Best of 2020 - Part 2: My Absolute Favorite Flowers of 2020

Every year I grow new varieties to test and then report back on what I absolutely loved. Since I also have a small growing space I have to ruthlessly cut anything that doesn’t preform well.

I’ve looked over what I grew in 2020 and am pleased to say the below flowers made my “Best of 2020” list.

Saponaria - Pink Beauty. A nice early bloomer to fill vases early in the summer. Harvest when the first buds are open. The remaining buds on the plant will slowly open in the vase which gives you a nice long lasting cut flower. Needs staking in the garden or wind and rain might topple it.

Saponaria is the pink airy flower with the green buds that is arranged horizontally.

Strawflowers - Copper Red, Purple Red, Vintage White. These are so magical! How can I pick just one?!

These are 3 that I LOVED. A long lasting, magical and whimsical cut flower. Blooms dry great but they need to be wired as stems become weak with drying. Best of all they are super easy to grow! So if you’re new to growing flowers, start with these.

Copper Red Strawflower

Eucalyptus - Silver Drop & Silver Dollar. I first tried these last year and fell in love. Adds texture and interest to any flower garden.

I am also pleased to say that they looked amazing in pots! Plus they are relatively frost hardy, so mine looked great through October.

Be sure to start these guys early under lights as they are slow to grow!

Statice - QIS Apricot. The designers who bought from me this year absolutely LOVED these. The color is one-of-a-kind. And the tiny whorls of blooms create a nice textural element. Plus they pretty much last forever once dried!

Scabiosa - Black Knight. Every year I grow these. And every year I LOVE them more.

Unfortunately germination can be spotty, so I didn’t have a lot of blooms this year. Planting way more next year. They are true magic.

Grass - Frosted Explosion. Oh wow! Such an ethereal addition to the garden. An airy-fairy grass that looks awesome in the vase and dries amazing.

Scabiosa - Black Knight

Eryngium - Blue Glitter.

Eryngium - Blue Glitter. This gets a 10+ for cool looks! It has attractive thistle-like blooms with a metallic shine. Eryngium is a hardy perennial with long, sturdy stems.

Does well in hot, sunny locations. But also tolerates a wide variety of conditions. Expect flowers during the second year of growth and in subsequent years (although mine bloomed the first year!). Great for bees, beneficial flies and wasps. Also known as plains eryngo and flat sea holly.

Excellent long lasting cut flower and dries well!

Ben Huston Dahlia in a bouquet.

Dream Catcher Dahlia.

Dahlias - Ben Huston. A juicy orange color on showy decorative petals. Just makes my heart pound every time I see this bloom.

Dahlias - Golden Sceptor. First year growing this dainty and cheerful beauty. True yellow flowers are only 2-3 inches. Such a happy-maker! Your garden will seriously sing with these little beauties.

Dahlias - Dream Catcher. This is a stunning cut flower. Perfect petals that meld pink to yellow to green on strong and upright stems.

Rebecca Lynn Dahlia

Dahlias - Rebecca Lynn. Here’s what I said about Rebecca Lynn last year:

“Rebecca Lynn Dahlia is not just pink, it’s power pink. It’s get-things-done pink. It’s an Elizabeth-Warren-suit-jacket pink. A “nevertheless-she-persists” pink. A woman-with-a-plan pink. Grow this dahlia and you’ll want to do things! Go places! And get er done!”

Looks amazing in the garden and in pots.

There it is friends!

My Best Flowers of 2020.

Now go grow some amazing flowers.