Lori Hernandez 12/30/23 Lori Hernandez 12/30/23

How to Grow Salpiglossis

How to Grow: Salpiglossis (Salpiglossis sinuata)

Pronunciation: sal-pi-gloss-us

INTRODUCTION

Never heard of Salpiglossis before? Join the club!

It goes by many names, including “Painted Tongue Flower”, “Velvet Trumpet Flower” and even “Stained Glass Flower”.

Salpiglossis is an unusual flower with an unusual name… and it’s perfect for people who like to grow things that are a bit, well… unusual!

I’ve grown hundreds of different types of flowers on my farm, but Salpiglossis wins the award for the most people saying “Oh my gosh, WHAT IS THAT?!? It’s STUNNING!!!”

Yes, indeed, they ARE stunning. There’s no other flower quite like them! Each bloom looks like it was hand-painted with the utmost care and precision.

Salpiglossis is native to South America (Chile and Argentina) and it’s actually related to Petunias. Once you grow it, you’ll notice it has slightly sticky stems and the flowers are similar to Petunias. But unlike Petunias, Salpiglossis grows tall, long stems that work in cut flower arrangements.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Salpiglossis for cut flower use.

PROS

They are unique and delightful.
They add a special touch to bouquets.
They are a wonderful addition to the cutting garden or flower garden
They are easy to grow.

CONS

They have slightly sticky stems, which can be a turn-off to some people.
They are not particularly long-lasting in the vase.
They don’t handle heat well. On our farm, they bloom in early summer, then fade during the heat of summer (however, if cut back in mid-summer, they may rebloom in the fall!)

CHOOSING SEEDS

Here is my favorite Salpiglossis to grow for cut flower use:

“Royale Mix”
“Superbissima” (this color combination was my favorite for cut flower use)

I’ve tried other varieties but found the colors too difficult to incorporate into bouquets. However, they would be lovely in a display garden!

HOW TO SOW

How to grow Salpiglossis seems to be a bit of a mystery! Every source I’ve combed over seems to offer contradictory information. To me, that simply indicates there are LOTS of different ways to grow it ;) So be willing to experiment!

Over the years, I’ve noticed that Salpiglossis tends to act like a Hardy Annual in my growing climate, and shows some frost-tolerant qualities. In the future, I may experiment with Winter Sowing the seeds or overwintering them in our unheated hoophouse.

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Salpiglossis seeds are tiny (like dust!), so I don’t recommend direct sowing.

Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost. Sow the seeds on the surface of the seed-starting mix, 1-2 seeds per cell, and press them down to make sure they are in contact with the mix. Cover very lightly with a scattering of vermiculite or seed-starting mix.

Many sources suggest that the seeds germinate best in darkness. This is easy to achieve by simply covering the tray with another tray.

Seeds take about 7-14 days to germinate. Once they germinate, move the tray under lights or into a sunny space.

Transplant after the threat of frost.

PLANT SPACING

Plants grow best at 6-9 spacing. Closer spacing will encourage longer stems.

GROWING ON

Salpiglossis grows best in fertile soils with average watering.

I have not experimented with pinching them, so I can’t offer any feedback at this time.

Salpiglossis will need netting or support to keep the plants upright. This does make harvesting a bit cumbersome, but you’ll be glad you did it.

It’s important to harvest stems each week to keep the plants productive longer over the growing season. Salpiglossis can handle some heat but thrives in the cooler temperatures of late spring/early summer and early fall.

STAGE OF HARVEST

When the top few blooms on the spray/stem are open. The other blooms will open up in the vase. Salpiglossis is very popular with pollinators, but unfortunately, once a bloom has been pollinated, it will decline rapidly. This is why I suggest harvesting the stems when only 1-2 blooms have opened.

POST-HARVEST CARE

Salpiglossis requires no special post-harvest care. If the stem is harvested before most of the blooms are pollinated, you can expect a vase life of about 5-7 days. If the blooms were open when harvested, expect a vase life of about 3 days.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

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.

I'm ready to grow!

Lori Hernandez 12/28/23 Lori Hernandez 12/28/23

How to Grow Scabiosa

How to Grow: Scabiosa

Pronunciation: skab-ee-oh-sah

Few flowers can match the beauty and charm of Scabiosa. These whimsical blooms may not be the biggest or flashiest flowers in the cutting garden, but they are fabulous in bouquets and lovely to behold in the garden.

They are also a favorite of pollinators. On our farm, the Scabiosa patch is a hot spot for butterflies galore!

There are 3 main types of Scabiosa (also called “Pincushion Flower”).

Annual Scabiosa/Pincushion (Scabiosa atropurpurea): This is the most popular type for cutting gardens and the type that will be discussed in this blog post.
Perennial Scabiosa/Pincushion (Scabiosa caucasica): This type is a perennial plant that comes back each year (Zone 3-7). Usually identified by the name “Fama Series”
Starflower (Scabiosa stellata): Annual type grown primarily for its seed heads, not the blooms (pictured below).

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Scabiosa for cut flower use.

PROS

They come in a multitude of colors.
They are easy to grow.
The plants are productive for a long period of time, if continually dead-headed (more about this later…)
They are charming in bouquets.
They have a good vase life of 5 -7 days.

CONS

They bloom profusely and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with deadheading!
They need to be netted or they will fall over.
They get tangled in the netting and can be a real challenge to harvest.

20180721_095925+%281%29.jpg — “Merlot Red” **Scabiosa**

CHOOSING SEEDS

Most Scabiosa seeds offered by seed companies will “make the cut”.

Here are a few of my favorite Scabiosas to grow for cut flower use:

“Merlot Red” (by far my favorite variety, as the stems are sturdier and less likely to get tangled up)
“Black Night”
“Fata Morgana”
“Snowmaiden”
“Salmon Rose”
“Beaujolais Bonnets”
“Cutbrite Mix”

HOW TO SOW

Scabiosa is a summer blooming flower. They are not frost hardy, so do not plant them too early in the season.

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Scabiosa is versatile and can be transplanted or direct sown.

Transplants are best for most climates. Start seeds indoors about 4 weeks before the last spring frost. Transplant after the risk of frost is over.

Direct sowing is possible. Sow seeds in the ground after the threat of frost is over.

While plants can produce for a long time, they do decline over the season. It’s best to plant 2-3 successions (batches) of seeds, about 3 weeks apart. This ensures you will always have some in bloom.

Scabiosaseed “pods” are a bit odd looking (kind of like little rocket ships!) and people wonder how to plant them. Up? Down? I usually lay them on their side. The actual seed is tiny and hiding inside the weird looking seed “pod”.

PLANT SPACING

Scabiosa should be grown at 9-12” spacing. Be sure to provide some sort of support with netting or the plants will flop over into a tangled mess.

We use Hortnova trellis netting stretched over the bed with stakes. Immediately after planting seeds or transplants, put the netting in place, hovering at about 12-18” high.

GROWING ON

After the transplants are established and growing, it’s helpful to “pinch back” the center stem of the plant when they are less than 8” tall. To pinch, simply use clippers to remove the top of the plant, only leaving 2-3 sets of leaves behind.

Plants that are pinched are more productive than plants that are not. Experiment for yourself - pinch half the plants and leave the other half alone. The un-pinched plants will bloom earlier, but the pinched plants will be more productive.

If flowers are harvested and spent blooms are “deadheaded” (removed), the plants will continue to send up blooms until frost or cold weather arrives.

Keeping up with deadheading is the HARDEST part about growing Scabiosa.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Scabiosa is unique because it can be harvested at several stages. All stages are acceptable and have their charms.

Bud (this is when they really look like a “pincushion”)
Flowering
Seed head (these can look very interesting in arrangements!)

As with all cut flowers, be sure to cut deeply into the plant between 2 sets of leaves, cutting stems at least 18” long. Deep cuts signal the plants to produce MORE flowers to replace the one you just cut.

When you make deep cuts, you will end up with a stem with multiple blooms. This is the easiest and most efficient way to harvest Scabiosa and keep the patch manageable. You may be tempted to cut single blooms, but things will get out of hand quickly if you don’t make deep cuts.

POST HARVEST CARE

Scabiosa requires no special treatment after harvest.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

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.

I'm ready to grow!

Lori Hernandez 12/26/23 Lori Hernandez 12/26/23

How to Grow: Snapdragons

The unsung hero of the cutting garden!

How to Grow: Snapdragons

Snapdragons are the unsung hero of the cutting garden. In fact, they are one of my favorite cut flowers!

I’ve always wondered why they were not more popular… Maybe it’s because they don’t have a “round shaped” bloom, like a Daisy, Zinnias, Sunflower, Rose, etc.

Let me tell you though, these beautiful “spike” type flowers will bring your bouquets to the next level. It’s important to have a variety of lines and shapes in bouquets and Snapdragons are the perfect addition.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Snapdragons for cut flower use.

PROS

They come in a multitude of colors.
They are perfect for bouquets.
They have an excellent vase life, sometimes lasting 2 weeks if harvested at the proper stage.

CONS

They can be a little tricky to start from seed. If you are a beginner at seed starting, I recommend skipping these until you’re more skilled and confident.
They can be difficult to find as transplants. You might be able to find transplants at your local nursery, but many of the varieties offered at nurseries are bred for landscape use, not cut flower use (you want to choose varieties that reach at least 18” tall).
They slow down in the heat. If you live in a place with hot summers, they may stop blooming. Here in Michigan, they bloom in June, slow down considerably in July/August, then bloom again in September. They are frost hardy and I’ve even had Snapdragon blooms all the way into November!

CHOOSING SEEDS

As mentioned above, you want to choose varieties that will reach at least 18” tall for cut flower use.

Snapdragon seeds often come in a mix of assorted colors, as well as single colors. Here are my favorite Snapdragons to grow for cut flower use:

HOW TO SOW

Snapdragons can be a little tricky to start from seed. For best results, I like to keep the seeds in the freezer until I’m ready to sow them. This mimics their natural life cycle of germinating after a season of cold temperatures.

Snapdragon seeds are absolutely tiny. Seriously, they look like dust. It will make your eyes cross when you’re planting the seeds! Be sure to put on your glasses!

I sow 2 seeds per cell (they don’t need to be thinned, if both germinate).

To sow them, I put the seeds in a small dish or jar, lick the end of toothpick and use the toothpick to pick up 2 seeds. No, I am NOT joking! I wish I was! This is the best method for sowing tiny seeds, like Snapdragons and Poppies.

Gently transfer the seeds to the cell and sprinkle a dusting of soil over them, so they are not completely covered.

Because Snapdragons take so long to grow, direct sowing is not recommended.

Transplants should be started 8-10 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost. For example, our Average Last Spring Frost is May 15, so I need to start my Snapdragon seeds indoors in early to mid March.

PLANT SPACING

Transplants should be spaced at 6-9” apart. Close spacing encourages longer stem growth.

GROWING ON

Once the transplants have a few sets of leaves and have been hardened off, they can be planted outside. They are “frost hardy” and can handle a light frost.

After the transplants are established and growing, it’s important to “pinch back” the plants. To pinch, simply use a clippers to remove the top of the plant, only leaving 2-3 sets of leaves behind.

Pinching signals the plant to go into overdrive and send out multiple branches, with multiple blooms.

Check out the plant in the photo below - this was taken a few weeks after pinching and now the plant has tons of branches that produce lots of blooms.

Some people leave a few unpinched on purpose, simply to get early blooms. This is a good way to extend the bloom time of your Snapdragons.

After the spring/early summer flush of blooms, Snapdragons take a break during the summer heat. You can pinch back the plants again to 2-3 sets of leaves… and they will bounce back in the fall, sending up another flush of blooms.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Snapdragons should be harvested when 1-2 florets on the stem has opened. The rest should still be closed. As always, harvest in the cool of the day - morning or evening.

“Madame Butterfly Bronze with White” **Snapdragon**

POST HARVEST CARE

Snapdragons require no special care after harvesting.

QUESTIONS?

Questions or comments? Leave them below and I’ll get back to you!

Ready for more?

I'm ready to grow!

Lori Hernandez 12/24/23 Lori Hernandez 12/24/23

How to Grow Statice

Statice (Limonium sinuatum)

Pronunciation: stat-us

INTRODUCTION

Before you think to yourself “This plant is boring!” and click away…

Hold up, friend.

While at first glance Statice may look boring, unimpressive and downright old-fashioned (and to be honest, some of it is), I urge you to give it a try!

On our farm, we consider Statice our bouquet-making MVP (most valuable player). During the growing season, we harvest bucket loads of it every single week and we use every single stem in our bouquets.

I find Statice to be one of the most useful “Filler” type flowers you can grow. The role of Filler flowers is to complement and enhance the “Focal” flowers (the big flashy flowers that get all the attention). Statice doesn’t mind playing a supporting role.

Statice also is a dual-purpose flower. Not only does it look great in fresh flower bouquets, but it also dried beautifully for dried flower arrangements. The papery-looking clusters will last for years.

I sure hope you try Statice and learn to love it as much as I do. We use it nearly every summer and fall bouquet we make on the farm!

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Statice for cut flower use.

PROS

They are very long-lasting in the vase. Once all the other flowers have died, Statice is still standing. You can pluck out the stems, hang them to dry and keep them for years as an “Everlasting Flower”.
They are a perfect filler flower to enhance and “fill out” a bouquet that is looking a bit sparse.
They are versatile and look good with almost any other flower.
They are easy to grow.
They are productive over a long period of time. While many sources say they are NOT “cut-and-come-again”, we find that plants will continue blooming for 2-3 months if harvested/deadheaded on a regular basis. This is likely climate-dependent and your experience may be different.
They come in a wide range of colors (although I do find some of the colors garish, so I stick to just a few super versatile colors).

CONS

They can be susceptible to Aster Yellows disease. Botrytis (fungal infection) can also be a problem.
They do not like overhead watering. This, along with wet poorly draining soil, can cause them to rot.
They don’t produce a lot of stems at the same time (so you’ll need to plant a decent amount of them to harvest from).

CHOOSING SEEDS

When choosing seeds, decide if you want to grow a mix of colors or stick with just a few colors. It’s really about personal preference.

Personally, I dislike most of the colors in the mixes and I now only grow 3 different varieties:

A white variety (goes with EVERYTHING),
an apricot variety (goes with all our warm-toned bouquets),
and a rose pink/violet variety (goes with all our cool-toned bouquets).

The following Statice series are a great choice for cut flower use:

“QIS” series (wide variety of colors)
“Seeker” series (wide variety of colors)

Here are the 3 Statice varieties I grow:

HOW TO SOW

Statice is a summer-blooming Annual flower. However, it does like a cool start to establish, so try to get the plants out into the garden before the heat of summer

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Direct sowing is not recommended. Instead, start seeds in trays about 6 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost Date. Transplant outdoors into well-composted beds after your Average Last Spring Frost Date.

Plants have a tap root, so take care to nestle them in the ground carefully when transplanting.

We usually plant 3-4 successions of Statice, about 2-3 weeks apart to make sure we have an abundant supply of Statice in bloom from June - October.

**Statice** seedlings a few weeks after transplanting

**Statice** about a month after transplanting

PLANT SPACING

9-12 inch spacing is recommended.

GROWING ON

Once the seedlings are well established, reduce the amount of watering, if possible.

Overwatering and overhead watering (sprinkler, hose, etc) can cause the plants to rot. Watering with drip irrigation or soaker hoses is best.

Netting or support is not necessary for Statice.

Pinching is not required. Most plants that have a “rosette” type growth habit (low-growing leaves radiating from the center of the plant, like Foxglove and Statice) do not require pinching.

QIS Apricot, ready for warm bouquet making

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest when most of the papery blooms on the stem are open, but before they begin to turn brown and look “tired”.

QIS Apricot in warm bouquets, Seeker Rose in cool bouquets

POST-HARVEST CARE

Like most cut flowers, always harvest in the cool of the day and allow the flowers to rehydrate in water in a cool location overnight before arranging.

Statice requires no other special care.

For dried flower use, hang small bundles of Statice upside down in a warm, dry location out of direct sun for about 2 weeks until they are fully dry. Dried flowers will last for years if kept out of direct sunlight.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

Ready for more?

I'm ready to grow!

Lori Hernandez 12/22/23 Lori Hernandez 12/22/23

How to Grow Stock

How to Grow: Stock (Matthiola incana)

Once you smell the intoxicating aroma of Stock, you’ll know EXACTLY why they are loved and adored! The smell is hard to describe… sweet… peppery… clove-like… However you choose to describe it, it's memorable and delightful!

It’s hard to believe that this beautiful flower is actually in the Brassica family, related to broccoli, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower.

Stock can be a bit tricky to grow, as it generally grows best in cold temperatures… and let’s face it, most growers are not thinking about planting flowers in late winter/early spring when they need to go in the ground. If planted too late in the season as temperatures are rising, the plants will fail to thrive.

Thankfully, there has been a recent introduction of a variety called “Anytime” Stock that has much more heat tolerance and can be planted later in the season.

It’s important to note that most Stock seeds will produce about 50% “Double” flowers and 50% “Single” flowers. Some growers will start 2x as many seedlings as they need and rogue out/eliminate the single flowering seedlings (there are very slight differences at the cotyledon stage. It requires years of experience to be able to tell the difference). Others just grow all of the seedlings and simply discard the stems with singles.

On our farm, we just grow them all and tuck the singles into bouquets. While they don’t look as pretty as the doubles, they still have a lovely scent.

PROS

They have a wonderful strong scent. Very few cut flowers have a scent, so this makes Stock especially valuable in bouquets.
They are beautiful in mixed bouquets or in vase by themselves.
They have a good vase life of 7-10 days
They are easy to grow IF you start them at the right time (very early in the season).
They are the perfect spring bouquet flower!

CONS

They are a one-and-done plant. They will not rebloom.
They need to be grown and planted early in the season, which can be hard for some people.
They do not tolerate heat. Once it gets warm, the plants decline rapidly (except the “Anytime Stock”, which has better tolerance).
Some plants will produce single flowers, which are not as desirable as the double flowers.

CHOOSING SEEDS

The following Stock series are a great choice for cut flower use:

Cheerful
Iron
Katz
StoX

Here are a few of my favorite Stock to grow for cut flower use:

“Anytime Mix” (bred to have better heat tolerance, which allows a wider range of planting time. Ideal for home growers)
“Iron Mix”
“Iron Rose Pink”
“Iron Pink”
“Iron White”
“Stox Champagne”
“StoX Rose”…

HOW TO SOW

Stock is easy to start from seed. The trick is to remember to start the seeds early enough in the season!

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Start seeds as transplants about 8-10 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost. Do not direct sow.

Sow 2 seeds per cell. Stock doesn’t mind growing with a buddy. Germination should take about 10-14 days.

Plant out the seedlings when they are about 4-6 weeks old. It should be cool (about a month before your Average Last Spring Frost), as they require about 2-3 weeks of temperatures between 40-55F to promote flowering. They are frost tolerant, but if it gets well below freezing the plants may need to be covered with a sheet at night.

Since Stock is a one-and-done plant, you may want to plant 2-3 successions about 2 weeks apart. However, remember that planting them too late in the season will often fail because of excessive heat.

If you have a long, cool spring, you may be able to squeeze in 3 successions. But if your weather goes from freezing to broiling (like ours does in Michigan!), you may only get one planting.

**Stock** seedlings ready for transplant

PLANT SPACING

Stock can (and should!) be spaced close together. We plant 2 seedings in the same planting hole, every 6 inches. This year, I’m going to try 4 inches because even at 6 inches, there is wasted space.

GROWING ON

Stock likes to grow in well-composted, fertile growing beds. Fertilizing is minimal since it’s a one-and-done plant.

Netting or support can be helpful but not completely necessary.

Pinching is NOT recommended for Stock, unless you are growing a variety that is listed as “branching” or “spray-type”, such as “Quartet”.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest the stems when about ⅓ of the blooms are open. The other blooms will open up slowly in the vase. Strip the leaves from the stem to make sure there are no leaves in the bucket or vase that could rot (remember that they are related to broccoli and cabbage… and you know what rotting broccoli and cabbage smell like!)

**Stock** "Anytime Mix" (Unheated hoophouse grown on the left, field grown on the right)

POST-HARVEST CARE

Besides frequent water changes, Stock requires no other special post-harvest care.

**Stock** "Anytime Mix" blooming in August!

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

Ready for more?

I'm ready to grow!