9 Flowers You Can Grow For Beautiful Bouquets
Grow these varieties for stunning bouquets.
Having fresh cut flowers can bring the cheer and fragrance of a garden into the house, but a beautiful bouquet doesn’t have to be store bought. You can make elegant arrangements from flowers you grow in your own backyard. This spring, try growing some of these flowers for a garden that will provide fresh cut flowers all summer long.
View The Beautiful Bouquets Slideshow
1. Sunflowers
Sunflowers make stunning focal flowers in bouquets and arrangements. They come in a variety colors, sizes and shapes. The best time to cut them for your bouquets is early in the morning or late in the day. Cut stems at 45-degree angle and leave at least 24 inches of stem on the flower head.
2. Larkspur
Sometimes referred to as delphinium, the tiny blossoms of these flowers give depth and texture to a bouquet, and the vertical groupings of blossoms make them ideal for tall vases. They come in many colors–most strikingly deep royal blues.
3. Snapdragons
These annuals come in an array of vivid colors, have thick stems, and add height to your bouquet. Snapdragons continue to produce new blooms after cutting, and are a favorite with children because of their mouth-like petals that can be snapped open and shut.
4. Daisies
These perennials come in white, purple, pink, blue, and yellow. Hardy and cheerful, they have strong stems that don’t droop and are popular to use in corsages.
5. Gladiolus
Their silky blossoms are elegant, and like the larkspur, grow vertically in a column. Colors range from delicate pastels to fiery splashes of red and yellow. Cut them after a few of the florets on the stem have begun to open since others will continue opening after cutting.
6. Peonies
These perennials come in beautiful colors and add fragrance to a bouquet. Try to leave at least two thirds of the blossoms on the plant, and don’t cut off all the leaves as they will fertilize next year’s growth.
7. Lupin
The unusual and ornamental lupin (or lupine) has butterfly-like flowers that grow in a spiky, vertical column, and come in blue, pink, purple, and white.
8 & 9 Daffodils and Tulips
Both are exceedingly popular for their long sweeping stems and elegant blooms that open early in spring. However, the bulbs must be planted before winter, so they require some extra planning.
Be sure to place all flowers in water immediately after cutting, as air bubbles enter the stems blocking the flow of water to cells. You may want to cut the stem again under water to remove the lowest section where air has already entered. Be sure to cut stems on an angle to increase the area that can take in water. Use a sharp knife instead of scissors so you don’t pinch the stem.
Kristen Hewitt
After graduating from Bates College in 2009, Kristen attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Maine. She lives in Western Massachusetts where she works at Orion magazine."
Most of these would not survive the hot, humid summers we have in Huntsville, Texas. Roses are the best bet here for cutting. Even the tea type roses are being bred for more disease resistance. Sensation Mix cosmos have absolutely flourished for me. The right zinnias might make it with TLC and holding your mouth right. Purple Prince has done well for me. The profusion types are beautiful for bedding, but not so much for use in vases. Silky Gold tropical butterfly weed has performed extremely well planted beneath a well trimmed Crape Myrtle. Perennial salvias are monsters here, but I don’t know how they work for cutting. Most of what grows vigorously here is better suited for beds or containers. Cora Vinca, XDR Impatiens, and coleus are all fairly bomb proof.
Thank you for sharing this information! We’re happy to have you here in the community!
I am interested in planting for this time of year
Thank you for this article on selection of appropriate flowers for bouquets which comes handy in certain instances. We benefit a lot from your blogs and articles, keep up the good work.
Thank you Pink Bouquets, we are so glad you are enjoying our content.
I want to start a variety of flowers and herbs and I have lots of space. Any tips and advice would be appreciated.
We are planning a wedding for my step daughter in our field at our home in Virginia on June 8th 2013. I am trying to plan ahead. What are the best annuals for perinnials I can plant to be ready for use and makeing the yard pretty for next June?
Angela – that would really depend on what you like. Do some research and ask your local greenhouse what grows well in your area. Some things need more than a year to truly take hold.
I have red brick and light gray siding on our home, what would you choose for color and plants
for the flower boxes? I like the one on this site very nice.