5 Easy to Grow Cut Flowers for Beginners
Have you ever wanted to try growing cut flowers… but didn’t know where to begin?
You’re not alone! Many people have asked me to share ideas about easy to grow cut flowers.
I’ll be the first to admit that growing flowers is not nearly as easy as it looks, but these flowers listed below will likely thrive and provide you with some beautiful blooms, even if you are a complete beginner.
After growing hundreds of different flowers, I’ve narrowed it down to just a few to get you started.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and you’ll likely want to branch out later and grow more varieties… but this is a great start!
The flowers on this list were chosen because:
They can be Direct Sown. This means you can simply plant the seeds in your garden, water them and they will grow. No need to start them indoors first or purchase transplants.
They are annuals, meaning they will grow from seed to bloom in one season.
They are beautiful in bouquets!
All of these flowers can be Direct Sown into your garden after the threat of a spring frost is over.
Don’t know when your Average Last Spring Frost is? Simply Google “average last spring frost ______________” and insert the name of your town.
Cosmos
Cosmos are by far one of my favorite flowers. The blooms are ridiculously romantic and endearing. They prefer to be Direct Sown and will provide you with weeks and weeks of blooms from just one planting. The more you cut them, the more they produce, so be sure to cut deep into the plant.
Cosmos are beautiful in mixed bouquets or in bunches all by themselves. They add whimsy, air and movement to mixed bouquets and I like to include them in almost every arrangement.
They come in a wide variety of pink, white, burgundy and even pale yellow. Some have single rows of petals, while others are lush and ruffled.
You can also use the lacy Cosmos foliage (leaves) as greenery for your bouquets.
Helpful Hint: Harvest stems/sprays of flowers right as they are beginning to break out of the bud stage (when you can just see the petals starting to unfurl). If harvested at this stage, you can expect 5-7 days of vase life. If harvested after the flowers are fully open, you’ll only get 2-3 days of vase life.
Favorite Varieties:
“Tip Top Picotee” Cosmos
"Apricotta” Cosmos
“Kiiro” Cosmos
“Afternoon White” Cosmos
“Double Click Mix” Cosmos
Zinnias
Everyone seems to love Zinnias! Their bright cheery colors seem to scream “Summer!” and they are easy to grow.
Zinnias prefer to be Direct Sown. They grow quickly and like Cosmos, the more you cut them, the more they produce, so don’t be afraid to cut deep into the plant. Deep cuts signal the plant to produce even more flowers!
Depending on where you live, Zinnias can succumb to Powdery Mildew during stretches of hot humid weather. Try planting seeds every few weeks to extend your growing season and remove diseased plants.
Helpful Hint: Cut Zinnias after they are fully open. Zinnias are considered to be a “Dirty Flower”, meaning they muck up the vase water quickly. Be sure to change the water daily or add one drop of bleach to the water.
Favorite Varieties:
“Oklahoma Salmon” Zinnia
“Oklahoma Carmine Rose” Zinnia
“Queen Lime Orange” Zinnia
“Sunset Mix” Zinnia
“Romantic Mix” Zinnia
“Rainbow Mix” Zinnia
Sunflowers
Sunflowers might just be the epitome of summer! Their bright cheery faces never fail to lift our spirits.
They also happen to be very easy to grow and they love to be Direct Sown. Unfortunately, many animals also like to eat sunflower seeds, so you may need to cover the planting area with a sheet or netting to save your seeds from birds and squirrels until the plants have germinated and established.
Sunflowers come in 2 categories: Branching (plant seeds 18” apart) or Single Stem (plant seeds 4” apart).
Branching will give you multiple blooms over a week or two. Single stems produce 1 flower per seed.
Direct Sow sunflowers starting at your average last spring frost date, and continue planting them every 2 weeks until mid summer to have a constant supply of blooms.
Helpful Hint: Harvest sunflowers when just 1 or 2 petals have started to lift/unfurl. The flower will continue to open in the vase and give you nearly a week of vase life. If cut when fully open, only expect a few days in the vase.
Favorite Varieties:
“Pro Cut Gold Lite DRM” Sunflower
“Ruby Eclipse” Sunflower
“Sunrich Summer Provence” Sunflower
Amaranth
Amaranth seeds may be tiny… but these plants can grow to nearly 8 ft tall!
These heat-loving plants grow best when they are direct-sown into the garden when the soil is warm. We usually wait until June or July to sow them. They grow FAST and will be towering over you before you know it! Be sure to provide them with some support and grow them at the back of your garden so they don’t shade out the other flowers.
They are lovely in fall arrangements or grow them for fall decor.
Amaranth comes in 2 main types:
Spike (or spire) - upright flower heads
Trailing - cascading, draping flower heads (these are in demand for large wedding arches and installations)
These fun, easy-to-grow plants are quite the conversation starter. They also produce seeds that birds love, and the leaves of the plant taste like spinach. If we have Amaranth leftover at the end of the season, we harvest it and feed it to our goats and chickens. :)
Helpful Hint: If you want to keep the plants smaller and shorter, I recommend pinching the plants (cutting off the top few inches) when they are about knee high. This will cause the plants to branch and produce multiple smaller stems, instead of one large stem.
Favorite Variety:
“Coral Fountain” Amaranth
“Fercita” Amaranth
“Autumn’s Touch” Amaranth
Amaranth in bouquets
Amaranth we forgot to pinch!
Ageratum
Ageratum won’t earn any awards for being the flashiest flower out there, but it is reliably productive! Plant it once, and you’ll have an entire summer’s worth of beautiful textural purple, pink, and white blooms that are absolutely perfect in bouquets.
This is a true “cut and come again” flower that will produce flowers for months if harvested regularly.
As a bonus, Ageratum is a “double duty” plant in the cutting garden. Its foliage is perfect for bouquets. We grow some Ageratum for flowers and some for foliage (we just keep cutting the plants and harvest before they form the flower heads). If you’re always searching for more foliage for your bouquets, Ageratum is your friend!
Ageratum thrives in hot weather, and it will readily self-sow.
Helpful Hint: Harvest when most of the fuzzy flowers are open.
Favorite Variety:
“Timeless Mix” Ageratum
Ageratum Foliage
There you have it! 5 easy to grow flowers that are sure to delight.
All of these flowers can easily be incorporated into an existing vegetable garden, if you have the room for them! You might even notice your vegetable garden becomes more productive because of the increased pollination from bees and other pollinators! It’s a win/win situation.
Best wishes and happy planting!
Ready for more?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
