Seven Regenerative Blossoms to Cultivate in Your Yard

Long-Lasting Cutting Garden: A Guide to Perennial Flowers

For a blooming cutting garden that lasts throughout the season, consider choosing perennials known for their extended bloom periods and ability to regenerate after cutting. These plants offer sturdy stems and maintain flower quality in vases, making them ideal for cut-and-come-again arrangements.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a popular choice, with blooms starting mid-summer and lasting over 10 weeks. This drought-tolerant plant grows about 4 feet tall, providing long-lasting cut flowers suitable for back borders. Russian Sage is hardy in zones 5-9.

Another excellent option is the re-blooming daylily, such as 'Happy Returns'. This compact plant stands at about 18 inches tall and offers nonstop blooms from June to October, lasting over 4 months. It is drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.

Catmint (Nepeta) is also a great choice, as it thrives in almost any soil and provides spring blooms that last about six weeks. Cutting back encourages a second flush of flowers, making it a good cut-and-come-again option.

Hardy Geraniums are another excellent choice, providing waves of blossoms throughout summer when cut back after blooms.

Yarrow and Hyssop Anise (Agastache) offer long floral spikes, and cutting back after flowers fade promotes a second bloom.

When choosing perennials for your cutting garden, consider plants with sturdy, long stems for cutting, the ability to flower repeatedly after pruning, adaptability to your garden’s soil and climate conditions, and extended bloom periods (at least several weeks).

To maximize longevity, prune spent flowers promptly to encourage more blooms, cut flowers early in the day and place in water immediately for vase life, and start with a few plants and grow your collection over years, dividing and sharing to expand.

Some other perennials worth considering include Salvia, known for its striking deep blue or purple blooms and ability to attract beneficial pollinators, and Blanket Flowers, low-growing, fast-spreading cultivars that bloom profusely from summer into fall.

For those looking for a hassle-free way to start a cutting garden, consider the Native Cutting Flower Garden kit from Plant By Number, or the Flower Seed Bio Dome from Park Seed, which comes with everything you need to start a cutting garden from seed.

Remember, some plants like Lilies and Phlox are not cut-and-come-again and do not flower again in the same season. Lilies, commonly found in purchased cut flower bouquets and available in many colours, should be planted in well-draining soil in full sun in USDA zones 3 to 9. Phlox prefers well-draining yet consistently moist soil that is nutrient-rich.

Salvia, on the other hand, can be grown in USDA zones 3 to 10, and Orienpet hybrids bloom from mid to late summer, while Asiatic lilies bloom in early to mid summer. Some varieties of Phlox, like 'David', are mildew resistant.

Lilies are poisonous to pets, so it's essential to keep them out of reach. Phlox has a delectable aroma reminiscent of carnations and vanilla. There's a Phlox for almost every area of the garden, including creeping Phlox and taller summer or garden Phlox.

By selecting perennials such as Russian Sage, Daylilies like 'Happy Returns', Catmint, Hardy Geraniums, and Yarrow, you can create a cut flower garden filled with long-lasting, repeat-blooming flowers for continual harvest.