Colorful, Fragrant Annuals and Perennials for Cutting Gardens

 Why spend money at the florist when you can grow your own bouquets at home?

 

Bring the beauty of your blooming garden indoors by planting a cutting garden! Cutting gardens contain flowers with long stems that hold up well to sit in a water vase for several weeks. Some plants tolerate cutting much better than others, so we’ve put together some recommendations of the best flowers for cut bouquets to fill your home with irresistible floral fragrance and color!

 

Pretty Perennials for Cutting Gardens

Perennials come back every year for a self-replenishing garden that always delivers on vibrant color and visual impact. Here are five of our favorite perennials you should add to your cutting garden.

 

Dahlias

The amazing thing about Dahlias is how unique and varied they are—there are so many different cultivars! Some have a flat, single layer of petals, others are perfectly spherical like pompoms, and some look like wild bursts of fireworks! Plant an assortment of different dahlias for a rainbow of color in your garden. 

 

Irises

These magnificent spring flowers have a distinctive shape, with a set of crimped upright petals and a bottom skirt of downturned petals. They most commonly come in shades of purple, but there are plenty of other irises in shades of yellow, pink, apricot, blue, and multi-colored varieties. Plant these bulbs in fall, and their beautiful blooms will emerge the following spring. 

 

Stargazer Lilies

With an unmistakable scent and an absolutely dazzling appearance, Stargazer Lilies really do leave us starry-eyed. These pink, speckled, star-shaped blooms are perfect for cut bouquets because you can cut them while they’re still unopened. Put them in a vase, and when they open, they release a powerful fragrance that fills the room! Please keep in mind that every part of a Lily plant is highly toxic to cats.

 

Tulips

Nothing says “Hello spring!” like a garden of fresh tulips, and these particular perennials hold up very well to cutting. Use them in spring bouquets to celebrate Easter, Mother’s Day, Passover, Ramadan, or any other holidays in April and May that you love to celebrate. Like irises, you need to plant these bulbs in late fall, where they remain in the ground all winter long before bursting into bloom once the temperatures rise. 

 

Delphiniums

Icy blue delphiniums are an incredible sight to behold. Their flowers grow along tall stalks, making them a perfect border plant to stand at the back of your cutting garden. They look lovely in bouquets paired with white, lavender, and golden yellow blooms.

 

Awe-Inspiring Annuals for Cutting Gardens

Annuals only last from spring until frost, but they give us the chance to experiment with new color palettes and styles! Plant these annuals in your cutting garden to create custom bouquets to decorate your home or give to friends and family!

 

Celosia

These tufted, mega-vibrant blooms are just so cute! The orange and yellow varieties almost look like little flames, but you can also find them in shades of purple, pink, and even deep burgundy. They’re great in bouquets, but they also take well to drying, so you can keep them for years in an empty vase on the shelf. 

 

Sunflowers

Seeing how fast these sun-loving annuals can grow never ceases to amaze us. Don’t be surprised if they grow taller than you within a few short months! The most common varieties are yellow, but some have flushes of orange or deep red in the center. 

 

Ranunculus

Layers upon layers of luscious petals make Ranunculus one of the most elegant and luxurious blooms for cutting bouquets. They’re so romantic and dreamy! It’s no wonder they’re so popular for wedding bouquets. 

 

Zinnias

Zinnias remind us quite a bit of Dahlias in that there are so many varieties with different petal shapes and colors. However, since Zinnias are annuals, you can have fun playing around with different cultivars to find which ones you like best. Plant a multi-color mix of dahlias for a prismatic display of rainbow hues!

 

Cosmos

For a whimsical prairie meadow look, you have to plant Cosmos in candy-colored shades of pink, red, and white. They’re almost like daisies with scalloped edges and a bit more texture. Some have contrasting borders along each petal, bringing beautiful dimension to the garden scenery. You’ll love them in mixed bouquet arrangements! 

Plant a cutting garden in 2022 so that you can enjoy fresh-cut bouquets right from your backyard! Visit Primex  Garden Center to see all the beautiful flowers ready to plant now and spring-blooming bulbs to plant at the end of the season.