i don't want to discourage you but getting flowers to cut by may in ohio is going to be tough to do--your best bet for next year would be to get some tulip and daffodil bulbs in the ground and by next may you would have flowers to cut--i am currently working with two schools now in beautifying some areas around their schools-
you may want to plant some pansies which would give you some color in may--if you want, give me a brief idea on your overall plan and i'll try and help

john_at_smc

Thanks for your response. Yes, I realize the challenge. Had hoped to have things further along this spring but have decided to focus on getting a good volunteer force and program structure in place. This spring the children will be digging the beds and planting a lot of seeds that will be
blooming when they return in the fall. We are sponsoring a community wide perennial exchange in late April. We're planning lots of little planting areas, not on big space. They will fall in three categories, picking gardens, recess gardens (located near the playgrounds to encourage the
children to garden (under supervision) during recess. Between the two schools 1-2 and 3-4th grades, there are 1200 children. So lots of little hands to do what needs to be done and learn in the process. Our biggest problem will be coming up with a fair way to accommodate those who
want to work in the gardens. Fortunately the majority of the families in our community are very involved in the schools.

I know it will be a challenge to find things that are blooming from in the April-early June range.
But with creative thought, I'm sure we can come up with enough to fill our needs. Plants currently on the list are:

Perennials: Alyssum, Saxatile, butter cup Ranunculus, Candytuft Iberis sempervirens, Columbine, Iris, Rock Soapwart(Sapponaria officianalis, Oxeye daisies, perennial sweet peas, bleeding heart, flax (Linum perenne), some Yarrow i.e. Achillea millefolium, some coreopsis i.e.
lace leaf Coreopsis lanceolata, Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis), toad flax Linaria purpurea, Mealy Blue Sage Salvia farinacea (Lamiaceae), Sun drops Oenothera fruticosa, Lenten Rose Helleborus, VERVAIN, all kinds of mints.

Biennials like sweet William's, dames rocket, forget-me-nots, pansies and violas, fox glove, wallflower,

Annuals: Shirley Poppy, wintered over bachelors buttons, Gilia tricolor, flax Linum lewisii (Linaceae), clarkia, love-in-the-mist Nigella damascena,

Bushes: pussy willow, forsythia, Spirea, climbing roses, oak leaf hydrangia, Honeysuckle

Spring bulbs of all kinds, ie : Daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, narcisis,

Ours are informal hands-on teaching gardens. For the most part we will be using old-fashion plants. If you think of anything not on my list, I'd certainly appreciate it. Thank you for caring enough to reaspond in the first place.

Roberta Paolo

Don't marigolds bloom super-fast? You might want to try some.

Good luck, and grow on!

snapdragons (kids's favourite), purple coneflower (good seed heads), monarda (bee balm) - attracts bees and hummingbirds, mint (very invasive) can be dried and used in cooking class.
Most won't be ready be May, but some will be ready for fall.
Good Luck,
Jules

Zinnias, Zinnias, Zinnias

Some people hate them, but some varieties bloom within a month of sowing and they love to be cut...

LATE tulips/daffodils/hyacinths--NOTHING in my perennial/herb/woodland gardens is good for cutting in the end of May....maybe the trilliums
my shasta daisies/asters are almost ready to bloom, and my allium bulb is nearly blooming, the wild columbine is blooming....