Our Top 10 Most Loved Cut Flower Garden Varieties To Grow From Seed
It's hard to pick my top 10 flowers to grow from seed, because I love them all!
But here are my absolute favourites.
I've chosen cut flower varieties, as there is nothing more rewarding than growing and harvesting your own cut flowers to admire or gift to friends and family.
Starting with Cosmos as my number 1, this would have to be the easiest flower to grow from seed and provides you with bountiful blooms all summer long.
Cosmos Cupcakes are available in blush or white and bloom in mix of pleated petals and some with sweet, tufted centres.
Cosmos Apricotta is a brand - new variety that gardeners from around the world are going crazy for! It's peachy apricot and pink centres are dreamy and a must have in the spring and summer cutting garden.
Another beautiful cosmos are the double click series, they form fluffy fully double and semi double blooms in a range of stunning colours- including cranberry, snow puff, violet, rose and mixed.
Number 2, Zinnia
Zinnia's are a stunning summer cut and come again bloom.
My favourite Zinnia varieties are the Queen series, including Lime with Blush, Salmon Rose, Red with Lime, Orange with Lime and more.
Zinnia Benary's have long, sturdy stems with a large fully double, dahlia-like bloom, these are a premium zinnia with low susceptibility to powdery mildew.
Zinnia Zinderella and Cresto series are another zinnia to add to the grow list, they have scabiosa like blooms, and come in a range of colours, including a peach and a lilac.
Zinnia Oklahoma a smaller bloom that have a very high amount of doubles and low subsceptabily to powdery mildew.
Number 3, The well-known Australian Native, Billy Button!
Billy Button, Pycnosorus globosus, also known as sun ball and drumsticks is another flower that easily germinates from seed.
Billy Buttons can tolerate harsh conditions and poor soil once established. They have long stiff wiry stems, making them a perfect cut flower that can be used fresh or dried, retaining their bright yellow colour once dried.
Number 4, Strawflower, also known as Everlasting Daisy and Paper Daisy. Another Australian native flower that is super easy to grow from seed. Strawflowers come in a large range of colours including Salmon Rose, Vintage White, Apricot and Peach, Deep Purple, Pinks, Copper, Scarlet... this list goes on!
They can grow up to 1 meter tall, so will need support and are a wonderful variety to harvest, hang and dry.
Native bees will thank you for planting this flower in your garden!
Number 5, Snapdragon Potomac series have beautiful tall stems for bouquets.
They can be a little tricky to germinate as the seeds are so tiny, it is best to raise seedlings, not direct sow the tiny seeds.
As light is required for germination, cover lightly with vermiculite. Bottom water the seedling punnets, as watering from above will either dislodge the seeds or lodge them too deep in the soil.
Harvest the snapdragons when 1/3- 1/2 of the spike are open.
Number 6, Rudbeckia, this daisy like flower blooms over a long period of time- right through to Autumn.
They come in so many interesting varieties such as Sahara, Marmalade and Gloria.
Number 7, Queen Anne's Lace.
This season I'll be growing Chocolate Lace which flowers in shades of dark purple, pink and white (this flower is actually a carrot!).
Green Mist foliage is full of blue-green hues and White Dill has crisp white lacy umbels, all making beautiful bouquet fillers or looking stunning by themselves.
Number 8, Sweet Pea
The scent of sweet pea flowers is absolutely divine. The more you pick the flowers, the more they will bloom- so just keep on picking and sniffing!
Number 9 - Sunflower
Very easy to grow from seed, best sown direct. Sunflowers bring all the bees to the backyard and are long lasting in a vase. Sunflower Teddy Bear would have to be my favourite!
Number 10 - Echinacea
Also known as cone flowers, have great vase life and make a nice dried flower.
I hope sharing my favourite flowers to grow from seed inspires you to grow some in your backyard, or in some big pots on your balcony.
Happy Growing!
Bec
