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🌱 Intermediate
✍🏼 Prepared by Taylor E
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Cut flower gardens make a great addition to your regular garden routine whether it be ornamental gardening or food gardening. Many cut flowers make great pollinators, edible additions to salads, and beautiful, colourful displays and bouquets.
Use this guide to learn more about how to integrate basic cut flowers into your garden. This is a list of beginner friendly cut flowers to consider.
Please note that all cut flowers should have access to full sun to avoid short stems and shorter bloom times.
*Intermediate+ level
https://www.marthastewart.com/1537569/best-flowers-cutting-garden
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/cosmos-plant-care-and-growing-guide
Cosmos are a beautiful, dainty flower. They can be used for cut flowers or the foliage can be used for filler in your bouquets and arrangements. Cosmos can grow very large depending on the variety, up to 6 feet, and come in a variety of colours. They respond well to regular cuts and will bloom from early summer well into the fall.
Direct sow seeds in the spring. Ensure plants will have full sun and space to spread out (up to 24 inches). You can also start cosmo seeds inside in early April to be planted outside at end of May. Consider integrating cosmos into your vegetable garden, particularly around greens or plants that benefit from light shade.
Individual flowers will only last 6 days in a vase, but ensure you cut stems that have multiple blooms to prolong their time in the vase.
<aside> 👩🏻🌾 Fun fact, cosmos self seed very easily. If you let a cosmo plant go to seed, you will likely see a few pop up the following year.
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[https://www.klorane.com/ca-en/ingredients/calendula](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpEtQOlcEzc938o5FxPWXTOQ9g3upDa-WI5g&s)
https://www.klorane.com/ca-en/ingredients/calendula
Calendula makes a lovely cut flower, providing a consistent colour and lower stem size. Calendula makes a great addition to your vegetable gardens and is a wonderful pollinator. It also self seeds well and is excellent for seed saving.
Calendula can be directly sown in early Spring, or started from seed inside in April to be planted out end of May. Blooms only last in the vase for one week but ensure you pick multiple bloom stems to prolong its’ time in the vase.
Calendula is edible and is used for a variety of holistic purposes. See Edible Flowers for more information.
[https://www.inmaricopa.com/master-gardener-french-marigolds-easy-to-grow-beautiful-yield-for-many-seasons/](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGTjeaIrfQOL1I_WURQp3aMZr6ydy1lRdipQ&s)
https://www.inmaricopa.com/master-gardener-french-marigolds-easy-to-grow-beautiful-yield-for-many-seasons/
Marigolds are a terrific companion to any garden and make great cut flowers, pollinators, and pest deterrents. They also self seed easily and provide an abundant amount of seeds.
Marigold seeds can be directly sown in your garden in the Spring, consider using them as a companion for your vegetable garden.
Ensure plants have full sun for longer stems, which will compliment your bouquets and arrangements.
See ‣ for more in depth information on growing this plant.
[https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/gardening-basics/bold-and-beautiful-zinnias](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7atODUHIE35C7dFEsyuZeiwGGw9ZX9-xT8w&s)
https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/gardening-basics/bold-and-beautiful-zinnias
Zinnias are a beginner cut flower favourite and are a beautiful, easy addition to your displays. Zinnia plants respond well to regular snipping and will bloom from early summer into the fall. Zinnias come in a variety of colours and textures, all very easy to grow.
Zinnia seeds should be started indoors in April and planted outside in late May. When snipping flowers, observe the stem for any newly formed stems and flowers, don’t snip below this growth.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bachelor-buttons/growing-bachelor-buttons.htm
Bachelor Buttons, also known as Cornflower, are little dainty flowers that make sweet little additions to displays. These flowers are very easy to grown but are a bit tricky to incorporate into large displays.
Bachelor Buttons can be direct sown in the spring or can be started inside in April, to be planted outside end of May. These flowers also self seed easily and will continue to pop up year over year.
When snipping flowers for displays, you will need to snip off multiple blooms at once considering the inflorescence of this plant.
<aside> 👩🏻🌾 The seeds produced by Bachelor Buttons or Cornflower look like little squids.
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