My 5 Favorite Old Fashioned Annuals for a Cutting Garden

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I have a confession to make…

I love flowers but have no patience for fussy or high maintenance gardens. I need plants that will thrive under neglect, adapt to hot dry locations, and most importantly provide me with pretty blossoms that I can fill vases with and scatter around the house.

These 5 old fashioned annuals are basically the solution to my lack of green thumb, neglecting to water, and subpar garden location, and I can say perfect for any cutting garden. Easy to grow, these flowers will keep you in a supply of fresh flowers all summer for easy bouquets, and stunning arrangements.

Snapdragons:

I have a long history with snapdragons. My father grew snapdragons in his flower beds when I was young, and as an adult I have grown them for many years, and every summer I seem to fall in love with them all over again. The velvety flowers boast rich colors, and they come in three sizes, fitting whatever space you want to use them in.

The tall varieties (rocket) are perfect for a cutting garden, I usually buy a mix of colors, but find white to be especially striking.  The medium and short varieties look great in the middle of a flower bed, mixed with petunias.

Zinnias:

Zinnia’s brilliant colors not only look great in cut flower arrangements, but butterflies and hummingbirds also find them irresistible! These low maintenance fast growing flowers are so easy to grow they are often recommended for beginner gardeners. There are an unbelievable number of zinnia varieties to choose from in every shape, color and size imaginable. I am particularly smitten with ‘Polar Bear‘ this year.

Cosmos:

Hot, dry conditions, along with poor to average soil, are not a problem for this flower! While Cosmos look dainty and delicate these tough as nails blooms seem to thrive even under neglect. The cousin to daisies, these flowers usually come in seed packets in mixed colors, the most common mix is the “Sensation Mix” which includes a beautiful combination of white, pink, maroon and burgundy. These flowers add a light airy and definitely “country” feel to cut flower arrangements that I love!

Bachelor’s Button (cornflower):

Bachelor’s Button is a a European wildflower in the aster family that is such a robust plant that it is listed on USDA’s list of Introduced, Invasive, and Noxious Plants, and is prohibited in North Carolina. Growing bachelor buttons can be as simple as broadcasting seeds outdoors in spring. The plants freely reseed, making cornflower a low maintenance addition to your cut flower garden. One of only a few true blue flowers, the blooms are striking and long-lasting additions to cut flower arrangements.

Globe Amaranth

These flowers look remarkably like clover flowers, only bigger, and better. These flowers add rich color and texture to cut flower arrangements, and like every other flower in this post, are super easy to grow! You will usually find seedpackets of Globe Amaranth containing a mix of pink, purple, and white flowers. The flowers last a long time in arrangements, but can also be dried, if you are into that kind of thing.


What are you favorite flowers to grow? Do you like to arrange cut flowers?

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2 Comments

  1. Those have always been some of my favorite garden flowers. My mom had them growing profusely in her garden in Colorado. Unfortunately in our climate they just don’t do well. They are winter flowers here. I need flowers that love heat, and more heat for summer cuttings. I’m a bit jealous.

    1. We are definelty in a temperate climate, and sometimes we get all 4 seasons in one day ????
      I like to complain about the cold weather, but I would miss my lilacs, peonies and annuals too.