Plants for a Summer Cutting Garden
Capture the beauty of summer in bouquets you can savor inside.
Related To:
Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata)
The brilliant purple blooms of clustered bellflower can stand solo in a bouquet and also combine well with other flowers. Clip stems when one-quarter to one-third of the flowers in a cluster are open. Top off vase water frequently; bellflowers are big drinkers. Average vase life: At least 7 days.
‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’ English Rose (Rosa ‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’)
‘Prairie Sun’ Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’)
‘Autumn Circus’ Tall Bearded Iris (Iris ‘Autumn Circus’)
Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale)
‘Star White’ Narrow Leaf Zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia ‘Star White’)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Long flower stems provide a perfect spiky element to garden fresh bouquets. If using leafy lavender stems in bouquets, remove all leaves below the water line. Clip lavender blooms when one-third to one-half of the flowers are open on a stem. Harvest stems to the length you need, but avoid cutting into old wood on plant stems. Average vase life: 5 to 10 days.
‘Diabolo’ Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’)
The dark leaves on ‘Diabolo’ blend beautifully with many brightly colored flowers. Leaves continue to open at the stem tip in the vase, so you wind up with bronze-green new leaves at stem tips and dark burgundy leaves down the stem. Stems last longest when held in plain water. Average vase life: 12 to 22 days.
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana ‘Miss Manners’)
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Tucking bee balm blooms into bouquets is like adding floral fireworks. The unusual flower heads bring long-lasting color to the vase. Clip stems when one-quarter to one-third of buds on an individual flower head are open. Average vase life: 5 to 9 days.
‘Patriot’ Hosta (Hosta ‘Patriot’)
Pink Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina)
The almost solid flower heads of fernleaf yarrow infuse strong texture into bouquets. Cut stems when half of the individual blooms in a single flowerhead are fully open. Slice the base of stems vertically about one-half inch. Remove any leaves below the water line. Average vase life: 10 to 14 days.