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Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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Posted by phylrae z5a/centralNYS (My Page) on Thu, Sep 10, 09 at 6:09
| I am only a small business....selling bouquets locally to coworkers and by word of mouth. My husband and I have about 70 rose bushes, and with both of our regular jobs & increased demands elsewhere, have decided we don't want to keep all of them...just the chores of spraying for fungus etc...just too much work for us now.
We do have lilies (many types), siberian iris, spuria iris, some perennials etc.
I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion for LONG-blooming perennials (zone 5a) that are good for cutting and would be good replacements in a bouquet for roses...you know, not wildflower looking...more MAIN EVENT. For instance, do I HAVE to lift dahlia tubers in the winter, or could I winter them over in pots in the garage? Also ones that would bloom from June thru Sept....not just start in August like some annuals I plant from seed.
Also early blooming annuals from seed....SPECIFIC cultivar recommendations would be so much appreciated! (Ie, I am loving the Chabaud carnations I planted last spring...hopefully they will winter-over here!)
I planted some glad bulbs for the first time this spring, but they came up looking LOUSY....nice & green & tall, but the actual blooms were brownish & ugly...my neighbor said it was probably the bulbs (Home Depot), not anything I did or didn't do.
I am sad that we are planning to do this, but also a little relieved.
Thanks everyone!
:0) Phyl
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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| Tall phlox are a good perinnial in bouquets. At first I didn't like "David" because the heads wern't full but the blossoms keep coming all season. You just have to pull out spent blossoms. |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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That's a great suggestion....I only have one phlox right now (Shortwood)....very nice in bouquets. I will look into David.
Anyone else?
Phyl |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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| I was going to suggest phlox also. I find it a bit fragile to transport, but it lasts quite long, both in the garden and in bouquets, and the fragrance is wonderful! Echinacea is nice too, although I have a big oriental beetle problem that unfortunately makes them look ratty, so I don't use them as often as I'd like to. Not sure if they would be a "main event" flower, though. I tried to overwinter dahlias in pots in the garage one year, and it didn't work out well. I hate to dig and overwinter the tubers (and don't have much luck with them anyway) but I still try every year because I love the blooms. Early-blooming annuals.... how about calendula? I've never really tried them in bouquets because my markets start late (July), but they are a beautiful, early annual. Good luck!
:)
Dee |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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| Most perennials are going to produced quality flowers for only a short period. While they come back on their own their production is not as great as annuals and take up large areas of the garden if you want quantities, but then you lose that space when the perennials play out. You could have a specific area just for perennials if you have the space. I grow some perennials for cutflowers but relied mostly on annuals which will bloom for most of the summer and into early fall. As for annuals my choices are snapdragons, zinnias, calendula, marigolds, asters scabiosa, rudbeckia. I only grow tall-growing, large-flowered varieties of the above-mentioned varieties. See my thread on "favorite annuals" for specific varieties. |
RE: favorite cutflowers
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| Whoops: It should be see my thread on "Your Favorite Cutflowers" for my top choices for annual cutflowers. |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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| Stick with lilies and add peonies for "main event" perennials. Along with your irises, you will have very nice, early bouquets. In the world of florals, nothing replaces roses IMHO. Perhaps you could distinguish your offerings with a few choice cut stems, like corkscrew willow or ninebark, dogwood or kerria. I'm exploring this side of it (woody cut stems) as less labor intensive means of adding interest. |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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- Posted by nana8 6A or 6B (My Page) on
Sat, Sep 19, 09 at 12:39
| Hydrangeas are always a good and reliable bloomer, as well as Zinnias, Celosia, and as aloways is is great to have a few corkscrew willow to use as filler. |
RE: Suggestion for easier-care perennial
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| I tried something new this year a perinnial ageratum, Euphatorium coelestinum. Both "Cori" and "Wayside" look identical. They last for a month in a vase. |
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