Easy Annuals for Your First Cut Flower Garden
You know you want to start a garden and fill it with cut flowers, but there seem to be limitless options - where do you begin?
I’m here to help!
There are five varieties that I’ve found nearly impossible to kill once they’ve been established, and all put out beautiful blooms that look great in bouquets!
Zinnias
Zinnias are the standard for beginners to cut flowers. They are known for their pollinator-attracting vivid and bright colors, with almost every color of the rainbow available, but have recently been bred for softer, wedding and design-friendly colors as well. While the blooms will not tolerate a freeze, growers in nearly every season length can grow zinnias as they can be direct seeded or transplanted after growing 4-6 weeks indoors.
Zinnias are not overly particular about the richness of soil, do not require heavy watering (they actually prefer the drier side), and bloom profusely for several weeks before beginning to tire out. It’s no surprise this flower shows up on EVERY must-grow cut flower list!
Cosmos
Cosmos are an easy second pick. These delicate flowers look fragile, but it’s actually hard to go wrong! Cosmos generally come in shades of white, pink, and burgundy, and can be either single or double flowering varieites. Like zinnias, they can be direct seeded or transplanted after 4-6 weeks indoors, though UNlike zinnias, they can tolerate a light frost if well established.
Cosmos grow well even in poor soil, are not particular about a bit of over or under watering, and are incredibly productive. Non-flowering stems can even be used as greenery in bouquets, adding to their value in the cut flower garden.
Sunflowers
No cut flower garden would be complete without the addition of classic sunflowers. Sunflowers prefer to be direct seeded, and well established plants are relatively hardy and will withstand a light frost. They aren’t difficult to grow, the main concern is rodents stealing your seed!
There are two types of sunflowers: branching and single stem. Branching sunflowers will produce multiple flowers from one main stalk from one seed, while single stem sunflowers produce one flower from one stem from one seed. Single sunflowers are typically more uniform and better suited for arranging, while branching varieties are more productive for the space they take up. Single stem varieties are generally better for growing cut flowers, but in my experience branching varieties like Soraya and Moulin Rogue have also done well.
Calendula
Calendula is not a classic fan-favorite, but it is one of the easiest flowers to grow. In fact, the year I decided to not grow it, I grew an entire row because of how many self-seeded from the previous season! They direct seed extremely well and thrive in colder environments.
The difficultly isn’t in growing the plants, it’s keeping the pests away. Because of this, they are typically grown as a “trap crop” in vegetable gardens, to attract aphids to them and away from other crops.
Vegetable garden varieties of Calendula are usually short and not well suited for cut flowers, but there are several types that grow long stems and long flowers, so make sure to pay attention to the variety if purchasing seeds for growing for cut flowers!
Bachelor’s Buttons (Centaurea, or Cornflower)
Bachelor’s Buttons are probably the easiest flower of them all to grow. The seeds can be thrown on the ground, temps can drop below zero, and water can be given sporadically and these guys will still grow! Like Calendula, I’ve had to rip a lot out to prevent them taking over by self seeding.
These actually almost didn’t make the list, though, because of how painful they are to harvest. Not physically, but mentally, as each tiny stem yields a few small flowers, and a person can spend an entire day harvesting a single row of buttons. But the title of the post is “Easiest to Grow” and not “Easiest to Harvest”, so here they are!
Truth be told, I hate harvesting them, but continue to grow them because they are one of the best filler flowers. Any bouquet that needs a little something extra could probably use a few stems of Bachelor’s Buttons to make it complete!
BONUS: Snapdragons
Snapdragons are not the easiest to grow, but I really believe no cut flower garden would be complete without them. The seeds are tiny and require more time to grow inside (8 to 10 weeks), making them a little more difficult to start than zinnias or cosmos. Once they are transplanted outside though, they are a breeze! Snapdragons come in so many beautiful colors, are very cold tolerant and put out tons of long stems per plant all season long. It would be a shame to let the seed size stop you from growing these in your cut flower garden!
What other annuals can I grow?
While all of the varieties above can be grown in your area, knowing how to read plant descriptions and seed packages is the first step in determining what else you can grow. If you have a shorter growing season (less than 100 days), you should probably avoid plants that need direct seeding and require 120 days to maturity, since they won’t bloom or fruit in time. Your particular climate might not support plants that require long periods of cold or heat, so avoid those varieties. Other varieties do not thrive in climates with large temperature swings. Knowing your particular climate (high and low temperatures, and the range of overnight swings) and comparing them against a product’s description will help you be the most successful!
