Brian Minter – Nothing represents a hug better than a beautiful batch of cut flowers

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Perennials are now playing many different roles in our gardens, from providing longer bloom periods and sequential color to being pollinator attractors and sources of bird-friendly seeds and nesting materials. It is also important that perennials provide a growing supply of cut flowers.

For years, I’ve watched local growers produce a steady stream of perennial cut flowers for the local flower auction, which draws buyers from all over western Canada and the United States. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the wide range of cut flowers for home gardens available from seeds and annual starters, and promised a follow-up to perennial cuttings.

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The great thing about perennials is the fact that they increase in size year after year, creating a much larger number of cuttings over time. With a little strategic planning, you can enjoy a continual supply of cut perennials from April well into fall.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a family that has certainly gained popularity, not only for its growing color options, but also for the extended flowering period of some varieties. The New Vintage series has four colors, including white. They grow up to 28 inches and repeat bloom from April well into September. Proven Winners has also added some nice colors, including Firefly Amethyst, which changes from lavender to pink, and Firefly Peach Sky, a lovely peachy orange that ages to yellow.

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Astilbes, in all shades of pinks, reds, lavenders and creams, will beautifully accent any bouquet. White astilbes are the most popular. Some varieties, like Mighty Pip, will grow 30 inches tall and are ideal for larger bouquets. Astilbes do best in lightly shaded garden locations. From the earliest to the late blooming varieties, you can enjoy a three month string of these luscious blooms.

Delphiniums have also gained popularity, especially their blue and purple varieties. They love a sunny, well-drained spot, and when cut back in mid-June or early July, they often bloom again in August and September. The New Millennium series has a wide range of colors, and today we have good pinks like Pink Punch, deep blues like Cobalt Dreams and deep purples like Pagan Purples. Next year, a new hot coral will be introduced, called the Red Lark.

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Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum superbum) have always been highly prized cut flowers, and there are a host of new varieties. We seldom see the old L. Esther Read, but we do have some much improved varieties. Standing approximately 16 inches tall, the pure white Whitecap Daisy is a newcomer that blooms from March through October. Next year, there will be a new introduction, called the Sunshine Freak, which grows about 12 inches tall, has quite an attractive yellow and white coloration, and blooms from April through August. I love the tall (26 inches) L. Santé, with its double white spider-like flowers and very strong stems. Proven Winners’ amazing Banana Cream is a distinctive lemon yellow that fades to a nice cream. It has 28-inch long stems and flowers for a period of six weeks.

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Peonies are, perhaps, the most expensive and most in-demand flowers. They have just finished blooming and it is a good time to plant them for next year’s blooms. For the best flower production, peonies thrive in open, porous, well-draining soil that isn’t too rich. There are plenty of old favorites, like P. Festiva Maxima (a red flecked with white), Kansas (a double red), Sarah Bernhardt (a double apple blossom pink), and Dr. Alexander Fleming (a double fragrant pink). Coral-colored peonies, like Coral Sunset, and yellow peonies, like Bartzella (a semi-double hybrid), are a bit more rare.

Perennial phlox has become very popular as a cut flower, and one of the best is P. David, a tall, pure white, disease-resistant variety that was once voted Perennial of the Year. Disease resistance, especially mold resistance, is one of the most important considerations when evaluating garden phloxes today. The Super Ka-Pow series, from Darwin Plants in Holland, is available in six colors, grows 18 to 20 inches tall, is highly disease resistant, and flowers from June to August. The compact Flame series has a wide selection of colors, grows up to 18 inches tall, blooms in midsummer, and is highly resistant to mildew. Proven Winners’ Luminary series grows about 30 inches tall, blooms in mid to late summer, and comes in a vibrant pink and pretty punchy Ultraviolet variety. They all have a pleasant, mild scent and make great bouquets.

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As we move into the latter part of summer, tall sedums have been overlooked as cut flowers for far too long. Cut when in tight buds, the flowers open beautifully in shades of pink, such as Autumn Joy, and shades of purple, such as Matrona and Night Embers. Its foliage can be green, bronze or black. As cuttings, they last a long time and mix well with so many other summer flowers.

Speedwells also make wonderful cut flowers. Averaging 18 to 24 inches tall, they last surprisingly long and come in a wide range of colors, from the purest whites to the deepest blues like Moody Blues and the warmest pinks like Skyward Pink. They have a long shelf life and add a touch of elegance to any bouquet or arrangement.

There are many other perennials, such as rudbeckias, salvias, and coreopsis, that produce attractive cut flowers, but over the years, watching our local growers and using their excellent cut flowers, I think the varieties I’ve mentioned here have become they have become the backbone of the BC cut flower industry.

Even if you only plant a few of these varieties, they are perennials that you can enjoy year after year. Spring, summer, and fall, you’ll always have the opportunity to cut off a few stems and bring them inside to enjoy, or better yet, share with your friends and neighbors. Remember, flowers are the new ‘hug’.