2022 Seed Selection For the Cut Flower Garden

It’s that time once again to start ordering flower seeds for the new year’s cut flower garden. This is my favorite part of the gardening process. Here’s a look at what I’m planning to grow in 2022’s flower garden.

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Reading Garden Journal Notes and Studying Pictures

After reading my journal notes and looking at pictures from last summer, I’ve started to plan which seeds I will be ordering for the 2022 cut flower garden.

New Priorities in the Garden This Year

I’ve always been a flower girl.

Besides the cut flowers I love to grow, I’ve also mixed in some basic vegetables such as tomatoes, snap peas, broccoli, and green beans in the past.

Growing veggies has always been something I’ve wanted to do more of but I’m so intimidated and a little nervous to start a new garden challenge.

A New Vegetable Garden

After several years of having a garden that was predominantly full of flowers, we’ve decided to build another garden on the side of our house where the grape arbor is located which will be our new vegetable garden.

Because of this decision, I’ve decided to grow fewer varieties of flowers in the cutting garden this year.

How I Order My Flower Seeds

I buy my flower seeds from Floret Flower Farm. For those of you who have not been following along for very long, Erin’s Cut Flower Garden book is the reason I decided to build a raised bed garden for cut flowers and my greenhouse.

Floret’s line of 2022 specialty seeds will be available on January 5th at 9:00 AM PST. I know their seeds will sell out even more quickly than the year before so I’ll be ready!

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When to Sow Your Seeds

The seed sowing dates are as directed on the back of the seed packet. I am in hardiness zone 8b with an average last frost date of April 18th.

Here are the seeds I am growing this year, by growing date.

Flower Seeds to Sow 10-12 Weeks Before the Last Frost

Sweet Peas

I sow my sweet pea seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before the last frost and transplant them into the ground after any threat of frost. Be sure to plant the seedlings next to a support, like a trellis, to support the vines as they will climb 6-8″.

I’ve chosen 4 varieties this year.

Sweet Pea Dynasty

The Dynasty variety has vivid, hot pink blooms on long strong stems. Paler top buds have a cream underside, giving it a multi-dimensional quality. 

Sweet Pea Jilly

The Jilly sweet pea’s soft cream blooms are a favorite of mine. They are the only variety I have grown year after year in the cut garden.

Sweet Pea Jacqueline Ann

The Jacqueline Ann sweet pea is a stunning deep lavender bloomer. 

Sweet Pea Castlewellan

Castlewellan variety sweet peas have peachy-pink blooms with creamy undertones.

Other varieties I have grown in the past that I would recommend are…

Flower Seeds to Sow 8-10 Weeks Before the Last Frost

Snapdragons

Snapdragon seeds can be started indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost.

I absolutely LOVE snapdragons and will grow them every year in the cut flower garden. They are so unique and the pollinators gravitate to them.

The shape of the individual flower heads, which resemble the snout of a dragon, opens and closes in a snapping motion, and often happens when pollinators open the jaws to reach the pollen.

Snapdragon Sherbet Toned Chantilly Mix

The sherbet-toned Chantilly mix has been in my cut garden every year since I started growing flowers.

This particular snapdragon variety has the most beautiful color mix in my personal opinion and looks stunning in any summer floral arrangement.

Snapdragon Madame Butterfly Peaches ‘n Cream Mix

I’m looking forward to growing this peaches and cream mix which is often referred to as azalea snapdragons.

The double-petaled bloom color mix includes apricot, white, and peach.

Because the tight shape is difficult for insects to pollinate, blooms last longer in the vase than other single-flowered snapdragons.

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Yarrow – Summer Berries

I’ve never grown yarrow before and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

From what I’ve read, if the seed is sown early, this perennial will flower its first year.

The summer berry blooms come in shades of raspberry, peach, coral, blush, rose, and buttercream.

Flower Seeds to Sow 6 Weeks Before the Last Frost

STRAWFLOWERS

Strawflower looks beautiful both fresh and dried and has a papery type bloom. Pollinators love them. Start seeds indoors in trays 6 weeks before the last frost.

My strawflowers continued blooming through the fall season which is another reason I love this flower so much.

Strawflower Apricot Mix

This will be the third year of growing strawflowers. I grew 4 varieties last year because I love them so much. The pomegranate strawflower variety has been discontinued this year and I’ll be passing on the vintage white this year.

Strawflower Candy Pink

The base of the candy pink strawflower petals are white and darkened to rose-pink at the tip. 

Statice

Statice Sunset Mix

These blooms are considered one of the best flowers to use dry and are so easy to grow. It has papery flowers that bloom over a long period.

Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost and transplant out when all danger of frost has passed.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Chocolate Lace Flower Dara

This large-flowered burgundy-chocolate-colored Queen Anne’s Lace will bloom for most of the summer from just one planting and is an amazing filler in flower arrangements.

I’m so excited to grow this in the garden for the first time.

Basil

Basil Mrs. Burns Lemon

This heat-loving foliage has a citrusy scent and is easy to grow.

It’s the perfect filler for any midsummer through autumn flower arrangement with its bright green foliage and white fragrant flowers.

I have grown both the Basil Aromatto and Basil Cinnamon varieties in the cut garden as well and love all of them.

Flowers to Sow 4-6 Weeks Before the Last Frost

Zinnias

Zinnias are one of my favorite flowers to grow in my cut garden for so many reasons.

This annual is so easy to grow and is one of the longest-lasting bloomers in the garden. They are great for beginner gardeners.

Because of my great love for these flowers, I try to keep at least one variety that I’ve already grown and pick two others that are new to the garden.

Zinnia Lilliput Mix

This variety shown above is the brightest mix of zinnias I sow. The rest are more on the dusty, pastel side.

I grew these the first year of growing a cut flower garden but decided to try something different the following year. My garden had a different idea.

I had zinnia volunteers sprouting in the same raised beds the following year.

You don’t see all the colors above because they didn’t all come back, but I’ll have rose, carmine, orange, coral, white, yellow, and violet blooms this year.

Zinnia Queen Lime Orange

This is a new addition to the Floret Flowers Lime Queen series. The blooms are the most beautiful iridescent raspberry, apricot, and smokey-peach with a dark cranberry center.

Zinnia Benary’s Giant Lime

I have never grown this Granny Smith apple-green variety. This flower features beautiful broad blooms and an extremely high percentage of double flowers.

Zinnia Zinderella Lilac

I’m so excited to try this new novelty zinnia. Its petite, frilly double blooms are a gorgeous mix of blush and soft lavender with stunning dark centers.

They look like mini gerbera daisies or double-flowered echinaceas.

I grew both Mazurkia and Persian Carpet Mix zinnias last year but both are discontinued in 2022.

The good news is that I saved seeds from the flower heads and will try for the first time to grow flowers from the seeds. Fingers crossed!

I have also grown Queen Lime Blush and Queen Red Lime varieties for several years but will try a few new varieties this year instead.

Cosmos

Cosmos are very productive per square foot. What I love about these whimsical blooms, is the more you cut, the more they bloom.

It’s such a treat to add cosmos to any flower arrangement not only for the beautiful blooms but also for the amazing foliage.

Cosmos Double Click Mix

This unique double-flowered fluffy bloom mix includes snow-white, vibrant cranberry, rosy mauve, and soft blush.

I’ve decided to grow only the Double Click variety this year, but I would strongly suggest the Cupcake White and Apricot Lemonade varieties pictured above.

Lupine

Lupine Sunrise

This beautiful annual has tall spires of soft lavender under petals with white top petals and yellow throats. Lupine Sunrise has a sweet cherry blossom-like scent and pollinators love them.

Globe Amaranth

I have been growing the Sunset Mix in my cut flower garden which you can see above, but Floret Flowers has discontinued the variety.

Globe Amaranth Pastel Mix

This year I will grow the pastel mix they are offering. This annual is a late summer bloomer. They thrive in the heat and are amazing dried flowers!

These bloom colors are white, rose, soft pink, and pale lilac.

Direct Seed Into the Garden

I am DETERMINED to grow sunflowers.

My seeds rarely produce flowers in the cut garden and when I did finally grow ONE sunflower, it grew out of one of my window boxes. Not quite sure how it got there, but I have an idea.

You can direct seed sunflower seeds in the garden but I’m going to try to start them in the greenhouse first this year and then transplant them after 2-3 weeks. Hopefully, then my seeds won’t turn up missing.

To extend harvesting. succession plant every week.

When you see my sunflower variety choices you’ll see that I’m not growing the traditional-looking flowers you’re used to seeing. I’m going to mix it up a bit.

Sunflower Panach

FloretFlowers describes this sunflower as having “fluffy, shaggy petals and dark-brown centers”.

Sunflower Ruby Eclipse

These gorgeous blooms are a mixture of creams, dusty roses, and ruby reds. The ruby eclipse variety is one of the fastest flowering varieties with one planting producing for 1 month.

Sunflower Pro Cut Red

The beautiful blooms are deep, rich rusty-red with dark chocolate centers. This particular variety is pollenless and bred for commercial cut flower production.

Sunflower Pro Cut White Lite

I’m so excited to see these gorgeous tall ivory-petaled flowers with mustard centers growing in my garden this summer.

This is another single-stemmed variety that has been bred for commercial cut flower production.

See which flower seeds I grew last year.

What flower seeds are you planning on growing in your cut flower garden this year?

If you have any questions or additional suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments below. Be sure to share this blog post link with anyone who may enjoy this blog post.

Until next time,

Happy Seed Planning!

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