5 Cut Flowers for the Advanced Gardener
Try these 5 cut flowers for the advanced grower.
If you’re ready for more challenge in your garden, you are going to love these 5 cut flower!
They are a staple in my commercial cutting garden year after year. And while they take a bit more care that easier varieties, with practice you will have great success.
Dahlias
While dahlias are not hard to grow, they offer more challenges than just planting a seed.
To read more in depth on growing dahlias go here to read my blog: https://www.turnstonefarmalaska.com/garden-blog/how-to-grow-dahlias
There are hundreds of dahlias varieties that are great for the garden and the vase. Go here to read up on dahlia varieties: https://www.turnstonefarmalaska.com/garden-blog/choosing-dahlia-varieties
Harvest when the flower has fully opened but before the petals on the back side have started to wither. Dahlias do not last long in the vase but you should get a solid 3-5 days of beauty on your dining room table.
Cornel and Dreamcatcher dahlias tucked into a Turnstone Farm wedding flower arch. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts
Nigella
I’m planting nigella in week 16 and 19.
Varieties I love include: Black Albion Pod, Love-in-a-mist and Delft Blue.
While these aren’t officially a hard flower to grow, mine seem to take special care. In fact I wrote in my notes section next to my planting date: “take special care!”.
Nigella prefers to be direct seeded and since I don’t direct seed anything besides salad greens in my garden I think they suffer a little when transplanted.
This is a fun and super unique flower that can be harvested for the flower and for the pod. The pod dries great for everlasting bouquets.
Nigella pod in a Turnstone Farm boutonniere. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts
Ranunculus
I start ranunculus by corms in week 16. There is a special process for planting these so be sure to read up by clicking the link below.
Ranunculus loves cool weather. That’s why they are a great flower for northern growers. Most growers plant one round of ranunculus for spring and early summer blooms.
I recently learned how to also get in a fall crop by planting a second round in week 20. This can be a bit of a gamble because if we have a warm summer they will not thrive. But it’s worth the effort! The past two years I’ve gotten a fall harvest although the blooms seem to be smaller than my spring crop.
These can be cut for harvest as soon as the buds feel like soft marshmallows. The more stems you cut, the more blooms you get per plant.
For a more in depth look at growing ranunculus GO HERE to read my blog: “How To Grow Ranunculus”
Yellow ranunculus is a luxurious and wildly popular wedding flower. Photo credit Corrine Graves
Anemones
Anemones are one of my absolute favorite flowers. I grow different varieties each year, so just search around for colors that look amazing to you. I’m starting mine in week 13 only.
These are started very much like ranunculus. Follow the instructions for planting ranunculus here: https://www.turnstonefarmalaska.com/garden-blog/how-to-grow-ranunculus
Ideally you’ll harvest these for the vase after the flower has fully opened once and closed once (they close at night). This is just about impossible to keep track of, so I just harvest when the flower is almost fully open.
Anemones have a fabulous vase life. They don’t ship well so you will almost never see good looking ones anywhere but in your garden, at a farmers market or in your Turnstone Farm bouquet.
Anemones from the Turnstone Farm garden.
Stock
I’m starting all my stock in week 13. This is considered a one and done flower, meaning you grow one plant for one bloom and then the plant is done.
Because of this, I would usually plant 2-3 successions. But because stock dislikes heat I stick to only one early season planting. It would be worth testing a planting that’s mature in time for fall. Perhaps I’ll try a few this year to see how they fare!
Stock is an early season bloomer that helps fill the gap between tulips and all the other garden varieties.
Its smell cannot be beat and the flowers are edible.
It lasts for a solid week to two in the vase and the dried petals can make a heavenly smelling potpourri once dried.
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.
Purple stock helps fill out these early season Turnstone Farm bouquets.
My House is a Mess
Recently my husband and I took the “Working Genius” quiz, formulated by Pat Lencioni. Which I highly recommend and sort of blew our minds.
It was of little surprise that we both do not thrive in the genius of “Tenacity”. Finishing tasks to the end brings neither of us any joy. Paying bills? Freaking boring. Making the kitchen sparkle? It’s fun to start, but seriously? Not interested.
I thrive on imagining and starting things and figuring out how to make things better.
He thrives on decision making and galvanizing (or bringing people together).
Unfortunately this means our house is a disaster area most of the time. I still struggle with feeling like a complete failure when I sit back and take in my messy house. Shouldn’t any remotely responsible adult be able to keep a house clean?
To make things worse a neighbor girl and her mom popped by one day and neighbor girl exclaimed: “why is your house so messy?” Major shame trigger.
I curtly (hopefully not TOO curtly) told her that I don’t clean my house on the weekend. Which is mostly true - It’s not that I don’t clean. It’s that the cleaning is never finished and I just give up. Or I just don’t do - especially on the weekends. Because really - why waste your time when you could be out playing or gardening or doing ANYTHING else?
So you’re probably wondering what this has to do with flowers?
Yeah, I was too until I heard someone say the reason they love flowers in their home is because it makes their house feel clean even when it’s not.
When I heard that I perked up! First off - there’s someone else without a clean home?!
And second - they’re SO RIGHT. Although I hadn’t put my finger on it - I too feel a sense of peace amidst the clutter, toys, crayons and laundry when a vase of flowers are in the room.
Isn’t that amazing?!
Do you feel this?
How do you feel when you have a vase of flowers in your home?
If you now know you NEED flowers CLICK HERE to learn all about our summer bouquet subscription!
Garden Picture Escape
I just want to share some beauty with you! Here goes…
A few of my early dahlia varieties! Can I just say, I am loving these :)
Ready for bouquet making! My backyard gets transformed into a floral studio at least once per week.
Poppies! These are some of my favorite blooms this summer. They are bringing me SO MUCH JOY!!
A quick afternoon harvest. During the peak blooming months I’m harvesting 3 times per week.
A seasonal bridal bouquet using stock, ranunculus, peonies and ladies mantle.
Do you need holiday gift ideas?! Here are 5 Favorite Books from my Gardening Library
Looking for that special gift for a gardening friend?! Or need an addition to YOUR gardening library? I’ve got you covered this season.
While I know it can be overwhelming to sift through ALL those gardening books (there are so many), when you come across a winner it can be SO valuable in helping your skills grow.
Here you can see a handful of my favorite books that are currently on my farm/garden library shelf.
Looking for that special gift for a gardening friend?! Or need an addition to YOUR gardening library? I’ve got you covered this season.
While I know it can be overwhelming to sift through ALL those gardening books (there are so many), when you come across a winner it can be SO valuable in helping your skills grow.
Here you can see a handful of my favorite books that are currently on my farm/garden library shelf.
1) Cool Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler.
Flower growers this book will blow your mind! It will debunk all sorts of conventional advice on when to plant your flowers. Use this book to grow super hearty blooms that are ready to enjoy from EARLY in the summer to LATE in the fall. A perfect how-to in a compact book. Flower gardening
2) The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman.
I grow organically. And as far as I’m concerned there is no other way to grow (or eat for that matter). No one needs more toxic chemicals in their lives.
At some point down the road I might move toward certifying my farm but at this point I’m too small for it to make financial sense. BUT I follow organic guidelines and Eliot is the man to learn from if you need some extra info!
In addition, he grows in a cold climate so has pertinent information on northerly food production. A CLASSIC READ THAT NEEDS TO BE PART OF EVERY GARDENERS LIBRARY. Vegetable gardening
3) Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett Markham.
Ok, I admit when I read titles like this I tend to roll my eyes. But my husband bought this book awhile ago and when I was hungry for something to read I picked it up and was 1) surprised how much I learned and 2) a little taken aback that I hadn’t read it sooner!
The chapter on compost alone is worth the price of the book. I’ve read a lot about compost (and honestly have struggled with implementing a good system on my farm) but for some reason this book really made composting make sense (finally!) and simple.
In addition, you will learn how to grow way more veggies on your tiny urban plot by following Brett’s guidelines. Vegetable gardening
4) Grow your own cut flowers by Sarah Raven.
Although Sarah writes from the perspective of growing in a much more temperate climate, this comprehensive book is loaded with valuable information for every flower gardener.
It is conveniently organized by flower type so is easy to reference. She also throws in some great info on cutting and arranging from your garden flowers! Flower gardening
5) The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynski.
Although this is meant to be a manual for commercial flower growers it is loaded with gorgeous photos and packed with GREAT information for every flower grower. In fact, the person who recommended this book to me was a home gardener!
Lynn gives the home gardener a simple plan for a personal cutting garden, covers everything you need to know to grow great flowers and has fun profiles on flower farmers from around the country. Flower gardening