Summer Annual Cut Flower Plants

Good Cutting Flowers for Indoor Arrangements

Feb 2, 2007

Add some summer blooming annuals to your garden for beautiful indoor cut flower plant arrangements. See five of the best annuals and tips for cutting and care.

One of my favorite things about having a garden is the ability to cut flowers for indoor arrangements. It is easy to add a few flowering plants to your garden that will last in a vase. All of the annuals mentioned in this article last five or more days in a vase of water.

This is Part One and will cover summer blooming annuals that are generally not cold hardy. Part Two covers the cool season annuals that bloom in spring and fall and don’t take the heat of summer as well.

Summer annuals will usually grow quickly, bloom and then die with the first frost. There are many summer annuals that make great cut flower plants but here are five of my favorites.

Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus) – This old-fashioned favorite has been used in American parlor and cottage gardens for ages but also makes a lovely cut flower plant. Easy to grow and tolerating part shade, these particular plants are also somewhat hardy and may return each year due to self-sowing. Grow the larger varieties of bachelor’s button plants like ‘Blue Boy’ which grows 2’ tall. This makes it easier to arrange the cut flowers. Bachelor’s button flowers are also often used in dried flower arrangements after hanging in a warm, dark place to dry.

Cosmos (Cosmos spp.) – In zones 8-10 cosmos can be grown as a perennial but most gardeners grow this cheerful flowering plant as an annual. Slower to bloom than some, the bright pink, red and magenta blooms of the Cosmos plant will be enjoyed late July through August and last five or more days in a vase. Two cosmos cultivars excellent for cutting are the ‘Versailles” series cosmos with extra sturdy stems and ‘Bright Lights’, a bright yellow form. Cut cosmos as soon as the flowers open.

Larkspur (Consolida ambigua) – Once known as “annual delphinium” this beautiful flowering plant was even known by the scientific name Delphinium ajacis but has since been renamed. Sow larkspur seeds in the fall for beautiful flower spikes in late spring. Larkspur plants bloom white, red or pink and are very appealing in a cut flower arrangement. Grow this lovely plant in sun to part shade but do not transplant larkspur or it may be overstressed and die. Larkspur will last as long as ten days in a vase. ‘Imperial’ series of larkspur are tall and sturdy but there are several good cultivars to choose from in a wide variety of flower colors.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) – A long-time favorite of gardeners the snapdragon is a great cut flower plant. Sold as bedding annual plants, they are often cold-hardy to zone 6 but rarely last more than two seasons before dieing. Snapdragons prefer full sun. Snapdragon flowers will be ready to cut in early summer. Be sure to select taller varieties of snapdragons such as ‘Rocket Hybrid’ which grow up to 3’ tall and ‘Lipstick’ with red and white flowers about 2’ tall. Cut flower stalks when half the blooms have opened and expect flowers to last six or seven days in the vase.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) – The giant sunflowers are not the best cut flower plants but the smaller, bushy varieties are excellent for cut flower arrangements. Sunflower plants grow best in full sun and well-drained soil and can be started indoors a few weeks before the last frost date. Cut the flowers as soon as the blooms open and split the end of the stems to allow good water absorption. Good sunflower cultivars for cut flower plants are ‘Valentine’, ‘Italian White’, ‘Sunbeam’, Autumn Beauty’ and any of the bushy plants with multiple blooms.

What success have you had using cut flowers from your garden (or your nieghbor's garden!)? See what happened to my brother and share your own story in the discussion thread.