Choosing The Plants For Your Flower Arranger’s Garden

Submitted by: John Schofield

A vase arranged with freshly-cut flowers from the garden immediately brings vitality to indoors. Many annuals and biennials can be used to produce cut-flowers, while shrubs with colorful foliage and berries add permanency to floral displays.

Annuals as cut-flowers

These are either hardy annuals that can be sown in spring where they are to germinate, grow and flower, or half-hardy types raised in gentle warmth in greenhouses in spring and planted outside only when all risk of frost has passed. There are many of these plants to choose from, including:

– Callistephus chinensis (China aster): Half-hardy annual with large, daisy-like flowers throughout summer.

– Calendula officinalis (pot marigold): Hardy annual with large, daisy-like, yellow or orange flowers throughout summer.

– Clarkia amoena (satin flower): Hardy annual, bearing single, double or semi-double flowers in pink, white, cherry-red or salmon during mid- and late summer.

– Consolida ajacis (previously known as Delphinium consolida, and popularly as larkspur): Hardy annual, developing spires of pink, red, purple or white flowers from early to mid-summer.

– Gaillardiapulchella (blanket flower): Half-hardy annual with large, daisy-like, brightly-faced 5cm (2in) wide flowers from mid-summer to autumn.

– Iberis umbellata (candytuft): Hardy annual with domed heads of red, purple or white flowers from early to late summer.

– Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist): Hardy annual with finely-cut leaves and large, blue or white flowers from early to late summer.

– Reseda odorata (mignonette): Hardy annual, with yellow-white flowers throughout summer and into autumn.

– Schizanthus pinnatus (butterfly bush): Half-hardy annual with masses of small, orchid-like flowers in a wide color range and marked or spotted with contrasting colors.

Herbaceous perennials for cut-flowers

These versatile and diverse plants produce magnificent flowers. Herbaceous perennials to consider for cut-flowers include:

– Achillea filipendula (fern-leaf yarrow): Lemon flowers in 10-15cm (4-6in) wide heads from mid- to late summer.

– Catananche caerulea (cupid’s dart): Button-like blue flower on long stems during early and mid-summer.

– Coreopsis verticillata: Bright yellow, star like flowers throughout summer.

– Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath): Massed white flowers in lax, clustered heads throughout summer.

– Solidago – Garden Hybrids (golden rod): Distinctive, clustered heads of yellow, feathery flower heads from mid-summer to autumn.

Colored foliage for floral arrangements

Many shrubs, climbers and herbaceous plants have variegated or single-colored leaves that are ideal for creating extra color in flower arrangements. For example, variegated ivies create wispy features at the fronts of arrangements, while colored leaves of hostas provide a denser effect.

Getting the best from cut-flowers

– Do not repeatedly cut flowers from the same plant, as the garden display will be spoiled. Rather, grow a few plants in an out-of-the-way corner, and cut principally from them.

– When cutting foliage from shrubs, take it from the back of the plant.

– Do not cut flowers from plants that are wilting – their stems should be full of moisture. Usually, early in the morning is the best time to cut them.

– Cut stems at a 45-degree angle, remove lower leaves and place them in a bucket of deep, clean water in a cool, shaded room for twenty-four hours before arranging.

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