4. Snapdragons
I love planting snapdragons both in pots and in the ground, and they never disappoint. They come in an array of colors and sizes, but one of my favorites for cut flowers is the Rocket Mix variety which has tall spikes that are perfect for bouquets.
They are easily grown from seed, or you can just buy small plants in the spring to plant in your garden.
5. Cosmos
Cosmos have the added benefit of thriving in poor soils. If your soil is too rich, you may only get abundant foliage and no flowers. They're easy to grow from seed, and some of the taller varieties that are wonderful for cut flowers are Cosmos Sensation Mix and the Versailles Series, but there are many out there!
Again, pay attention to the seed packet or plant label because Cosmos also come in a large variety of heights.
6. Gladiolus
Gladiolus aren't just old fashioned plants that your grandma planted. They make for supurb cut flowers and really make an impact with their large flowers and array of colors.
Gladiolus are planted from corms ("bulbs") in the springtime after all danger of frost has passed.
Once they flower for the season, they won't keep producing anymore flowers, however, you can stagger planting them over the period of several weeks.
Every couple weeks or so, plant more and you can safely plant them until early July or so. This way you can have a continuous supply of gladiolus cut flowers for a longer period of time (versus planting them all at once).
In the autumn, after the first frost, you can dig them up and save the corms to plant the following year.
7. Sunflowers
Who doesn't love sunflowers? Many of us remember planting sunflower seeds as a child, but there are quite a few varieties out there other than the kinds with gigantic flowers that are grown for their edible seeds (or to feed to birds).
They come in many colors including ivory, yellow, orange, maroon and more. Some wonderful varieties include TGW ProCut Sunflower Mix (bred to be used for cut flowers), Burpee Tiger Eye Hybrid (produces branching plants with multiple flowers), and more.
There are so many varieties, so always refer to the seed packet for more information. Sunflowers are best planted directly into your garden soil after the danger of frost has passed as they don't like to be transplanted. Don't worry though because they will grow very quickly with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine and water!
8. Black eyed susan
Rudbeckia, or Black Eyed Susan, is a perennial garden plant that will spread and form lovely clumps, providing plenty of cut flowers for your mixed bouquets.
9. Statice
Statice has the benefit of being a great cut flower, and they also dry really well if you want to preserve them for dried bouquets.
They are typically grown from seed. Start them a few weeks before the last frost date and remember that light benefits germination for statice so don't cover the seeds at all, or just BARELY cover them with seed starting potting mix.
10. Yarrow
Last but not least, yarrow is a perennial plant that produces loads of flowers. They come in many colors including yellow, cream, pink and more. They also have the benefit of drying really well just like Statice.
These are certainly not the only plants for cut flowers, but they'll certainly get you started.
