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  • From: Harriet Allen <hattie_allen AT yahoo.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Cut Flowers
  • Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:49:09 -0700 (PDT)

I'll second the Globe Amaranth for a hot season flower (Gomphrena globosa).  Johnnys Selected Seeds has it and it is very easy for me to grow from seed either in my own flats and occasionally directly in the ground.  Best to transplant so you get good spacing.  You'll need to put netting on this one too (Hortonova) and learn how to harvest it!  It can be a bear to harvest until you get the hang of it.  Cut the center out and don't wait too long.  it will keep growing and growing back for you all summer, but it is much much easier to cut when the plants are not so old, so I strongly suggest succession planting.

Gomphrena is also a good dried flower and people really really love it at my farmers market.  They always comment and often buy.

For cooler weather, you might try Campanula.  I liked to buy the plugs from Gro n Sell, although other growers have them.  The Champion series is very beautiful and very early and does NOT like heat.  I do not grow it in Delaware anymore because the window was so short.  Also, SnapDragons can be early.  I always grow some Rocket snaps and they are reasonably early.  Finally, you've got to have Larkspur!  Larkspur is just phenomenal.  I put seed in the ground here about November 1 thru the 15.  It overwinters nicely and would not have time to grow in Zone 7 from a spring planting I don't think.  For colder regions, plant it in the second half of October or seed it very early in Spring or buying in plugs is also an option.  It takes a long time to come up but once established, it will grow well just about anyplace.  It also reseeds itself and that is some of the nicest and hardiest when I let it reseed.  Since I have it in my vegetable garden I have to be very careful.  It is poisonous, so placing it elsewhere is always a great idea.  I simply plow it under and pull it out when it comes back and plant a vegetable that looks nothing like it in its place...that is, don't plant carrots or dill, etc. or you may be adding larkspur to your harvest!

You can also plant bachelor buttons the previous fall or early spring and also Agrostema githago...that is one of my very favorites...so delicate and so short lived here.  But both are time consuming harvesting.

Hattie 
Hattie's Garden
Lewes, DE
Zone 7



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