Growing your first cut flower garden can feel intimidating, especially if you’re a beginner gardener. Online, we’re constantly bombarded with seemingly perfect images. While many plants require quite a bit of planning to grow, there are lots of hot season flowers that can easily be grown from seed. Luckily, it’s possible to create absolutely stunning fresh flower arrangements with a few simple and easy to grow plants. Here are some of my favorite plants for the first cut flower garden.
Cosmos are one of the first flowers that I ever grew. They look absolutely adorable in cut flower arrangements – and best of all, they’re insanely easy to grow. They can be direct sowed as soon as all threat of frost has passed, and will germinate quite quickly. Additionally, they grow well in less than ideal soils – including the heavy clay that I have here in my yard.Â
Tithonia are another easy to grow flower that is one of my absolute favorites. Tithonia usually comes in either yellow or bright orange. When picked at the correct time, these gorgeous blooms can last at least a week in a cut flower vase. These flowers are also mega-attractive to monarch butterflies in the fall.
Amaranth are another flower than I grow for cut flower arrangements. Like the others, amaranth thrive in poor soil and will bloom well into the fall. These plumes come in a wide range of colors and look fabulous when used as filler in cut flower vases. Amaranth does have some pest issues in my garden. Most notably, the flea beetles can cause massive amounts of damage to the leaves. Fortunately, the beetles do not damage the actual flower. Amaranth can also reseed, a lot. Always make sure to check your local invasive species and noxious weed list before planting any flowers in your garden. Better safe, than sorry!