As we approach a new season of growing, one of our most frequently asked questions is what flowers are the best cut flowers. Here's the thing... it totally depends on what you value in flowers. Our favourites change throughout the season, and quite honestly it's impossible to pick just one. Since the majority of our clients are purchasing flowers for themselves or as gifts, longevity is one of our most important factors when we choose cut flowers. Now if events like weddings and parties are the majority of your clients, or what you're growing your flowers for, then longevity doesn't factor in the same way, and you may prefer a whole different set of flowers. We call those event flowers. We'll tell you all about them in a future post. For now, the best way for us to breakdown our favourite cut flowers, is by season.
Spring flowers are the first and there is a special thrill that comes with that. After a long cold winter it amazes me what pops out of the ground. As flower farmers, we are always trying to extend our season a little bit, so the first flowers are very valuable to us. Tulips are the first. And honestly, they are pretty much the only thing we have blooming first thing in spring as cut flowers. Daffodils are beautiful, and bloom around the same time, but in our experience they don't like to be mixed with other flowers, and that can shorten the lifespan of your bouquet by quite a bit. Also due to our harsh climate it's difficult to plant anything else into the garden to bloom alongside tulips without a greenhouse or hoop house, so Tulips are our workhorse of the spring season. It's a goal of ours to figure out how to time our blooms better so we can have more variety by using hoop houses and our greenhouse, but it's still a work in progress. For the average gardener looking for some early blooms, for now our recommendation is sticking with Tulips.
Early summer starts with so many good flowers. It's my favourite flower season because it just has so many pretty flowers! It's also home to the most popular flowers in recent years; Peonies and Ranunculus. Peonies are always a favourite with their showy fluffy blooms. As a perennial, they are also great because they don't require planting each season. If picked at the right time Peonies can also be stored in the fridge with no detrimental effects for a long time making them ideal for farming. Ranunculus have been picking up steam in recent years and although they aren't a perennial, they do produce corms which can multiply and produce more flowers year after year. They also produce long lasting blooms with beautiful colours and textures. Ranunculus aren't the easiest flower to grow, and mother nature greatly affects their productivity, but when things work out they are absolutely a work horse of early summer. My personal favourite this season is Stock. Their unrivalled scent and timeless beauty keeps me coming back for more each year. They too have a long vase life, and can even be dried (more on dried flowers in a future post)!
Summer is when the garden really comes alive. The perennials take over and there are so many great ones to choose from. Lillies are the work horse of this season for us. They come in a large variety of colours, and have a long vase life. Every year we add new lilies to our patch as our addiction to them grows. It's important to pick them carefully so that you give the plant enough to rejuvenate for the next season. Yarrow, Veronica, and Daisies are a few other perennials that we love during this season, and they make the perfect compliment to our Lily bouquets.
Late summer starts when the perennials peter out, and the annuals take over. This begins in August with little change until frost. Our main flower for this season is Zinnias. We grow more zinnias than any other flower. They come in almost every colour imaginable, and from small to large blooms. Their vase life is great (7-10 days), and they add a cheery whimsy to bouquets. A few other favourites of this season are Snap Dragons, Lisianthus, Lavatera, Rudbeckia, and Cosmos. Now for the unpopular opinion... I don't love Dahlias. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful. And we do grow quite a few of them. However their vase life is not as great as many other blooms so I don't loooove them as a cut flower. The frustrating thing about Dahlias is that some blooms will last a week while others only a few days, and it's impossible to decipher which will be which. That is why we rarely sell bouquets of only Dahlias. They are great for weddings, events, and anything you might want showy blooms for through. They sure are beautiful!
If you're looking for a seasonal guide of the best cut flowers to add to your garden, here it is (of course there are lots of other great cut flowers. This is just a staring point and some of our favourites for our climate);
Spring - Tulips
Early Summer - Peonies, Stocks, Ranunculus
Summer - Lilies, Veronica, Yarrow, Daisys
Late Summer - Zinnias, Lavatera, Rudbeckia, Cosmos, Lisianthus, Snap Dragons
Next up; Our dried flower guide!
M
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