Top 5 Summer Flowers
Strawflower – Xerochrysum bracteatum
I fell in love with this flower from the moment I grew my first seed. Easy to start from seed and low maintenance, this annual is a must have in any cut flower garden. A heat lover, this annual doesn’t require any special care to bloom prolifically all summer long.
Strawflowers are a cut-and-come again annual flower. This means, as you cut flowers from it throughout the summer, the more they will continue to produce.
Often called “everlasting flower”, the name is well suited. These flowers maintain their color and crinkly petals whether fresh or dried. They can be cut at multiple stages of maturity, from closed to fully open, for a variety of different looks. Strawflowers hold up fabulously as both a fresh cut or dried flower.
Snapdragon – Antirrhinum majus
Snapdragons make a happy, colorful, spiked, annual flower. The blooms open from the bottom up creating a long lasting blooming period. Snapdragons are one of my favorites because they add a different shape to the flower mix, readily self seed, and can handle some frost.
Keep in mind, Snapdragons are geotropic which means they are sensitive to gravity. If you cut them, but the stems are not supported, they will bend. Once bent for a couple hours, they will stay that way. This only matters if you will be using them as a cut flower. If using as a cut flower, make sure to condition the stems in a tall bucket for a few hours to fixate the stems in an upright position before arranging in a vase.
Statice – Limonium sinuatum
There are many types of Statice and so far I have not met one I do not like. Here I will focus on one of the most common and recognizable types, Limonium sinuatum.
Statice is an easy to grow annual from seed. Like most of my favorites, it is an easy maintenance and low care annual. It comes in a variety of colors and shades of blue, purple, white, yellow, salmon, and pink.
It is possible to collect seeds from Statice and it is possible they will reseed in the garden. However, neither is as likely or as easy as other annuals on this list. They do make a fabulous dried flower that can be dried easily either upright or upside down.
Yarrow – Achillea millefolium
This is one of easiest perennials to grow from seed making it a very economical plant. In its native form, it is white, but it comes in a multitude of colors. Reds, oranges, yellow, hot pink, pastels, and the list goes on. Keep in mind that if you collect the seed from the plant, it may be true to the parent, but often the color will differ from the original flower. Yarrow blooms the same year when starting from seed in late winter/ early spring.
Yarrow is also quite versatile in its uses. It grows prolifically in the yard as a perennial bloomer, but it has other uses beyond the landscape. It holds up well as a cut flower lasting well beyond a week in a cut flower bouquet. It can also be dried by bunching it together and hanging it upside down for use as a dried bouquet or a craft project. It retains its color well as a dried flower.
Zinnia – Zinnia elegans
Growing Zinnia will make you feel like a true Master Gardener. They are quite easy to grow and a perfect starter annual flower for a beginner gardener.
Zinnia are a cheerful summer flower that can be found in many different colors and color combinations including pinks, oranges, reds, greens, yellows, and whites. They come in petite sizes of 1-2 inches up to 4-6 inches wide with heights ranging from 1-4 ft. They thrive on minimal care and hot, sunny locations.
I typically have many different varieties growing on my flower farm, but my favorites are the Benary’s Giant Series and the Queen Series. The Benary’s have large blooms of Orange, Lime, Red, Yellow, Salmon and Purple. Queen Series have stunning blends of color combinations of rose, peach, lemon, lime, and orange.
If flower heads are left to self seed, you will be blessed with flowers the next year. Keep in mind, the flowers will likely be quite beautiful but may not look like the variety you initially planted.
