20 Flowers for a Cutting Garden

Plant these flowers in your garden to yield endless vases filled with beautiful blooms.

By: Felicia Feaster

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Bouquets of fresh-cut flowers are sure to bring joy to your indoor spaces but can be expensive to purchase on a regular basis. Planting a cut flower garden in your yard is a far more economical way to regularly enjoy fresh flowers. Adding these beautiful bloomers to your garden also supports bees, butterflies and other pollinators, which is beneficial for the entire ecosystem. Read on to see which flowers we love to include in a cutting garden.

Sunflower

Sunflower 'Elegance'

Think 'Elegance' when you're looking for a compact sunflower with bold color. These plants reach 20-30 inches high, but offer lots of flower power with their gold petals and deep brown "eyes." The heavily-branching plants produce lots of flowers on long stems that are good for cutting.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Burpee

Image courtesy of Burpee

Sunflowers are a great flower to display alone or in small groups in a vase. Think 'Elegance' when you're looking for a compact sunflower with bold color. These plants reach 20-30 inches high, but offer lots of flower power with their gold petals and deep brown "eyes." The heavily-branching plants produce lots of flowers on long stems that are good for cutting.

LEARN MORE: How to Grow Sunflowers

Gladioli

Gladiolus 'Lola Montez'

Bring color to the garden with the gladiolus 'Lola Montez'.

Photo by: Longfield Gardens

Longfield Gardens

Gladioli grow from corms and form dramatic, tall blooms ideal for displaying in arrangements indoors.

LEARN MORE: How to Grow Gladiolus Flowers

Ageratum

‘Everest Blue’ Ageratum

‘Everest Blue’ is a tall ageratum that grows 20 to 26 inches tall. Developed for the cut flower market, it makes a terrific addition to planting beds, cottage gardens and large containers. Japanese beetles tend to avoid the hairy, quilted leaves of ageratum, but may rarely munch on the blooms. Ball Horticultural Company

Photo by: Ball Horticultural Company

Ball Horticultural Company

'Everest Blue' is a tall ageratum that grows 20 to 26 inches tall. Developed for the cut flower market, it makes a terrific addition to planting beds, cottage gardens and large containers. Japanese beetles tend to avoid the hairy, quilted leaves of ageratum, but may rarely munch on the blooms.

ALSO SEE: 25 Classic Cottage Garden Flowers

Sweet Pea

Fragrant sweet peas are the flowers for fond farewells. This custom began in Victorian times when departing friends would leave behind a bouquet of sweet peas in gratitude for their hosts’ hospitality. This spirit of thankfulness is reflected in the sweet pea’s status as the 30th anniversary flower: think of it as a way to say thank you for time well spent.

Photo by: Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds

The sweet pea is a vigorous tendril climber available in hundreds of varieties. It flowers in shades of red, pink, mauve, blue and white and is often scented.

LEARN MORE: Growing Sweet Peas Flowers

Daffodil

Narcissus

Narcissus may be the poster child for egotism, but his namesake flower (also known as the daffodil) has come to stand for a number of happier meanings: loyalty, friendship, joy. They’re a Chinese symbol of good fortune, although a lone daffodil is a bad omen. So spring for several if you give them as the traditional tenth anniversary gift.

Photo by: Photo courtesy of John Scheepers Flower Bulbs

Photo courtesy of John Scheepers Flower Bulbs

Daffodils are grown from true bulbs. After planting, a layer of chicken wire will keep critters from digging them up.

LEARN MORE: Planting and Growing Daffodils

Tulip

Mixed Tulips

A bed of mixed tulips paints a beautiful spring scene.

Photo by: Wouter Koppen for iBulb.org

Wouter Koppen for iBulb.org

Tulips burst with a variety of gorgeous colors making them ideal for a vibrant indoor arrangement.

LEARN MORE: Planting and Caring for Tulips

Allium

Allium Atlas

A field of 'Atlas' alliums.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Dig. Drop. Done

Image courtesy of Dig. Drop. Done

Dramatic alliums with their fat globe forms resting on slender stalks are ideal for cut flower arrangements.

Zinnia

Watch for Mildew

Zinnias bring glorious color to summer gardens and bouquets, but leaves are prone to powdery mildew. The time to treat for this disease is before you see it. Once powdery mildew starts, it’s really too late to eliminate it, but you might achieve some control if you start spraying plants. Look online for solutions, including traditional fungicides, neem oil, or baking soda sprays. In future, avoid planting zinnias too closely, and look for disease-resistant varieties.

Photo by: Photo courtesy of National Garden Bureau

Photo courtesy of National Garden Bureau

Zinnias come in a wide variety of colors with large, profuse blooms and are truly an easy-to-grow annual flower.

LEARN MORE: Planting and Growing Zinnia Flowers

Delphinium

‘Cobalt Dreams’ Delphinium

The flower spikes on ‘Cobalt Dreams’ stretch an impressive two feet, adding 2-foot towers of blue to plantings. This delphinium is part of the New Millennium Series, which tolerates heat and humidity, along with cold (hardy to Zone 3). Keep delphiniums looking their best by staking the hollow stems.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Dowdeswell's Delphiniums Ltd.

Image courtesy of Dowdeswell's Delphiniums Ltd.

Delphinium is a traditional, old variety producing tall spikes of purple-tinged, blue flowers with black eyes.

LEARN MORE: How to Plant, Grow and Care for Delphinium

Echinacea

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple coneflower boasts striking blooms with reflexed purple petals that surround a spiky orange-gold cone. This drought-tolerant perennial is hardy in Zone 4 to 8 and native to the Central Midwest. Blossoms beckon butterflies and bees.

Photo by: PerennialResource.com

PerennialResource.com

Echinacea, known as an herbal remedy to fight the common cold, provides brilliant color to any garden. Purple coneflower boasts striking blooms with reflexed purple petals that surround a spiky orange-gold cone. This drought-tolerant perennial is hardy in Zone 4 to 8 and native to the Central Midwest. Blossoms beckon butterflies and bees.

LEARN MORE: Growing Echinacea

Peony

Heirloom Peony

This spectacular heirloom peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) graces the grounds of the Biltmore Estate's Walled Garden.

Lush, feminine peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) provide serious bulk and glamor for any flower arrangement.

LEARN MORE: How to Transplant, Grow and Divide Peonies

Salvia

Salvia Blue Marvel

Salvia blue marvel from Darwin Perennials.

Photo by: Darwin Perennials

Darwin Perennials

Salvia 'Blue Marvel' is a perennial that is noted for its pretty purple flowers. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies.

LEARN MORE: Growing and Caring for Salvia Plants

Black-Eyed Susan

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Black-eyed Susans are perfect for naturalistic prairie-style planting schemes and provide beautiful, vivid color in bouquets.

LEARN MORE: How to Grow and Care for Black-Eyed Susan

Ranunculus

Ranunculus asiaticus 'Pink'

Plant ranunculus bulbs in the fall for a spectacular spring show. 'Pink' produces layers of delicate petals that are a hit at weddings.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Longfield Gardens

Image courtesy of Longfield Gardens

Plant ranunculus bulbs in the fall for a spectacular spring show. 'Pink' produces layers of delicate petals that are a hit at weddings.

LEARN MORE: Growing Ranunculus

Liatris

Blazing Star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’)

Count on blazing star to introduce vertical interest to your garden with its purple flower spikes. Butterflies and other pollinators mob blooms. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9, this blazing star variety tops out at 3 feet.

Photo by: PerennialResource.com

PerennialResource.com

Rose

'Natasha Richardson' Rose

This delicate pink rose is named for the film actress.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Felicia Feaster

Image courtesy of Felicia Feaster

This delicate pink 'Natasha Richardson' rose is named for the film actress.

Coreopsis

Presto Tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Presto’)

Tickseed is a native plant, which means it’s a snap to grow once it’s established. 'Presto' improves upon the true native with 2-inch-wide blooms that are semi- or fully double and make terrific additions to bouquets. Butterflies will definitely visit this perennial, which is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.

Photo by: PerennialResource.com

PerennialResource.com

LEARN MORE: How to Grow and Care for Coreopsis

Yarrow

Bitter-tasting yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has been used as as folk remedy to treat colds and flu and to lower fevers by inducing sweating. Tea can be brewed from the leaves or flowers, but you'll probably want to add honey or another sweetener. Like many herbs, scientific studies have not proven yarrow's medicinal benefits, so always consult a physician before using it, and do not give it to children.

From: Lynn Coulter

Photo by: National Garden Bureau

National Garden Bureau

A clump-forming perennial, the yarrow has flat, golden-yellow flowerheads that appear from summer to fall.

LEARN MORE: Planting and Growing Yarrow

Aster

Aster 'Ballad'

Flowers, like gemstones, are associated with birthdays. Find the flower that represents your birth month - or a loved one's.

From: Lynn Coulter

Photo by: Costa Farms

Costa Farms

Asters always provide brilliant color, but for a show year after year, grow perennial species.

LEARN MORE: How to Grow Aster Flowers

Dahlia

Dahlia 'Karma Sangria'

One of the delightful dahlias on display at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show.

Photo by: Image courtesy of Felicia Feaster

Image courtesy of Felicia Feaster

The 'Karma Sangria' dahlia is just one type of dahlia of a vast variety that make ideal cutting flowers. Each type of dahlia is classified in groups within the single or double flowering classification, based on shape.

LEARN MORE: How to Grow and Care for Dahlias