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leahsurfer

Texas fall cut flowers

leahsurfer
11 years ago

Hey everyone,

I'm in San Marcos and am getting married on Oct 12.

I insist on growing as many of my flowers (and grasses, and foliage) as possible and getting the rest from Arnosky Farms in Blanco. I've been gardening for 9 years so I am feeling pretty confident, although I am mainly a vegetable gardener, but I do grow a lot of perennials to cut from and attract insects.

I am starting a variety of things from seed to supplement the perennials that I already have and know that I can depend on.

Here's what I have established already:
Texas betony
echinacea
purple sage
purple fountain grass
lady's slipper (for bouquet)
fall aster (not sure if it will be blooming by then though - fingers crossed!)
knock out roses (hoping to harvest the blooms that aren't fully open yet)
bulbine
butterfly weed
coral vine
batface cuphea
bottle brush
lantana
lion's tail
shrimp plant
fall obedient plant
beauty berry
gaura
mistflower
skyflower
lavender, rosemary, and other herbs.

...I have used a lot of these things as cut flowers before, but not all. For the above plants- do you have any tips on encouraging more flowers, or when to harvest, or storing, drying, pruning, anything?

Others I plan to use that I am starting from seed now: zinnias
cosmos
cotton
strawflower (if it blooms sooner i can just dry it?)
amaranth (globe, elephant head, hot biscuits, love lies bleeding)
dichondra (good for bouquet)
Texas bluebells
marigolds
agastache (rose mint)
powder puff aster
sunflowers (including mexican torch)
balsam (old fashioned)
chinese lantern

What am I missing that you love to grow as a cut flower? What are your tips and tricks?

I know some of these things might bloom before the heat of the summer sets in, and my thinking is that if I prune, mulch well, and compost, I can encourage them to bloom again as soon as the temps dip below 95! yeah?

Thanks for bearing with me through the long post. I really appreciate your input.

Comments (7)

  • rock_oak_deer
    11 years ago

    It's a beautiful list and most of them bloom in early October without doing much. Since you've been gardening for a while there, you seem to have it well in hand. Just be confident it will work for you.

    In addition to the globe amaranth, I'd add gomphrena 'Fireworks' which has great color and seems to last forever when cut.

  • texanjana
    11 years ago

    Most of the annuals, will be burned up by August if you are starting now. You will need to start new seeds or transplants in the summer for October blooms, which can be a challenge in the Texas heat-shade cloth and lots of water, just like a fall garden of vegetables.

  • cynthianovak
    11 years ago

    From seeds: Zinnias! Big ones, some are 5 ft tall and keep going into the fall, you can reseed as they are spent and have a ton of flowers. There are small ones too. Cleome has a pale pink to white.In the fall, ornamental peppers are often stunning and come in so many different colors they would make great accents.

    If you buy Bouganvillea in hanging baskets and fertilize it, you should have stunning flowers to hang or set on tables by fall and they are often available for the July plant sales.

    I do not have luck with echinacea in late summer, something always kills it down, but orange cosmos keep on blooming and reseeding all summer.

  • leahsurfer
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks!
    texasjana - i was going to reseed a few things for sure, but i was hoping that using shade cloth to make sure the annuals only get morning sun July-August, and fertilizing them, and pruning a little, and mulching well, would give me a head start vs. reseeding. I'm thinking that way their roots are already established and they would give me more blooms. what do you think? Is there any side dressing in particular that would be good?

    Bouganvilleas - good point - I've never grown them, but I'm willing to try. And cleome - I didn't think about that! What type do you grow? You know, I also have frustrating times with echinacea. I am not very confident that the seedlings will be blooming by then, but I'm hoping that the two established ones I already have will give me something. I love it so much :)

  • wally_1936
    11 years ago

    Coreopsis Should provide blooms all summer until the weather turns too cold. My Purple Cone Flowers seem to do great for a couple years then I have to replant new seedlings. My Bougainvilleas did most of its blooming during our winter this year but usually do get nice blooms during the summer months. I have one variety of daffodils that bloom from just before Christmas until January. My Confederate Rose Hibiscus blooms from about Oct through Nov. All of my hardy hibiscus including Texas Star Hibiscus stop blooming before fall. But I hope a new Hibiscus I received for Darren will bloom in our fall season, but that is a wait and see.

  • cynthianovak
    11 years ago

    Hi again
    It took a few tried but I managed to get an old thread obout bougainvillea to post. The photo was taken in late Sept. I learned from Roselee and others that bougies LOVE our hot summers. I wanted you to see them c

  • tx_ag_95
    11 years ago

    You might also try gerber daisys. I know I've seen them for sale, in full bloom, around that time. But, they also might be better purchased from the florist. They're just what came to mind.

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