As happens occasionally with anything we buy, things come up that we weren't expecting. Most often we are disappointed because we didn't get what we paid for, or paid for something we didn't want. I was waiting for Morden Butterfly to come up for this one, and I am dissapointed that I still don't have Morden Butterfly. But this one does make it easier to live with.
another angle.
Beautiful flower!
It's pretty. You guys sure know how to grow nice flowers.
Looks like some Orientpet hybrid...quite lovely and no doubt a welcome mistake!
Yes, I have a couple of ideas which one it might be. Thanks for looking.
Darrell, I'm thinking you could grow lilies pretty well where you are. They would be great for the cut flower sales. The asiatics are the easiest to start with.
Boy what a great disappointment. Very nice & great photos.
Thanks Linda, yes the best disappointment I've had in a long time. Providing it comes back next year. And has more than one bloom. It smells real good too.
That's a real beauty echoes.
echoes
still a beauty even if mislabeled.
Wilma
I feel silly saying thanks for the compliments, becasue I really had nothing to do with it's beauty besides sticking the bulb in the ground. Think I'll get back ouside now and give it another sniff.
well I too am back outside redoing a front flower bed, and getting rid of tons of plants,,
Yes go smell that lily,,
sme of my lilies are still blooming..
will have to post some pictures soon..
Wilma
I want to grow flowers for "Cut Flower Sales", and I've added Asiatic Lilies to a more or less blank list. :)
Maybe think about some Cosmos, annual Babies Breath, some tall Veronica (perennial), Statice (the annual that is used for dried flowers) tall larkspur, and some of the Yarrows have nice colours and are easy to grow, the white one like The Pearl is a good filler too. You don't have to have a lot to start with, just a couple of colourful ones and a filler would sell well. This time of year, when the lilies are almost past, the yarrow, statice and some coneflowers or Rudbeckia would be good. There are too many to think of in one go.
I know we're way off topic, but it's my thread and I can do what I want. When you get me started on cut flowers, I can't quit, but that's it for now.
I would add to your list, Darrell...Dahlias, especially the Cactus variety, Asters, Carnations, Gerbera Daisy, Gladiolas and of course, Roses. :)
I've never started or grown Gerberas. Have you ever started them Donna? How long would they take to bloom? Glads are good if you can get them for a good price. I always get those little mites on glads, especially the light coloured ones.
I've made a copy of your post echoes and Donna.
I have a space that is 45 feet wide and 84 feet long, give or take a foot, that is empty bare dirt. I can dedicate half of that to flowers next year. Will that be enough space? (please remember, I don't know much about flowers, only I know I love them) I don't know how much space they require to grow nice. Todd grows beautiful flowers in a small area, but he also said he's had 20 years experience in planting close together.
This is going to be a learning experience, for sure.
Darrell, the lilies will require little space. They may be planted a foot apart if need be. The upright asiatics would be the best for floral arrangers. Liatris is another narrow upright which doesn't need too much space. Other popular cutflowers, which probbaly were already mentioned, are rudbeckia (coneflower), echinacea (purple coneflower), painted daisy, shasta daisy. Monkshood and delphinium are tall blue spikes. My only gripe with dahlia are they harbour earwings (at least around here) and they do take a fair amount of space...plus you have to dig in the fall and overwinter insie then start them earlier in the season next spring before planting out (again, we have to do that here...NB is not that much better than Newfoundland for growing)...a lot of work. Perennials, plant them and practically forget them.
Other good cuts are Astilbe, Ligularia (rayflower), Scabiosa, newer goldenrod cultivars (fuller flowers), asters (New York or New England are good), phlox, and milky bellflower (Campanula lactiflora...but this one can get large if happy)
Good anuuals for longer lasting flowers are rhodanthe, strawflower, sunflowers (the minis are popular here). Gerbera are not so great as an outdoor annual here..probably best left to the professional growers.
The list is nearly endless! We have several cutflower sellers locally and the plants I mentioned are the ones they sell.
I like the idea of Lilies. Like the one echeos has posted.
Dahlia's, no. I'm not going to do them. Someone in the states sent me a few tubers and I planted them, but for me to grow them as a cut flower, and sell them, no, I just don't have the time to go through all the motions of planting, digging up and storing. Not that I don't like the "star" type, like Asters. You've gotta love em. I'd make time for myself for those, but not to sell them.
I hate to ask this, but where can I find a good place for these bulbs, tubers, seeds, etc., of the flowers you mentioned. Maybe you can send me a D-mail with the info.
I'm getting excited.
Darrell
Todd is right about the Dahlias, Darrell. I never thought about the work involved. I have grown Dahlias for so many years, I don't even think about it. The flowers I suggested are the ones I put on my table; wasn't really considering large quantities. Dahlias are a lot of work, but I love them and they continually bloom all summer, but I confess, digging them up and storing them every fall? You have to be a real diehard fan like me. I am glad we were at least able to agree on Asters. :)
Most of the cut flower suggestions should be availbale at local nurseries...none are particularly 'high end' (am I sounding snobby?) Vesey's is a good source for a wide selection of sunflowers and other annual cutflowers.
I got my HST today. :)
Maybe I can get these things Wholesale now. I'm sure going to try.
No, Donna, I love Dahlia's. I would want the kind that look like Asters and grow them only for myself. But, I wouldn't want to grow them for market. (is what I ment) :)
Asters are hard to find. I keep running into the ones that are "Mixed" and I think they were called, "Powder Puff"?
I'm leaning toward Glads, Daisy's, and I'll try the seeds again for the Liatris. I tried growing Liatris, Blue, White, and a Violet colour. They all died. I'm telling you, I'm not very good with flowers. It's depressing.
Anyway.....Maybe if I stick to perenials rather than seed, I'll do better. I think Liatris, can be a plant too, (bulb or tuber, I don't know), and not a seed.
I have Vesey's Catalog. But this is the wrong time of year to buy from them. They're probably out of everything I want and will have to wait till next year.
How about Halifax Seed? or Corn Hill?
Another thing I would love to grow are Mum's. I love em.
I grow Liatris as well, although, this year they didn't perform as well as past years. Don't know why. They grow 2-3 feet tall, and I bought mine to start years ago as bulbs. Mine are purple, but I have seen white ones too. Butterflies love'em. They look great in a vase of mixed flowers as well.
That's what I thought, Donna. They come as bulbs too, rather than seeds. I planted seeds and should have gotten bulbs. I'm pretty good with roots, bulbs, and tubers. But not so good with flower seeds. Although, I did pretty good with the poppy seeds. :)
If you are growing mums, make sure you read and read. What you want is to have stalks with a bunch of flowers ar the top of the stem. You have to prune and prune in order to reach this.
Lilies grown in the garden would be fine for cut flowers. If you an grow inside a plastic greenhouse you'll get bloom far earlier than ones other people have in their gardens.
I used to sell veggies weekends from my gate to cottagers. I always had some bunches of cut flowers in buckets for them to buy too. This seemed to work quite well as often there are not too many flowers at cottages and people quite often live in apartments without a garden.
Sometimes people would stop o friday PM and order particular cut flowers which they would pick up Sunday PM on th way home.
Inanda
Thanks, Inanda. I'm going to start small. What I mean by that is, I'm going to stick to easy stuff and maybe experiment a little as I go.
