6 Cut Flowers to Grow in Your Kitchen Garden
Cut flowers in a kitchen garden? Absolutely! So now that’s decided . . . you might be asking what are cut flowers? Cut flowers are really any flower that you’d like to cut to bring inside and place in a vase where it can be enjoyed for a period of time.
I love including cut flowers in my kitchen garden. And there are so many gorgeous options! I most often choose to grow those that have large and colorful blooms, long sturdy stems and a long-lasting vase time. These varieties usually qualify as show stoppers, and will take center stage in your floral arrangement.
Other plants and flowers also can be grown in your kitchen garden (or elsewhere in the landscape) to fill in an arrangement and set off your show stoppers. Flowers with multiple blooms or smaller blooms like Cosmos or Bee Balm will help your arrangement look fuller. And flowers that have blooms up and down the stem like Larkspur or Mignonette will help give your arrangement some height. Plus, consider using some kitchen garden herbs for greenery. Some of my favorites are Mint, Basil and Bronze Leaf Fennel.
Zinnias
Zinnias make great cut flowers. They’re available in a variety of colors, have super long and sturdy stems and keep well in a vase. There are 3 main types of Zinnia flowers: single - which have a single row of petals and a visible center; double - which have numerous rows of petals and no visible center; and semidouble - which is somewhere in-between with numerous rows of petals and visible centers. And did you know that Zinnias are used to symbolize lasting affection and thoughts of absent friends?
Growing Zinnias from seed is recommended as they don’t really like to be transplanted. And if you sow a round of seeds every week or so for several weeks, then you’ll be able to extend your flowers. Zinnias need full sun, a soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5, and love compost. Most of the time, Zinnias seeds are sowed about 1/4 inch deep and 6 inches apart but check the back of the seed packet as some varieties require more space. Fertilize lightly throughout the growing season to keep blooms coming all summer long.
Zinnias are pretty disease resistant, but proper spacing and not wetting the foliage when watering will help keep powdery mildew and other diseases at bay. Also watch for spider mites, but try not to spray unless you truly have an uncontrollable infestation. And as an added plus, Zinnias are deer resistant!
Dahlias
Dahlias make gorgeous cut flowers - whether by themselves or combined with other cut flowers like the ones highlighted in this post. Tubers are planted when the soil warms up from about April through May or early June in a sunny location. Dahlias also need staking and diligent insect monitoring - but they are so totally worth it! And it’s been said that a Dahlia symbolizes good taste.
Dahlias need deep watering several times a week (maybe more if it’s really hot) to get the most beautiful blooms. When plants get about a foot tall, pinch them back by taking off about 3 to 4 inches from the center. This will encourage branching and help increase flower production.
Plan to cut your Dahlias early in the morning when temperatures are still a little cool. Since Dahlias don’t really open much after you cut them, look for blooms that are almost all the way open. Check the backs of the Dahlia heads and choose the ones where the petals look new and fresh. If the petals look thin and papery and/or dry, that means the bloom is past its prime and won’t last very long in a vase.
For more tips on growing Dahlias, check out my post Growing Dahlias in Your Kitchen Garden.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus are super popular cut flowers to include in your kitchen garden. Ranunculus have showy blooms with layers of ruffled petals and are used to symbolize charm and attractiveness. Colors range from white and pastels to bold reds and yellows. Ranunculus bloom in early spring, but require a little care to get there.
In my area where winters are mostly mild (Zone 7), Ranunculus can be planted in the fall and overwintered with a little extra protection from cold weather. A low tunnel or frost cloth on hoops will work well. If temperatures dip below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, however, the Ranunculus corms will freeze and then rot once thawed.
Before planting, Ranunculus corms must be soaked in room-temperature water for about 4 hours. After soaking, the corms can be planted directly into your kitchen garden or pre-sprouted for earlier blooms. To pre-sprout Ranunculus corms, fill a seed tray with moist potting soil, sprinkle the soaked corms over the soil, then cover completely with more potting soil. Place the tray in a cool place (40-50 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 2 weeks, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. The corms will almost double in size and little white rootlets will develop. Once the rootlets are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, they are ready to plant.
Ranunculus corms should be planted about 9 inches apart and about 2-3 inches deep. They will start to flower about 90 days after planting. It’s a long wait but totally worth it - the vase life of Ranunculus is often as long as 10 days!
Anemones
Anemones are very similar to Ranunculus - not in looks but in how they are planted and grown. Anemones also can be planted in the fall and overwintered in your kitchen garden. They can handle temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit (Zone 6), and also will flower about 90 days after planting.
Anemone corms look like little shriveled brown acorns (where Ranunculus corms look like little octopus). Corms should be soaked for about 4 hours prior to planting and, like Ranunculus, also can be pre-sprouted for earlier blooms. When the little white rootlets develop, the corms will be ready for planting.
As with all cut flowers, Anemones will do best in raised garden beds with properly prepared soil. Corms are planted about 6 inches apart and about 2 inches deep. Be sure to plant the corms with the pointed end facing down.
Fall planted Anemone corms will begin to bloom in early spring and continue for about 8 to 10 weeks. Harvest Anemones as soon as the flower blooms open and you’ll get the longest vase life. Anemones are said to symbolize forsaken or forgotten affection.
Roses
Everyone loves a beautiful rose, although growing them can be challenging. I currently have 3 rose bushes in my kitchen garden. I started off with 8 - you do the math. Sigh. Unfortunately, Hybrid Teas (my first love) are the most difficult to grow in my area.
I’m not going to go into too much Rose growing info in this post other than to say if you love growing roses, then absolutely include them in your kitchen garden. Whether you keep them in containers, or have a special bed devoted just to them, a Rose bush (or 2 or 3) can be the perfect addition.
And when you’re thinking about choosing your Rose plants, here’s what I’ve found as far as color and symbolism: red - love; dark crimson - mourning; pink - happiness; white - innocence and yellow - jealousy.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers make strong, sturdy cut flowers. One of my favorite varieties is the Teddy Bear Sunflower (said to symbolize adoration). The blooms are fluffy and bright yellow-gold, and appear from mid-summer through the first frost.
There are 2 types of Sunflowers: branching and single stem. Most single stem varieties are pollenless hybrids, which means they don’t drop yellow pollen over everything. They produce 1 flower from a single seed, so if you want a continuous supply of blooms you’ll need to succession plant every 10 to 14 days. Branching varieties produce multiple blooms over a longer period of time so no succession planting is needed. These varieties also grow quite large, however, so they need lots of space.
All Sunflowers need full sunlight and well-draining soil to be productive. After the threat of frost has passed, sow seeds in groups of 3 to 4 and approximately 1/2 inch deep. When true leaves appear, branching Sunflower plants should be thinned so they are about 18 to 24 inches apart. Placing plants closer together causes them to compete for nutrients and not grow as large.
With single stem varieties you can control the size of the bloom by varying the spacing of the plants. Planting closer together will give you smaller blooms, while spacing them a foot or more apart will give you large dinner-plate blooms. Keep in mind though - the larger the bloom, the thicker the stem.
Taller Sunflower varieties (said to symbolize haughtiness) will need staking to keep them from falling over. Early on, place a stake near the growing stem. Use plant velcro or soft twine as the plant grows to secure it to the stake. Harvest Sunflowers when the first petals start to unfurl and remove the bottom 3/4 of the leaves from the stem - this will help extend the vase life.
Mix Sunflowers in with grasses, grains and maybe some amaranth for a really pretty vase arrangement. Then add a few smaller, darker flowers to set off the Sunflower’s stunning yellow.
Edible Flowers
Added bonus . . . Some of the cut flowers you may choose to grow in your kitchen garden may be edible! For example, all rose petals are edible - although they definitely will not all taste the same. If you like the smell of a particular rose, you’ll probably like the way it tastes. Rose petals will taste slightly sweet and can be eaten raw, or mixed into various salads, or dried and then added into mixed herbs. You can also muddle rose petals and infuse various alcohols like vodka or gin, or use them as is to make individual drinks.
Dahlia blooms also are edible. You can use these brightly colored blooms as cake decorations or garnishes in salads. You can also crystalize them! Zinnias are another edible flower, although they can have a very bitter taste. As a result, your pretty Zinnias are best used as a garnish.
Sunflowers are another edible plant. Often the seeds are toasted or used for seed butter, but you also can eat sunflower buds, petals and the leaves. When eating the leaves, however, be sure to eat the younger sprouts as mature leaves can be a little tough.
Other edible flowers include Marigolds, Nasturtium, Calendula, Lavender, Bee Balm, Pansies and Violas. Just be sure not to eat any Ranunculus or Anemones - every bit of these cut flowers is poisonous.
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