Perennial flowers that bloom all summer

Long-blossoming perennials make life simple for nursery workers who

hunger for shading all late spring. Undoubtedly, through cautious choice

and arranging, consistent succession of blossom can be accomplished

utilizing a large number of plants that bloom for however a concise

time. Yet, having enduring blossoms that sprout all late spring gives us

more space for mistake. Simply plant these workhorses in a place where

they will be glad and let them take the necessary steps for you.

Growing a cut flower garden

My late aunt was known for her love of gardening. I have written about her backyard before in this column because it was overflowing with flowers of every shape and size.  Flower arrangements were her specialty.

Every Saturday until the age of 102 she would put vases together for Sunday morning church from her own yard full of daisies and roses.

After her journey here had ended, I brought home her favorite vase, broken and mended again and again over many years. It now holds a special place in my china cabinet to remind me of the joy she received when she was able to share her bounty of cut flowers with her friends and family every week.

Even if you have the smallest yard, it is easy to cultivate your own cut flower garden to share with others, or to bring a little bit of the outdoors into your own home.

A cut flower garden can be thought of as that part of your yard or even a container dedicated to growing the specific types of flowers that can be cut and displayed indoors. There are just a few simple guidelines to follow.

Make sure when choosing plants that they can stand up to living in a vase. They should bloom on long, sturdy stems and not wilt easily when cut.

If you have enough room, try and include blooms for each season as well as different evergreens and grasses too for added texture and interest in your arrangements.

When harvesting your flowers, make sure you cut further down the stem than the length you think you need. You can always trim, but it’s harder (but not impossible) to add back on!

Collect your flowers and foliage in the morning so they are plump with moisture and will last the longest after cutting. Get them into water as soon as possible to prevent wilting and keep in a cool place until ready to arrange.

Watch your pets if you have a curious one like mine. My kitty loves to taste fresh flowers so I have to keep them far out of his reach for the protection of both the cat and my arrangements.

As long as the blooms will last cut in water, your imagination is the only limit to what you can use in cut flower arrangements.  Here are a few of my own ideas.

I love daisies, and they make beautiful cut flower presentations. Purple cone flower was one of my aunt’s favorites because of their vibrant color and sturdiness in a vase. Shasta and ox-eyes, black-eyed Susans, and Gerber are some other good choices.

Yarrow, bluebonnets, yuccas (both yucca and hesperaloe species), inland sea oats and mealy blue sage are easy to grow natives that make nice cut flowers and foliage options.

You can also trim some trees to use in arrangements, such as mountain laurel (flowers and foliage), red bud (blooms in early spring), possum haw and other hollies, junipers, and wax and Greek myrtles.

Roses are the traditional cut flower used for many years in arrangements for almost any occasion. While the floral high center roses struggle here in our heat and soil, we still have some good options to include in our arrangements.

Some of my favorites are Belinda’s Dream, Souvenir de la Malmaison and other Bourbon roses, Lafter and other Teas, and using the smaller bendable canes of Red Cascade. 

For More Information:- It's About Thyme

Amundson expands to fresh cut flowers

Barefoot Gardens greenhouse owner Melanie Amundson is pleased to announce the expansion of her business to include fresh flower arrangements and cut flower gardening. With spring and Easter approaching, Melanie reminds folks she is taking orders for Easter blooming potted plants and lilies.

Melanie will have a variety of fresh flowers for special occasions, holidays and funerals. “We will have corsages for school proms, homecoming and winter formals,” she said, “I would get flowers for weddings but I’m not ready to do the arranging because of time constraints.”

Melanie admits that confidence has been her biggest hurdle going into business, which, by the way, she is now in her seventh year. At her flower arrangement training, she received a nice compliment. “What are you worried about?” asked the trainer. “You are in an advanced class and doing just as well as any experienced florist.”

“That was quite encouraging,” Melanie said with a smile.

Corsage creations were just one of Melanie’s new experiences. “Prom corsages are going more toward the body jewelry,” explained Melanie. “My last class was on bending wire.”

The cut flower portion of the business is something that Melanie also enjoys and she shared that there is a need within the community. “I’m actually going to start growing the flowers,” she noted, “not necessarily wild flowers but flowers for bouquets.”

“I want to be out in the greenhouse and in the garden year round,” expressed Melanie.

Some of those cut flowers will include zinnia, plumed celosia, bupleurum, yarrow, statice, gomphrena, larkspur, snapdragon, Sweet William, sunflower, cosmos, coneflower, bachelor button, marigold, asters, phlox, delphiniums, lilies, peony, liatris, glads and various ornamental grasses.

Local purchasing is important to Melanie and cut flowers make good sense. It is important to note that 70-80 percent of fresh flowers sold in the U.S. are grown in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, the Netherlands and Israel and shipped in, creating a large carbon footprint with high transportation, refrigeration and storage costs. “Flowers purchased at a farmer’s market or a roadside stand are fresher, so they will last longer and have more scent,” said Melanie.

In the future, Melanie hopes to have her cut flowers on display at a local business and hopefully at Horseshoe Lake Inn Farmer’s Market.

For More Information:- Voyageur Press