Best of 2022: My Favorite Flowers from the Cutting Garden

Fall is time to dig out all the garden notes you’ve been taking and put that data to good use.

I’ve been reviewing my notes and I’m here to tell you what I absolutely LOVED in my cutting garden this year.

These are all annuals, grown specifically for my cutting garden.

I will follow this post with a blog on perennials. As they become a bigger part of my cutting garden, they deserve their very own article.

So without further ado, here are my top 9 Cutting Annuals for 2022:

Hot Biscuits Amaranth

Amaranth is a beautiful grain that has gorgeous foliage and stunning inflorescence.

Hot biscuits consistently out-produced all the other Amaranth varieties I grew in height and size. It was such an amazing fall-colored addition to bouquets.

I looks full and interesting in the garden and does amazing in the vase. I consistently had it in the vase for 2 + weeks.

In addition, you can hang it to dry for an everlasting bouquet.

Campanula

These are fun and delicate blooms that look fabulous in the garden.

I also used them consistently in wedding work this year. See above bridal bouquets!

In the vase they also lasted a good 1-2 weeks in good condition.

This is an all round excellent flower.

Cut these for the vase when the first flower opens up as the other buds will continue to open in the vase.

Vintage Brown and Iron Varieties Stock

Stock is an early season bloomer and helps fill the gap between tulips and all the other garden varieties.

Its smell cannot be beat.

The flowers are edible.

It lasts for a solid week + in the vase.

It comes in a variety of colors: white, apricot, purple, light and bright pink and yellow.

While a more challenging flower to grow as it must be started earlier, dislikes dry conditions (spring 2022 anyone!), and dislikes heat, it is well worth the challenge.

Salmon Frosted Breadseed Poppy

This one was a show stopper this year.

These were like little explosions in the vase. I cut them just as they start opening up and then they poof out into big fluffy balls of color.

While all poppies have a short vase life, this one did a little better than most. I got a solid 3+ days of blooming time in the vase.

That’s good news y’all!

Some flowers are more ephemeral than others.

Giant Orange Marigold

This flower makes my favorites list every year.

Here’s why:

• It has a stunning and cheery color.

• It smells heavenly.

• It dries well.

• It can last up to 3 weeks in the vase.

• One plant pumps out blooms almost all summer long.

• It’s easy to grow.

Bronze Queen Nicotiana

I LOVED this flower. It is delicate and whimsical and was the perfect addition to most of my bouquets.

As a garden flower it adds interest and texture but is a little sparse. It is not big, showy or bright.

In the vase is really where it shines.

It has a long vase life and it is so fun to look at those delicate little trumpet flowers!

Godetia

While this one didn’t make my initial “best of” list I’m listing it here for the home gardener.

I have not decided if I’m growing it again next year for my cutting garden but I would highly recommend it as an addition to any flower gardeners repertoire.

The pros: it lasts forever in the garden and in the vase - florets just keep opening up. It is short and sturdy for garden beds. It does well in shorter vases.

The cons: it is too short to use in most bouquets. The petals are easily damaged by rain.

Try it and see if you like it!

Rubenza Cosmos

Cosmos is a staple of mine every year.

These flowers are delicate and ephemeral. They look stunning and full in the garden and marvelous in the vase.

Part of their joy is that they can’t be shipped since they are so delicate.

You can only have these in your vase if you grow them yourself or buy from a local farm.

Rubenza is a magical deep maroon color with a vibrant yellow center. I find myself marveling at it’s beauty EVERY time I see it.

Oxford Blue Scabiosa

This is a tall plant with long strong stems.

It looks gorgeous and lively in the garden or you can cut it just when the first florets begin to open. When cut at this time it will last a solid 1-2 weeks in the vase.

Scabiosa loves cooler temperatures so does better in our cooler Alaskan summers.

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.

Best of 2020 - Part 1: My Favorite Podcasts

While it feels a little funny to write a title with both “2020” and “best of” it’s true that there was some real beauty that happened this year.

As an optimist in training it’s my duty to dig deep and find all the gems. I’m starting off here with my absolute favorite podcasts of 2020.

I spend HOURS during the summer doing manual labor (weeding, cutting, turning compost, making bouquets, delivery driving, etc) which means I have hours of time to think. But when I need a little entertainment, education or thought provocation, I turn to a good podcast :)

Here’s to hoping you might also find some valuable gems in the list below!

Personal Growth & Inspiration

Unlocking Us - Brene Brown. WOW. If you want some deep thinking and exposure to a lot of amazing books/authors, you gotta listen. Brene is an amazing social researcher and stunning interviewer. I pretty much write down the book of every author she interviews as a “must read”. Plus she has a two part series on “How to Apologize”… haha! (which is amazing).

Learning How to See - Brian McLaren, Jacqui Lewis, Richard Rohr. This podcast has a strong christian lean and while I don’t identify with any religion I love listening to these three explore how and why people see things the way they do. And can I say how helpful this has been for me during this turbulent time in our country?!

How to Save a Planet - Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Alex Blumberg. Interesting and provoking discussion on climate change and what we can do. While it’s easy to go down the doomsday rabbit hole, these folks help keep it real and explore actual solutions while delving deep into questions like: are electric cars actually better for the earth?

Code Switch - Shereen Marisol Meraji, Gene Demby. Talk about race and current events. Since I live a very white-washed life I need to constantly be educating myself and listening to other voices that come from folks that have different experiences than me. I’ve heard some really interesting stuff on this podcast! And hopefully I’m a better person because of it.

Biz

The Gary Vee Audio Experience - Gary Vee. It’s always just an inspiration to listen to this guy. Wanting to start a business? Or a personal brand? Or just get pumped up about life? Go here.

The Profitable Mindset - Charlotte Smith. Charlotte is my go-to for anything related to farm and business. It’s rare to get really good info about managing a thriving farm business. And she has you covered. All the info is also pertinent to any sort of product based business.

Seth Godin’s Startup School - Seth Godin. So much good info on taking your idea and turning it into a business! This is a recording from an actual training he did with a bunch of business launchers.

Pure Comfort

This American Life - Ira Glass. I first listened to '“This American Life” almost 20 years ago. I was sitting in my tiny cabin in the woods on San Juan Island and was instantly mesmerized.

It was a story recorded by a woman who had cystic fibrosis. The entire episode was her recording daily life with this disease. I didn’t know radio could be like this! I’ve been an avid listener ever since. Ira Glass has come to be a voice of home for me.

Marketplace - Kai Ryssdal. My weekday is not complete without the voice of Kai Ryssdal speaking on our economy. No matter the turn of events, he makes economics fascinating and soothing at the same time.

Interesting Thought

Unfinished. The two series so far are “Deep South” and “Short Creek”. The first investigates one (of many) lynchings in hopes to find the ultimate culprit. Along the way you are reminded of (or educated on) the extent of racism in our country.

“Short Creek” looks closely at a fundamentalist Mormon community and the disturbing and complex relationships there. Neither of these is for the faint of heart. Fascinating, disturbing and chilling.

Nice White Parents - Chana Joffe-Walt. I sent my son off to kindergarten this year. Which of course, thanks to the pandemic, meant we made a space in the front room for a desk and his school work. But I seriously agonized about school choice. And still sort of am.

This podcast follows schools in New York City and highlights the real issues around what’s wrong with our schools. And according to the episode notes, “you have to look at what is arguably the most powerful force shaping them: white parents”.

Where Should We Begin - Esther Perel. Esther is a famous couples therapist who does a one time therapy session with folks for her podcast.

I heard her say that she started this podcast because she hopes people will see themselves in the people she works with in order to learn more about themselves and their relationships. And let me just say, I have.

There Goes the Neighborhood - WNYC. I never really thought gentrifying had anything to do with me so sort of shrugged it off (not proud of this). Seriously folks, gentrifying is complex, sad, and racist.

This podcast really opened my eyes to some of the struggles folks face in regards to housing, racism and the gentrifying of neighborhoods from New York to LA to Miami.

Whew! There it is. The official “Turnstone Farm’s Best Podcasts of 2020”. I hope you find a bit of value in some of these.

Do you have any to add to my list? Comment below to tell me what you’ve been listening to and loving!