I occasionally am asked to make up special one time bouquets for people. Here is a big bouquet I made up for one of my customers this past summer.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Perennial Asters
There are many aster species but the ones most commonly used for cut flowers today are hybrids derived from Aster novi-belgii (New York aster) and Aster novae-angliae (New England aster). These are North American natives and you have probably seen their white or purple flowers in fields and along roadsides in autumn. While originating here in North America it is the English who really love perennial asters and all the well known cultivars were developed in England. Because their bloom coincides with Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael (September 29th), these asters are known in England as Michaelmas daisies. I'm a bit of an Anglophile and maybe that's why asters have always been one of my favourite flowers.
Red 'Crimson Brocade' asters with chrysanthemums.
Like chrysanthemums, late bloom and frost tolerance make perennial asters useful in the border and as cut flowers. Unlike warm coloured chrysanthemums, asters only come in cool colours - pinks, purples, blues, crimsons and white - with contrasting yellow or orange centres. If you are careless when combining chrysanthemums and asters, these colours can be a problem (think bronze and hot pink), but if you are a little careful, you can create smashing combinations like pale blue and yellow or bronze and dark purple.
Good filler flowers are always valuable and asters make especially nice fillers because of their range of color and season of bloom. In addition, the flowers are held atop multiply branched stems, so a single cut can yield a bouquet's worth of flowers. I sometimes create a bouquet by starting with a single big stem of asters and then filling in with other, larger flowers like lilies and dahlias.
New England Aster
Lavender 'Little Carlow' asters with orange lilies and agastache.
Aster novae-angliae or New England asters are among the easiest to find and grow, but are less desirable as cut flowers because they close at night. This is not very noticeable outside but if cut and brought inside they may look like they are starting to shrivel and fade. Some of the better known tall New England varieties are the purple 'Hella Lacy', light pink 'Honeysong Pink' and dark pink 'September Ruby'. Monarch butterflies flock to 'Hella Lacy' so you might want to grow it for that reason alone.
New York Aster
Better as cut flowers are Aster novi-belgii or New York asters. They are tough perennials and make beautiful long lasting cut flowers but they are a bit more difficult to find and grow. The taller New York asters usually need to be staked. Fussy gardeners should also realise they are prone to powdery mildew and will usually drop the lower third of their leaves by the time they bloom. This doesn't really matter to me and I never bother to spray them with anything to prevent it. However, if growing them in a perennial border it is probably better to position them toward the back so this won't be noticed.
Better as cut flowers are Aster novi-belgii or New York asters. They are tough perennials and make beautiful long lasting cut flowers but they are a bit more difficult to find and grow. The taller New York asters usually need to be staked. Fussy gardeners should also realise they are prone to powdery mildew and will usually drop the lower third of their leaves by the time they bloom. This doesn't really matter to me and I never bother to spray them with anything to prevent it. However, if growing them in a perennial border it is probably better to position them toward the back so this won't be noticed.
In The Gardener's Guide to Growing Asters (published in England, naturally) Paul Picton describes more than 280 novi-belgii cultivars. Of these, most of the commonly available ones like "Professor Anton Kippenberg' and 'Alert' are short. I've been able to locate only a few of the taller ones such as the fully double blue 'Marie Ballard', the dark red 'Crimson Brocade', and an unknown medium height lavender pink variety mistakenly sold to me as 'Fellowship'. I hope to add several others this year but they may not show up in bouquets for a year or two while I build up stock.
Other Asters
I also grow a hybrid aster called 'Little Carlow' with small 3/4" lavender-blue flowers. The plants are 3-4 feet tall so the flowers are the only little thing about 'Carlow'.
I also grow a hybrid aster called 'Little Carlow' with small 3/4" lavender-blue flowers. The plants are 3-4 feet tall so the flowers are the only little thing about 'Carlow'.
Lavender 'Little Carlow' asters with orange lilies and agastache.
Asters should be divided every few years, though the tougher ones will keep going even if you don't. Divide asters in the spring when the new shoots begin to appear. Experts recommend starting new clumps from individual new shoot taken from the outside of the old clump rather than splitting the old, woody center into pieces. I usually pot up the individual shoots in 3" pots and baby them along in a semi-shaded area for a few weeks before planting them back in a bed. I divide my New York asters every year and plant the divisions about 9"-12" apart. The new plants bloom at the usual time in the fall and a group of 6-8 can make quite show.
Cut asters when a third to a half of the flowers are open. The stems are woody and it is best to re-cut the stem under water when you get home.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Winter Reading - The Essential Earthman
The weather is just starting to get unpleasant so this is a great time to settle in with a good gardening book while the wind blows and the snow piles up. I've literally got about 15 feet of gardening books but aside from a handful of reference works, there are only a few I re-read over and over.
One of my favorites is Henry Mitchell's The Essential Earthman, the first of three collections of 'Earthman' columns Henry Mitchell wrote for the Washinton Post. Mitchell, who died in 1993, knew a great deal, but was still one of us - an ordinary but passionate gardener. He hated pretense and showing off, saying, "Gardening is not some sort of game by which one proves his superiority over others, nor is it a marketplace for the display of elegant things that others cannot afford." Deborah Needleman describes him as the anti-Martha Stewart, saying, "He would have hated her, and she would be appalled by him."
Earthman is full of cultural information about choosing and growing daffodils, dahlias, irises, water lilies and so on. It also contains some of the best guidelines for designing gardens I have ever read, including:
I also think the book is really funny, but not all of my friends agree. Earthman is filled with quotable observations like:
I'm not sure if new copies of The Essential Earthman are currently available at brick and mortar bookstores but you can get used copies very reasonably through various Amazon re-sellers. Check it out for yourself or that special gardener on your shopping list.
One of my favorites is Henry Mitchell's The Essential Earthman, the first of three collections of 'Earthman' columns Henry Mitchell wrote for the Washinton Post. Mitchell, who died in 1993, knew a great deal, but was still one of us - an ordinary but passionate gardener. He hated pretense and showing off, saying, "Gardening is not some sort of game by which one proves his superiority over others, nor is it a marketplace for the display of elegant things that others cannot afford." Deborah Needleman describes him as the anti-Martha Stewart, saying, "He would have hated her, and she would be appalled by him."
Earthman is full of cultural information about choosing and growing daffodils, dahlias, irises, water lilies and so on. It also contains some of the best guidelines for designing gardens I have ever read, including:
- Keep the center open
- Plan with severe formality then plant informally withing these formal bounds
- Give space to reflecting water
- Pay more attention than seems reasonable to foliage color and texture
I also think the book is really funny, but not all of my friends agree. Earthman is filled with quotable observations like:
- Compared to gardeners, I think it is generally agreed that others understand very little about anything of consequence.
- There are no green thumbs or black thumbs. There are only gardeners and non-gardeners.
and my favorite:
- Flowers are of course a sexual display unmatched in the living world and anybody who does not respond a little probably has no blood in him.
I'm not sure if new copies of The Essential Earthman are currently available at brick and mortar bookstores but you can get used copies very reasonably through various Amazon re-sellers. Check it out for yourself or that special gardener on your shopping list.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
elegans (ELL-eh-ganz) Elegant
Zinnias really are easy to grow and they make nice cut flowers. After trying a few different kinds I now only grow Benary's Giant Series, sometimes called BluePoint strain. They are quite mildew resistant have the largest flowers. My zinnias are not necessarily all that large because they grow best with good fertility and plenty of water and I can't always provide those conditions at the farm.
Zinnias can be started ahead and transplanted quickly before becoming pot bound but that doesn't seem to work much better than just direct sowing them. They cannot tolerate any frost so they shouldn't be sown until all danger of frost has passed, usually around June 1st here in SE Michigan. I usually plant mine about 6 inches apart in rows a foot apart but that is probably a little too close.
You can find seed for Benary's Giants at Johnny's, Stokes and other mail order outfits but I have never seen them in retail seed racks. They come in 13 different colors including three different reds (Scarlet, Crimson and Deep Red). The other colors are Bright Pink, Lilac, Salmon Rose, Carmine Rose, Yellow, Orange, Coral, White, Purple and Lime Green. I usually grow White rather than Lime Green because the White is quite greenish itself and is more robust than the Lime Green. I also really like Orange, Salmon Rose, Purple, Crimson and Scarlet. I probably should just buy packets of mixed colors but am always thinking I want more of one color or another.
The flowers should be cut when the center petals are still unfolding and before the yellow stamens appear in the center. The first flowers are on fairly short stems but the plants will re-bloom repeatedly throught the summer with longer stems. Some growers succession sow zinnias. I have done this a few times but have not noticed that the flower quality for the later sowings is much better than the re-bloom on the first sowings.
Just because they are cheap and easy to grow does not mean zinnias are not impressive, people are always asking me what they are.
Zinnias really are easy to grow and they make nice cut flowers. After trying a few different kinds I now only grow Benary's Giant Series, sometimes called BluePoint strain. They are quite mildew resistant have the largest flowers. My zinnias are not necessarily all that large because they grow best with good fertility and plenty of water and I can't always provide those conditions at the farm.
Zinnias can be started ahead and transplanted quickly before becoming pot bound but that doesn't seem to work much better than just direct sowing them. They cannot tolerate any frost so they shouldn't be sown until all danger of frost has passed, usually around June 1st here in SE Michigan. I usually plant mine about 6 inches apart in rows a foot apart but that is probably a little too close.
You can find seed for Benary's Giants at Johnny's, Stokes and other mail order outfits but I have never seen them in retail seed racks. They come in 13 different colors including three different reds (Scarlet, Crimson and Deep Red). The other colors are Bright Pink, Lilac, Salmon Rose, Carmine Rose, Yellow, Orange, Coral, White, Purple and Lime Green. I usually grow White rather than Lime Green because the White is quite greenish itself and is more robust than the Lime Green. I also really like Orange, Salmon Rose, Purple, Crimson and Scarlet. I probably should just buy packets of mixed colors but am always thinking I want more of one color or another.
The flowers should be cut when the center petals are still unfolding and before the yellow stamens appear in the center. The first flowers are on fairly short stems but the plants will re-bloom repeatedly throught the summer with longer stems. Some growers succession sow zinnias. I have done this a few times but have not noticed that the flower quality for the later sowings is much better than the re-bloom on the first sowings.
Just because they are cheap and easy to grow does not mean zinnias are not impressive, people are always asking me what they are.
Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
annuus (an-YEW-us) Annual
Sunflowers are supposed to be one of the easiest things to grow. If you feed birds you have probably found them coming up here and there all over your yard. How much can there be to know? I am a bit ashamed to admit that after growing sunflowers for the past 6 years for Good Scents, this was the first year I felt like I got the results I wanted. When it comes to growing sunflowers, as with so many aspects of gardening, the more I know, the more I realize I don't know.
I am only going to write about ornamental sunflowers, the ones grown for pretty flowers, not for seeds or oil. These started to become popular in the 90s with the appearance of pollenless F1 hybrids. Pollenless varieties are desireable for cut flowers because sunflowers produce copious amounts of pollen. When growing outside, bees collect and remove the pollen, but if cut and brought inside, the pollen instead collects on tables and counters creating a mess. Pollenless varieties produce little or no pollen and do not have this drawback.
Branching or Non-Branching?
Ornamental sunflowers can be either branching or non-branching. Branching varieties produce multiple stems growing out of the side of the main stalk, while the non-branching varieties grow a single stem and produce one flower at the top of it. If you are growing sunflowers to be enjoyed outside in the garden, the branching varieties are probably better. Branching sunflowers produce flowers over a longer season and have multiple flowers blooming at once at different heights on the same plant.
Each has its advantages, but for cut flowers I prefer the unbranched sunflowers. I experimented quite a bit with branched sunflowers, and while they produce many stems over a longer season, the stem length and the size quality of the flowers is variable. Because of their growth habit, branching varieties need to be planted quite far apart, at least 18 inches and up to 2 feet. This means they are not more space-efficient than the single stem varieties which can be planted quite close together unless you want the largest flowers possible.
In the case of sunflowers, bigger is not always better. A 6 or 8 inch diameter flower can be quite impressive outside but unless you are creating very large arrangements, a single flower that size can be hard to work into an arrangement. They are also so heavy that vases containing these huge sunflowers often tip over. Catalogs say to plant a foot apart for the largest flowers so this year I planted them about 6 inches apart and they were still about 4-5 inches across, plenty big for my purposes.
Colors
Most sunflowers are some flavor of yellow or another, from almost white to dark gold. On some the disks are brown and on others green. There are also some bi-colors with a ring around the disk like a giant black eyed susan, and quite a few that are described as "red" with names like Moulin Rouge and Claret. Red sunflowers are really a dark reddish brown mahogony color, like your grandmother's dining room table. For my taste they are too large and too brown to easily combine with other flowers for indoor arangements but they can look quite striking combined with other things outside. From what I can see all the red varieties are branching.
Varieties I Grow
The thing I didn't understand about sunflowers until this year is that to get a full season of sunflowers I needed to succession sow but also to grow varieties with different maturity dates with each sowing. In this way I got a continuous assortment of varieties coming into bloom all summer. I'd like to take credit for figuring this out myself but I read it in the Johnny's catalog.
These are the varieties I grew this past year with the number of days to maturity. All are single stemmed:
Premeir Lemon Yellow - pale yellow, black center - 40-50 days
ProCut Yellow - yellow, brown center - 50-60 days
ProCut Orange - dark yellow, brown center - 50-60 days
Orange Mahagony BiColor
Sunrich Orange - dark yellow, black center - 60-70 days
Sunrich Yellow - yellow, black center - 60-70 days
Sunbeam - yellow, green center - 70-80 days
How I Grow Them
Over the years I have tried starting sunflowers ahead in liners and direct sowing them. When started ahead and transplanted after a few weeks it seemed like the plants often ended up short and stunted. When I sowed them directly outside it seemed I never got them to sprout quickly or evenly. This year I compromised by starting them in liners and then transplanting them to the field as soon as the seed leaves had fully opened. This seems to be the best method for me. I get high germination quickly, and then by also getting the seedlings outside quickly, there is almost no transplant shock or stunting.
Sunflowers are supposed to be one of the easiest things to grow. If you feed birds you have probably found them coming up here and there all over your yard. How much can there be to know? I am a bit ashamed to admit that after growing sunflowers for the past 6 years for Good Scents, this was the first year I felt like I got the results I wanted. When it comes to growing sunflowers, as with so many aspects of gardening, the more I know, the more I realize I don't know.
I am only going to write about ornamental sunflowers, the ones grown for pretty flowers, not for seeds or oil. These started to become popular in the 90s with the appearance of pollenless F1 hybrids. Pollenless varieties are desireable for cut flowers because sunflowers produce copious amounts of pollen. When growing outside, bees collect and remove the pollen, but if cut and brought inside, the pollen instead collects on tables and counters creating a mess. Pollenless varieties produce little or no pollen and do not have this drawback.
Branching or Non-Branching?
Ornamental sunflowers can be either branching or non-branching. Branching varieties produce multiple stems growing out of the side of the main stalk, while the non-branching varieties grow a single stem and produce one flower at the top of it. If you are growing sunflowers to be enjoyed outside in the garden, the branching varieties are probably better. Branching sunflowers produce flowers over a longer season and have multiple flowers blooming at once at different heights on the same plant.
Each has its advantages, but for cut flowers I prefer the unbranched sunflowers. I experimented quite a bit with branched sunflowers, and while they produce many stems over a longer season, the stem length and the size quality of the flowers is variable. Because of their growth habit, branching varieties need to be planted quite far apart, at least 18 inches and up to 2 feet. This means they are not more space-efficient than the single stem varieties which can be planted quite close together unless you want the largest flowers possible.
In the case of sunflowers, bigger is not always better. A 6 or 8 inch diameter flower can be quite impressive outside but unless you are creating very large arrangements, a single flower that size can be hard to work into an arrangement. They are also so heavy that vases containing these huge sunflowers often tip over. Catalogs say to plant a foot apart for the largest flowers so this year I planted them about 6 inches apart and they were still about 4-5 inches across, plenty big for my purposes.
Colors
Most sunflowers are some flavor of yellow or another, from almost white to dark gold. On some the disks are brown and on others green. There are also some bi-colors with a ring around the disk like a giant black eyed susan, and quite a few that are described as "red" with names like Moulin Rouge and Claret. Red sunflowers are really a dark reddish brown mahogony color, like your grandmother's dining room table. For my taste they are too large and too brown to easily combine with other flowers for indoor arangements but they can look quite striking combined with other things outside. From what I can see all the red varieties are branching.
Varieties I Grow
The thing I didn't understand about sunflowers until this year is that to get a full season of sunflowers I needed to succession sow but also to grow varieties with different maturity dates with each sowing. In this way I got a continuous assortment of varieties coming into bloom all summer. I'd like to take credit for figuring this out myself but I read it in the Johnny's catalog.
These are the varieties I grew this past year with the number of days to maturity. All are single stemmed:
Premeir Lemon Yellow - pale yellow, black center - 40-50 days
ProCut Yellow - yellow, brown center - 50-60 days
ProCut Orange - dark yellow, brown center - 50-60 days
Orange Mahagony BiColor
Sunrich Orange - dark yellow, black center - 60-70 days
Sunrich Yellow - yellow, black center - 60-70 days
Sunbeam - yellow, green center - 70-80 days
How I Grow Them
Over the years I have tried starting sunflowers ahead in liners and direct sowing them. When started ahead and transplanted after a few weeks it seemed like the plants often ended up short and stunted. When I sowed them directly outside it seemed I never got them to sprout quickly or evenly. This year I compromised by starting them in liners and then transplanting them to the field as soon as the seed leaves had fully opened. This seems to be the best method for me. I get high germination quickly, and then by also getting the seedlings outside quickly, there is almost no transplant shock or stunting.
Botanical Names 101
I order most of my perennials from a wholesale company called Bluebird Nursery in Nebraska and their latest newsletter contained a short glossary of names frequently used as botanical species names and their meanings. I'm lazy about looking up stuff like this and thought it was quite useful. Here they are:
argentea (ar-JEN-te-a) Silvery.
carnosus (kar-NO-sus) Fleshy
glabra (GLA-bra) Smooth, without hairs.
gracilis (GRAS-i-lis) Graceful, slender
japonica (ja-PON-i-ka) Of Japan
majalis (ma-JA-lis) Of May, Maytime
officinalis (o-fis-i-NA-lis) Medicinal
sempervirens (sem-per-VI-renz) Evergreen
sylvestris (sil-VES-tris) Of woods or forests
vulgaris (vul-GA-ris) Common
I knew a few of these like sylvestris, vulgaris and japonica, and might have guesses at gracilis but officinalis, argentea, majalis and glabra were new to me. Now some of the names I knew make more sense. For example, I knew lily of the valley was Convallaria majalis, and knew it bloomed in May, but didn't realize the name could have told me that. I knew American inkberry holly was Ilex glabra, and knew it didn't have spiny leaves like many hollies, but the name could have told me that, too.
Years ago I ordered a book called How Plants Get Their Names from J.L. Hudson Seeds - maybe I'll finally crack it open!
argentea (ar-JEN-te-a) Silvery.
carnosus (kar-NO-sus) Fleshy
glabra (GLA-bra) Smooth, without hairs.
gracilis (GRAS-i-lis) Graceful, slender
japonica (ja-PON-i-ka) Of Japan
majalis (ma-JA-lis) Of May, Maytime
officinalis (o-fis-i-NA-lis) Medicinal
sempervirens (sem-per-VI-renz) Evergreen
sylvestris (sil-VES-tris) Of woods or forests
vulgaris (vul-GA-ris) Common
I knew a few of these like sylvestris, vulgaris and japonica, and might have guesses at gracilis but officinalis, argentea, majalis and glabra were new to me. Now some of the names I knew make more sense. For example, I knew lily of the valley was Convallaria majalis, and knew it bloomed in May, but didn't realize the name could have told me that. I knew American inkberry holly was Ilex glabra, and knew it didn't have spiny leaves like many hollies, but the name could have told me that, too.
Years ago I ordered a book called How Plants Get Their Names from J.L. Hudson Seeds - maybe I'll finally crack it open!
Monday, October 13, 2008
What to Expect Here This Winter
I originally started this blog so that my customers could identify the flowers in their bouquets and read about how I grew them. I won't be delivering any more flowers in 2008 after this Friday, but I plan to actually be posting more often. I really only have time to write about how to grow the flowers and what I like about them during the off season, so that is what I will be focusing on between now and next April when I get started again.
The non-gardening season is one of the most fun parts of being a cut flower grower because that is when I get to plan next year and reflect on what worked and didn't work this year. I hope to be sharing more of those things this winter as well.
The non-gardening season is one of the most fun parts of being a cut flower grower because that is when I get to plan next year and reflect on what worked and didn't work this year. I hope to be sharing more of those things this winter as well.
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