Best Perennials for Cut Flowers

A beautiful garden outside is wonderful, but it is even better when you can take that beauty indoors. There are many perennials that can be used for cut flowers. These perennials will look beautiful both inside and out and will provide color and texture to your garden for the whole season.

Be sure to clip long grass stalks, and the greens from plants that are no longer flowering to fill out your bouquet. You can throw just about anything from the garden into a vase or glass on your kitchen counter and enjoy how it looks. If you would like some more guidance, be sure to visit this site and look at their great floral design resources.

Liatris

Liatris, also known as blazing star, produces tall spikes of flowers in shades of purple, red and white. These flowers begin blooming a little later in the season but they produce many flower spikes that cut well and look beautiful as a standout cut flower.

This plant is easy to grow, and very hardy. It is drought tolerant, grows as a perennial in zones 3 to 9, and loves a full sun spot in the garden. I have grown this is a part shade location in my perennial garden and it still blooms profusely. In the garden they will attract butterflies and bees to your yard.

Yarrow

Yarrow is another hardy, drought resistant perennial. It’s strong, tall stalks, with multiple small flowers are a great cut flower and they can also be dried. This flower is available in many shades including white, yellow, red and purple. One of my favorite varieties is “Pink Lemonade” which has yellow and pink flowers.

This is a great perennial for the beginner gardener. It will return stronger every year and is easy to grow in zones 3 to 9. When you are planning a space for this plant, keep in mind it can reach three feet in height.

Yarrow is also wonderful for attracting native bees to your garden.

Lily

Everyone is familiar with the classic lily that you can purchase from your local florist. Now you can grow your own to cut and enjoy in mid summer! The benefit of growing your own is that there are hundred of different varieties to choose from. You can choose from all different colors, patterns and heights and then cut and enjoy them inside. Some lilies have a very strong scent, which many people love.

When you bring your lilies inside, be sure to use a kleenex to pull the orange pollen off of the flower as they will stain your clothes and table clothes very quickly.

Coneflower

Also known as echinacea, cone flower are another hardy and drought resistant plant for your cut flower perennial garden. These tall flowers are unique and create quite a statement both inside and outside your house. Coneflower is available in many shades of white, red and even green but the classic coneflower is in a shade of purple.

Echinacea will grow 2 to 3 feet in height and grows well in zones 3 to 9. They prefer a hot, full sun location but remember to water them well when you are helping them get established in your garden.

Peony

A peony is a beautiful addition to any garden, especially an English style garden. There are too many varieties to list, but they all make great cut flowers and add scent to your garden and home. You can grow peonies as a perennial in zones 3 to 8, and they prefer a sunny location with rich, moist soil.

When growing peonies, you should consider purchasing a cage to help them stand upright as the flowers become very heavy. Cut peony flowers first thing in the morning while the buds are still tight and enjoy them inside for about a week. These flowers can be quite expensive to purchase from a florist, so enjoy this luxury by planting your own for your cut flower garden.

Veronica

Veronica is one of my favorite plants for many reasons, but one of them is that it makes a beautiful cut flower. This plant produces tall spikes of flowers in mid to late summer, and if you continuously deadhead, it will provide you with many flower stalks.

The purple, pink, or white flowers will attract butterflies and bees to your property and will last about 4 days in cut flower bouquet. Make sure you purchase a tall growing veronica and not the ground cover variety, although the ground cover is beautiful, it will not produce flowers that will be good for cutting.