Best Cut Flowers for Your Late Summer Bouquets
Your best cut flowers for late summer bouquets are a mix of perennials and annuals.
This is good news! Right now, late August, you can actually still plant these perennials if you don’t already have them growing in your garden. Odds are your local nursery or Lowes/Home Depot may have these plants, and possibly have them at discounted prices. Score!
As for the best annual cut flowers, you’ll need to make a note of them for next year. It’s way too late to start planting them now. Unless of course you have winters that don’t freeze. Lucky you! For the rest of us northerns that have to deal with freezing temps (aka snow), it’s too late. Plan for next year! It’ll be here faster than you think. Dear God I hope so. I loathe winter.
Best Cut Perennial Flowers for August and September
If you’re a gardening newbie, welcome! Here’s a bit of background on what the hell a perennial is, just if you’re unsure.
Perennials are plants/flowers that live year after year. They grow spring, summer and fall, and then come winter, they die back to the ground. The roots stay alive and the plants will grow back, fresh from the ground, the following spring.
These guys are workhorses in the garden. You can plant them once, ideally, in spring or fall (less watering due to cooler temps and possible rainfall). And if they survive that first year, you should have a gorgeous plant for years!
Perennial flowers are low maintenance too. Generally, you can simply cut them back to the ground (leave about 3 inches of plant bottom so you know you have a plant there) in the fall or late winter. Those freak warm winter days in February are fabulous for garden maintenance! Anyone else going stir crazy by February?
Let’s take a look at 2 perennials that will give you loads of blooms.
1. Panicle Hydrangeas
Panicle hydrangeas may just by the very best cut flower for late summer bouquets. These hydrangea shrubs can grow up to 8 feet tall and wide and pump big, fat bloom heads for months.
If you don’t have the space for the big guys, there are lots of smaller versions too. Some get 4-5 feet, others as small as 2-3. But, if you are planning to cut from these perennial shrubs, I’d stick with the 4-5 feet and bigger varieties.
I wish I could show you big glorious hydrangeas in my yard, but sadly, the deer have been voracious and my plants are just starting to fight back. I have a few bloom heads, and yes, I cut them for bouquets! They are just that glorious!
I usually cut a stem about 12-18″ long and put it directly in water. And poof, a beautiful bouquet.
Seriously, if all you had was hydrangeas blooming, you could make gorgeous bouquets every week from just this one perennial. They are truly the best cut perennial flowers – – in my opinion, at least.
2. Black Eyed Susan
Some people love them, some hate them. Personally, I love a plant that wants to live. And this girl wants to thrive!
Black Eyed Susans have a yellowy orange color and bloom through Halloween (assuming we don’t get a hard frost).
I was given 2 bunches of roots from my friend about 6 years ago. I’ve been dividing them every year and now they are everywhere. Seriously, everywhere! Some people say these plants are too aggressive. They aren’t technically, invasive, but they do spread. I roll with it and keep moving them around. Free plants!
If you love them, you can buy just 2 or 3 plants and every spring cut chunks of the plant off and replant in a new spot. You can cover a lot of ground with these free plants.
And they are gorgeous in bouquets. And long lasting.
I know lots of people rave about coneflowers being one of the best cut flowers. But personally, I disagree. Mine turn brown by late August and just don’t have the staying power like black eyed susans. But you decide!
There really are no rules with how to cut them. Reach down, cut some off, and shove them in water. Tada! Done!
Best Cut Annual Flowers for August and September
Let’s start with basics of what an annual flower is. Typically, an annual flower grows spring, summer, and fall, and then is killed in the first fall frost. It doesn’t come back.
I chose these next two flowers for two reasons. The first is, they really are some of the best cut flowers for bouquets in late summer. And the second reason is that both plants can be started from seed directly in your yard. You don’t have to start these seeds indoors. Just find a spot, throw some seeds down, water (not my strong suit) and wait.
If you prefer, you can certainly start these inside under lights in April. I do both!
1. Zinnias
Zinnias come in so many shapes and colors so you can really have fun here. But my favorites are Benary’s Giant, Oklahoma, and Queeny Red.
These plants just pump blooms ALL SEASON LONG. I mean truly. Once they get going, they just don’t quit! And they’re just as beautiful in the landscape as they are in a vase. I plant extra so I can have them looking good in the garden and still have lots to cut.
You can start zinnias a bit early inside, or just plant them as seeds after your last frost. I do both. I started seeds mid-April (I’m going for early April next year), and then plant seeds in the garden in July. The first batch is still pumping blooms, and the second batch (succession) is just getting started. So I’m covered through our first frost!
If you want to learn more in depth details of zinnias, you can check my post How to Grow Zinnias.
2. Amaranth
This is such a cool plant. I can’t think of a better word. Unique? Cool? Wild? Maybe all of those.
Amaranth plants grow in spikes and tassels. And you can plant both! I do! I have red spike (pictured above) and coral fountains. Both seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. I love them both!
You can sprinkle the tiny seeds on the ground (make a little furrow so they don’t wash away) and water them in.
As with zinnias, I start some inside and then later, I start a batch directly in the garden. They are just cool!
Our chickens love coral fountains amaranth and my girls love obliging the little nuggets by hacking off big chunks of plants. So, I mostly have red spike left. I’ll plant more coral fountains to account for the hungry chickens and hacking children next summer.
Cut Flowers for Your Best Bouquets in Late Summer
The best time, I’ve found, to cut flowers is in the morning shade. I fill a bucket up with a few inches of water (my buckets are never clean) and pop my cut flowers directly into the new water. Occasionally I have some feathered friends help out and pick the stow away bugs off my flowers.
These flowers were so healthy and fresh they looked great just popped into the bucket without any arranging. That’s when you know your flower selection is on point!
These easy to grow 4 simple flowers make a hell of an impact. With the panicle hydrangea and black eyed Susans coming back each year, this is a low cost, huge impact bouquet.
I hope you give these flowers a chance in your garden and/or cutting garden. I’ve never been disappointed! Well, except for when the deer destroyed them. But other than that, they don’t disappoint!
Let me know if you try what I feel are absolutely the best cut flowers for late summer, and fall, bouquets.
Happy gardening!
