Getting started on your first cut-flower garden? Here are some of my favorite flowers to grow and resources to get your garden blooming.
Sections
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Easy-to-Grow Flowers from Seed
Dahlias
My Favorite Foliage and Fillers
Favorite Resources on Growing Flowers
Easy-to-Grow Flowers from Seed
These flowers are ones I grow from seed every year in my own garden. They are easy to care for and don't need a lot to bloom their heads off.
I love the contrast of the dark center and creamy petals on this pollen-free sunflower variety
ProCut® White Nite Sunflower
These pollen-free sunflowers are fast-growing and are perfect for an autumn bouquet
ProCut® Red Sunflower
These fuzzy sunflowers always catch my eye in my garden and in bouquets!
Teddy Bear Dwarf Sunflower Seeds
Beautiful yellow rudbeckia with a green eye that grows tall and productively
Prairie Sun Rudbeckia
I love the warm, rich colors on this particular rudbeckia; perfect fall vibe
Cherokee Sunset Black-Eyed Susan Seeds
Candystripe is a fun cosmos variety to grow! Every flower is slightly different.
Candystripe Cosmos Seeds
The rich reds in this cosmos always catch my eye in the garden; looks stunning en masse in a vase
Rubenza Cosmos Seeds
These huge, billowy cosmos flowers are one of my faves; pick cosmos flowers right before they open to get the longest vase life
Sensation Blend Cosmos Seeds
The peach tones in this cosmos are absolutely perfect; be sure to pick cosmos right before they fully open for the longest vase life
Apricotta Cosmos Seeds
All the Queeny zinnias are so good, but Queeny Red Lime is my favorite; zinnias last forever in the vase, just be sure to pick these when the stems are firm and the flower no longer wobbles when you wiggle it on the stem
Lime Red Queeny Zinnia
Not the cutest name for this cute lime green flower, but still a fabulous flower for the cutting garden
Queeny Lime with Blotch Zinnia
Huge 4" warm coral zinnia flowers
Benary's Giant Coral Zinnia
Cool pink-toned zinnia with huge flowers
Benary's Giant Pink Zinnia
Dahlias
There are thousands of dahlias to choose from. I'm showing a few of my favorites, but if none of them are really your style, do a quick search online, and I guarantee you'll find something you'll love! Dahlias are grown from tubers, if you want a flo...
This dinnerplate dahlia is a popular one. It's huge and neutral-toned and just a stunner all around.
Dahlia 'Cafe Au Lait'
Gorgeous frilly pink dahlia
Dahlia Fubuki Sakura Fimbriata
I love the extra long stems on this ball dahlia and it is so productive, too!
Dahlia 'Sylvia' Pom Pon Bulb
The pink color of this ball dahlia is absolutely perfect
Dahlia Wizard of Oz
I love the rich purple color of this dinnerplate dahlia and it was super-productive in my garden last year
Dahlia Thomas Edison
Cornel bronze is a long-lasting, very floriferous ball dahlia; I'm excited to grow this again this year!
Cornel Bronze - FIVEFORK FARMS
Like Cornel Bronze, but red
CORNEL - Swan Island Dahlias
I love the iridescent purple undertone on this deep burgundy ball dahlia
IVANETTI - Swan Island Dahlias
One online retailer I buy dahlias from
Dahlias for Sale - Shop our Most Popular Bulbs - Longfield Gardens
Another online retailer I have purchased dahlias from
Dahlias - Hudson Valley Seed Company
My Favorite Foliage and Fillers
Even though flowers are the star of the show, foliage and fillers are the key to making bouquets pop. Make room for these in your garden, too.
Ruffly burgundy foliage with a sweet basil scent
Purple Ruffles Basil
A lemony-scented basil to add a delicious fragrance to your garden and bouquets
Lemon Basil Seeds
Ferny foliage and beautiful, glittery seed pods on this dill make it such an interesting filler
Bouquet Dill Seeds
I love to add a spray of these adorable little daisy-like flowers in my bouquets.
Feverfew Seeds
Yarrow is a long lasting filler flower and attracts all sorts of butterflies and bees in the garden
Summer Berries Yarrow Seeds
This golden tan amaranth lasts a long time in the vase and dries really well; I love it as a filler
Hot Biscuits Amaranth Seeds
Gorgeous feathery celosia is super-productive and looks great en masse in the garden
Pampas Plume Celosia
I grew this for the first time last year and loved it. There were so many blooms on each plant and the flowers last a long time in the vase.
Flamingo Celosia Seeds
Favorite Resources on Growing Flowers
Some of my favorite resources on growing flowers. A few are my own ;)
I wrote this post to help beginners create a cut-flower garden from scratch from start to finish.
How to Start the Cut-Flower Garden of Your Dreams - Not Quite a Homestead
A small cutting garden plan that I designed; including tips for growing and maintaining the best cut flowers
A Small Cutting Garden Plan for Beautiful, Homegrown Bouquets - Not Quite a Homestead
All about growing zinnias; they are really a great cut flower
How to Grow Incredible Zinnias from Seed Right Now - Not Quite a Homestead
Bri's easy 4'x8' cut flower garden plan is great for beginners; love her videos
Easy Cut Flower Garden Plan (NO SEED STARTING NEEDED!)
Laura's favorite cut flowers; she is such a wealth of information on gardening!
10 of the Easiest Annual Flowers to Start From Seed! 🌸🌻🌿 // Garden Answer
Best book for beginners on growing & harvesting cut-flowers + arranging flowers
Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow & Arrange
In-depth book on flower arranging and making seasonal floral projects
Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers Book
Great reference including plant profiles on growing and harvesting specific cut flower plants
The Cut Flower Handbook: Grow Gorgeous Blooms
This post on sheet mulching will show you how to easily turn a grassy, weedy area into a garden without tilling.
How to Sheet Mulch Lawns into Thriving New Gardens - Not Quite a Homestead
