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The Best Cut-Flower Varieties for Beginners

Starting to cut flowers isn’t an easy project. Choose the wrong varieties the first time around, and you’ll get discouraged before the first blooms. Avoid this beginner’s mistake by planting some time-tested varieties that make it easier to get your first successful harvest.

What makes a cut flower variety suitable for beginners? Here are some of the characteristics:

Can be direct-sown — no transplanting required.

Will produce flowers for weeks throughout the growing season.

Most are annuals, meaning they will sprout and bloom in one season.

Seeds are relatively inexpensive.

Now, let’s explore some varieties that share these traits.

Cosmos

These big, beautiful flowers can be direct-sown and give you weeks of blooms from one planting. Plus, cutting the stems will only encourage the plants to produce more blossoms. Cosmos come in various colors, meaning you can use them on their own in bouquets or blend them with other varieties.

Harvest yours just as the blooms begin to break out of the bud stage to ensure a long life in a vase.

Zinnias

Zinnias are a garden favorite for the rainbow of colors they provide in garden spaces and cut flower bouquets alike. The flowers grow quickly from seed and produce new blooms almost as soon as you cut them. Plant crops a few weeks apart to ensure a consistent harvest in the summer.

Sunflowers

This garden favorite is easy to grow, although you might face competition from animals that want to eat their nutrient-rich seeds. Choose your variety carefully: Branching sunflowers produce multiple blooms over several weeks, while single-stem varieties produce one flower each.

Bachelor Buttons

These tiny flowers make an excellent bouquet filler. Direct-seed after frost, and harvest frequently to encourage blooms.

Amaranth

Productive and easy to grow, these flowers grow to the size of sunflowers and add unexpected texture to bouquets. Choose from dark burgundy or deep green to add some visual interest to the arrangement.

Calendula (Pot Marigold)

While far from flashy, calendula plants are consistent producers that give you pretty flowers all summer long. They are frost-hardy and can be planted early for a jump start on the harvest. The flower petals are even edible, meaning they are just as useful for garnishing your salad as the vase on your dinner table.

Rudbeckia

Available as both a perennial and an annual, rudbeckia are late-summer bloomers that produce daisy-like flowers until the first hard frost.

Snapdragons

Despite their delicate appearance, snapdragons are surprisingly hardy and add an instant wow factor to every flower bouquet. Harvest before all the flower buds have fully bloomed to ensure a long life in your bouquet.

Strawflowers

Similar in appearance to sunflowers, strawflowers keep producing new flowers as you cut them, leading to a versatile flower for a wide variety of bouquets.

Annuals or Perennials: What’s the Difference?

Annuals or Perennials: What's the Difference?

When it comes to growing flowers, there’s an important distinction between annuals and perennials. Both offer appeal for a cut-flower business, but they require different planting and maintenance strategies. Seasoned flower growers typically prefer growing a variety of both. Here are the key distinctions to be aware of between them.

Annuals and Perennials Defined

The primary difference between annual and perennial plants is their lifespan. Annuals grow quickly from seed and reach the end of their lifespan by the end of the growing season. You’ll get lots of growth fast but will need to start all over again the following year.

In contrast, perennials will live for several years or longer. They take a longer time to get established and might not produce impressive blooms for the first few months. However, they tend to grow exponentially in the years after because they’ve put so much effort into developing a solid root system. Once established, perennials require minimal maintenance and produce an abundance of flowers for harvest.

Note: Many perennial plants grow as annuals in different growing zones. So, while basil may grow year-round in the tropics, the plants will die at first contact with freezing temperatures elsewhere.

Popular Annual Cut Flowers

Ageratum

Calendula

Bachelor’s button

Larkspur

Gladiolus

Sunflower

Sweet pea

Stock

Zinnia

Amaranth

Cosmos

Rudbeckia

Snapdragons

Strawflowers

Dahlia

Popular Perennial Cut Flowers

Blazing star

Coreopsis

Salvia

Yarrow

Clustered bellflower

Bee balm

Garden phlox

Japanese anemone

Lily

Purple coneflower

Bearded iris

Peony

New England aster

Echinacea

Sedum

Growing Differences Between Annuals and Perennials

While annual and perennial flowers produce similar results in bouquets, their growing styles are different.

You’ll usually need to devote more space and time to establish perennials, as the plants grow slower but get bigger in the long-term. Many varieties need to be seeded indoors and transplanted in the spring to ensure they get a long enough growing season to take off next year. Likewise, you’ll need to consider their growing placement more carefully than annuals, as perennials will be in one location for years to come.

If you’re just starting out with cut-flower gardening, it’s best to grow a mix of annuals and perennials. That way, you’ll get some blooms right away while still laying the groundwork for robust harvests in future growing seasons.

Best Flowering Shrub Varieties for Fences

Flowering shrubs look fantastic no matter where you grow them in your garden. But some of the plants that fall into this category are better suited for growing near fences than others. Typically, these shrubs have shallow root systems that won’t interfere with the structural integrity of your fence while holding a fantastic flower that is sure to impress your guests. By no means is the below list comprehensive, but you can find a few of the best flowering shrubs for fences if you read on.

Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are beautiful plants that have showy flowers in the middle of spring. These flowers can vary in color depending on the variety you have, but most rhododendrons share the same form and a similar set of broad evergreen leaves. These plants usually thrive in acidic soils and may tolerate a wide range of sunlight levels.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are some of the most popular flowering plants in the gardening community, and their shallow root systems make them ideal for growing near fences and other garden structures. These plants will bloom each year, sometimes more than once, with large clusters of colorful flowers set against large deciduous leaves.

Lilacs

Lilacs are a classic shrub with a distinct and recognizable scent that comes from their flowers. The flowers are impressive for their appearance, and they form in large upright panicles that can range from white to a true lilac color. Lilac shrubs do best in full sunlight, where they can grow in well-draining soils.

Mountain Laurel

Few flowering shrubs offer blooms that are anything like those of the mountain laurel. These flowers have a nearly geometric shape and colors that are just as impressive. This native species also benefits the local environment and shows an ability to grow in both full sun and shady conditions. However, dappled light often makes for the best growth in this species.

Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon is a lovely plant to grow if you are looking to add color later in the growing season. This shrub grows in an upright fashion in full sunlight and holds single flowers throughout its canopy in the late summer. Thankfully, this plant also has unobtrusive roots, making it a great addition to any fence garden.

Growing Vines for Shade Production

Is there anything more relaxing than lounging under a shaded pergola on a sunny afternoon? We all know how rejuvenating it can be to sit under a shade tree in the summer, and shade-producing vines provide a similar effect anywhere you choose to place an arbor or other structure.

Shade-producing plants tend to be fast-growing and produce an abundance of big leaves all summer long. Beyond shade, they offer privacy, camouflage, and in some cases, color — especially varieties like Boston Ivy that turn colors in the fall.

Popular Shade Vines

Some of the most popular shade vines include the following:

Hardy Kiwi: While it’s also known for fruit production, hardy kiwi produce lots of luscious green growth. Expect them to take a year or longer to get established, but after that, you’ll need to prune regularly to keep things in check.

Boston Ivy: Renowned on college campuses across the Northeast, Boston Ivy traditionally grows up buildings but is just as happy on trellises. The thick, waxy leaves last all growing season and keep things cool and shaded.

Many shade vines also stand out for flower production. Here are some that serve both purposes:

Black-Eyed Susan Vine: Like its showy relative, this vine produces an abundance of yellow-orange blossoms and blooms from midsummer through the first hard frost. Train them up a wall or along an arbor for both shade and flower production.

Sweet Autumn Clematis: This shade lover blooms late in the year with fragrant white, purple, or blue flowers across the whole plant. The rest of the time, its abundant leaves will provide shade wherever it’s planted.

Wisteria: Considered to be the queen of flowering vines, wisteria produces beautiful fragrant blossoms that drape down, making it the perfect pairing for a pergola. The plant’s fast growth and broad leaves make it an excellent shade provider as well.

Angel Trumpet Vine: This tenacious grower is hard to kill, and it produces big, trumpet-shaped orange flowers that are a favorite with hummingbirds. Make sure you prune yours regularly, as the plants can quickly get so heavy they pull down their support structure.

Final Tips for Establishing Shade Vines

If you want to get the maximum benefits from your shade vines, it pays to put in some planning effort to ensure you get things right the first time.

Think through their positioning: The goal of shade vines is to get relief from the sun, so orient them in your yard so you maximize the benefit. It’s smart to position the support structure where it casts shade on a seating area. For example, consider a west-facing placement to provide shade in the midafternoon and evening.

Help with placement: Many vines latch themselves onto support structures without any help, but you’ll want to aid the process if you want to maximize shade production. Weave any new growth that appears through openings in the latticing, and use plant ties or wires to keep things in place. You can reposition them as the plant grows bigger.

Don’t fight your vine: You might have an idea of how you want your vine to grow, but the plant could have other ideas. Let it twine the way it wants to go naturally so you’re not forcing it to grow left when it wants to go right.

Growing Vines for Flower Production

By far, the most popular forms of vining plants are those that produce flowers. Fast-growing vines can have showy flowers with plenty of fragrance to turn your outdoor lounge space into a retreat.

They offer an easy way to add some color to the sides of your home or to camouflage a neighbor’s fence. Or, incorporate some vines into your flower gardens to add visual interest by creating a vertical dimension. Well-placed flowering vines will draw the eyes upwards and make small spaces feel more expansive.

Annual or Perennial? Why Not Both?

Deciding whether to commit to annual or perennial vines depends on whether you want instant gratification or are willing to wait for plants to get established.

Thankfully, there’s no reason to choose! Many gardeners interplant annuals and perennials together, especially in spaces where the support structure will stay long term. The annuals will grow fast and bloom right away, so you get a big boost in color. Then, as they die back, the perennial will begin to pick up steam, and you’ll benefit from years of blooms.

Think Through All Seasons

If you’re choosing flowering vines based on their visual impact, it’s important to think about how they will look throughout each season. Many might bloom for just two weeks of the year, and leave you with a somewhat ugly stem the rest of the time.

So, if you’re placing the vines in a high-traffic space, consider prioritizing varieties that flower repeatedly or that produce beautiful leaves the rest of the time.

Planting Flowering Vines

Most flowering vines are easy to establish. Annuals can usually be started from seed once the risk of frost has passed, while perennials are more often purchased as potted plants. Make sure the soil is prepped well beforehand, and add some compost to the planting hole.

Flowering-Vines-Maintenance

Plan to water lots the first year as your plants get established. Depending on the variety, you may want to deadhead old blossoms to encourage the plant to keep up production.

For the first year of growth for some perennials, it’s often best to trim off any flower buds before they open so that the plant puts more energy into root production instead. The loss of color now will lead to better blooms in the long term.

Growing Vines for Fruit Production

Growing vines is always worthwhile, but when you choose varieties known for fruit production, you get the best of all worlds. Not only will these plants offer all the aesthetic appeal of standard vines, but you get the benefits of an edible crop once they get established. Plus, they offer the perfect way to maximize your backyard fruit production if you’re dealing with limited space.

Care needs for edible vines can be a little different than for other varieties. Most require regular pruning, as you want to ensure the plants stay relatively small, so the fruit is easy to harvest, and that they grow in full sunlight to maximize production.

Some varieties, such as hardy kiwi, will require both male and female plants for fertilization, meaning that you’ll need a couple of types in your garden if you want anything edible.

Popular Fruiting Vines

There are more options for fruiting vines than most people realize. But before you can choose a variety, you need to determine whether you plan to grow annuals or commit to perennials.

Annual Fruiting Vines

Many of the world’s most popular garden plants are technically vines. This includes tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, pole beans, and more. Each plant grows to maturity within one year and will produce fruit within weeks or months (rather than years) of planting.

Squash and melons have a sprawling habit and tend to twine themselves along garden beds. You’ll rarely if ever see them growing vertically on trellises.

Tomatoes are grown in almost limitless ways, but many gardeners keep things simple with tomato cages that keep them contained.

Pole beans have a twining habit that makes them possible to grow along fences, trellising, and even other plants like corn stalks. This makes for more efficient use of garden space and can help keep weeding to a minimum.

Perennials

Perennial fruiting vines take time to get established, but once they do, your efforts are rewarded for years to come. You’ll be responsible for regular pruning and maintenance, but the work will be minimal compared to the value you get from them.

Grapes are the classic example of a perennial fruiting vine, although other crops like dragon fruit, passion fruit, hardy kiwi, and even hops are starting to get attention.

Grown for wine and juice production and even just fresh grape-eating, grape vines thrive on hillsides and in poor soil, making them ideal for places that would otherwise be wasted. These heavy vines require strong support, so make sure you build trellises that can handle them. Keep things pruned to just a few central stems to maximize grape size.

Many tropical fruits like passion fruit and dragon fruit grow on perennial vines. If you have hot weather and a long growing season, they may be worth getting established.

Thanks to renewed interest in craft beer, hop production is getting popular. Not only will they flavor your home brews, but the plants produce attractive foliage and can act as shade plants.

Choosing Trellising for Outdoor Vines

For many gardeners, the thrill of outdoor vines is choosing the support structure they go on. They offer the perfect excuse to invest in a beautiful arbor or pergola or to hide ugly house siding or fencing you don’t want to look at.

The type of support structure you need will depend on the vine variety. Heavy plants, including trumpet vine, wisteria, grapes, and Dutchman’s Pipe, require sturdy pergolas or iron trellises that can withstand their weight. Other varieties do fine with more decorative support structures.

Here’s how to determine the best support structure based on a vine’s growth habit.

Self-Clinging:

These types tend to latch onto any vertical surface without much help, making them ideal growers along brick walls and buildings. Ivy is the classic example. In most cases, your biggest challenge will be attempting to control or remove them.

Many varieties produce aerial roots that will grow into tiny spaces and crevasses to support the plant. If you want to avoid the damage of direct contact on your space, consider growing aerial rooted vines on lattices in front of the wall to prevent direct contact with it.

Twining:

Clematis, sweet pea, honeysuckle, and other twining varieties grow flexible stems that curl around objects to support the whole plant. They can support themselves on almost any vertical structure, including strings, wires, lattices, fencing, and standard trellises.

Sprawling:

Certain flowering plants like climbing roses tend to sprawl all over any support structure within reach. They lack the mechanics to stay in place, so you’ll need to use garden ties or stretchy fabrics to tie them where you want them. While sprawling vines require more maintenance, they allow growers to train the plants precisely where desired for stunning arrangements.

Best Materials for Trellising Vines

While it’s tempting to choose your vine supports based purely on appearance, you’ll be better served by thinking practically. The structure will be outdoors in all weather, so choosing durable materials like powder-coated steel or treated wood tends to be best.

Consider color as well — black trellising might look sharp, but the dark color may draw in too much heat and hurt the plant in the height of summer.

When choosing trellising, don’t compromise on quality or design, especially when using it for perennials. Once the plants get established, it will be all but impossible to switch it out to something you like better.

How to Plant Outdoor Vines

Your vines are purchased, so now it’s time to get them in the ground. Planting vines can take more consideration than other garden plants, as most varieties tend to be perennials. Not only will they remain in one spot for years to come, but most will require a support structure that will impact the look of your garden.

So long as you choose carefully, vining plants will add beauty and versatility to your growing space. Here’s how to ensure they get the best start for better results long term.

Choose Your Location Carefully

While many vines are tenacious growers, you’ll need to choose their planting location carefully for the best results. Consider the soil type on your property, as well as sunlight exposure, drainage, and exposure to strong wind. Flowering vines will need six hours of daily sunlight at a minimum. Other vines can make do with four to six hours per day.

Aesthetics is another consideration. Vines can beautify boring and ugly areas fast, including fences and the sides of buildings. Plant them where you need a pop of color, and you’ll get a significant impact in minimal space.

Choose the Right Time of Year

Getting vines in the ground at the right time is critical. This can vary based on your location, but most varieties do best when planted between April and June. Wait until there’s a lower risk of frost and the soil is easy to work.

Prep the Planting Space

Prior to planting, prep the ground by pulling any weeds and tilling or turning up the soil. Add compost and any needed amendments (a soil test can help you determine what you need). You may want to add a support structure now so that you won’t disturb the plant roots.

Dig an Appropriately Sized Hole

Your planting hole becomes a vine’s permanent home, so don’t skimp on it. Dig a hole that’s at least twice the size of the vine’s root ball, and add some compost or aged manure to the bottom before putting in the vine.

Firmly pack soil around the roots, taking care not to cover the stem higher than where it was growing previously. Water in place and add more soil as necessary once it starts to settle.

For best results, let the plant roots soak in water for up to three hours before planting.

Start Pruning

Depending on the plant variety, it might make sense to prune vines soon after planting. Smaller plants will put more effort into root production, which is excellent news for perennials. So, consider snipping off excess growth and flower buds soon after planting to ensure the plant doesn’t overextend itself this first year.

Water Well and Often

The best way to help vines get established is to water them thoroughly. Refrain from watering too often, as that can stress plants. Instead, water infrequently but deeply, ensuring that the soil gets fully saturated. This encourages deeper root growth which stabilizes vines and helps them survive dryer conditions.

A Note About Spacing

More than most plant varieties, vines are known for being aggressive growers. Without regular pruning, they may overwhelm the space they’re given, and in some cases, even collapse their support structure. Prevent your plant from becoming a pest by being ruthless about keeping it contained and pruning back any wayward growth.

How to Buy Vining Plants

After you’ve committed to a few vine varieties, it’s time to bring the plants home. While online plant shopping is becoming increasingly possible, most browsing still occurs in person at nurseries.

However, shopping at garden centers can feel overwhelming. With so many plants to choose from, how can you be sure you’re bringing the best ones home? Here’s a buyer’s guide for getting the right vining plants for your garden space.

Inspect the Growing Area

Before you give any plants serious consideration, walk through the garden center itself. Is the growing space clean and filled with well-maintained plants? Are the staff members knowledgeable and willing to answer your questions? If not, you’ll have less confidence that the plants are in good condition and will thrive in your yard.

Come with a List

Fun as it is to wander garden centers to see what inspires you, when it comes to purchasing, it’s best to have a plan. Do your research on vine varieties beforehand (or at least your general growing conditions). This lets you come away without impulse buys that look pretty at the nursery but are ill-suited to your growing space.

Consider Buying Multiples

Tempting as it might be to save money by only purchasing one of each variety, plants tend to look better when clumped together. Many vining plants start out small, meaning you can fit two or more on the same trellis for a lusher look long term. So take your planting space into consideration, but err on the side of buying more than you think you need.

Look Before you Buy

Don’t just grab the first plant you see. Carefully inspect them from every angle to ensure you come home with healthy ones.

Look for lots of leafy stems with vibrant green growth (no yellowing leaves) and make sure there aren’t signs of pest or disease damage. Be thorough — even turn the pot over to inspect the roots and ensure the plant isn’t too rootbound to adjust to new growing conditions.

Carefully Consider Plant Size

While it’s easy to assume that bigger is better regarding potted plants, you can often get a better bargain by choosing smaller varieties. Nurseries tend to charge more based on pot size, and sometimes the size of the plants within two types of pots are the same. It’s even more cost-effective to choose the smaller option for perennial vines, as they will catch up with the larger plants within a growing season or two.

Avoid Blooms

Tempting as it may be to buy vines in peak bloom, doing so means you won’t get to enjoy them as long in your garden. Instead, seek out plants with plenty of buds that haven’t bloomed yet so you can appreciate them at home. If you want to give vines a better start, consider pruning off the buds and blossoms, so the plant puts more energy into developing a root system.

Most Common Shrub Problems

Sometimes we notice problems with our shrubs that aren’t caused by insect pests or diseases. Just like it’s important to diagnose those problems quickly, you must also figure out what non-pest or disease problem is stressing your landscape shrubs.

The following seven concerns are some of the most common problems seen in shrubs.

1. Transplanting Shock

Even if you follow all the steps correctly when transplanting, your newly planted shrub may still experience transplant shock. It isn’t uncommon to see some wilting of the leaves, even if the soil is wet. Until the roots become established, they may struggle to absorb water and nutrients. Keep an eye on your shrub to ensure you aren’t overwatering it.

2. Mechanical Damage from Lawn Care

If you’re noticing stunted growth or even yellowing leaves, you want to do a quick check for mechanical damage. Lawn mowers and weed trimmers can create wounds at the base of your shrubs, damaging the bark. In severe cases, this damage causes girdling, restricting growth and even killing the plant.

3. Scorch

Scorch or sunburn is common on shrubs during times of drought or when your plant is getting too much intense sun. If your shrub is suffering from sun scorch, the edges of the leaves will appear bleached and dry, or you may see browning between the leaf veins.

4. Herbicide Damage

Shrubs planted within your lawn or close to the edge can often experience herbicide damage that looks like curled or deformed leaves. This damage occurs from chemical overspray or absorption by the shrub’s roots if it’s growing near a treated lawn.

5. Sunscald

Sunscald typically occurs during the winter when bark on the southwest side of the shrub heats up from the sun and comes out of dormancy. The bark is killed when followed by freezing temperatures as the cells freeze and burst. The intense summer sun can also overheat and kill bark too. After experiencing the damage, the bark may peel off.

6. Underwatering

Too little water results in quick wilting of your shrub, browning of the leaves, and even plant death. But the full extent of the damage may not be seen for some time. Ensure your plants are watered consistently, especially during hot, dry summers and even into late fall when evergreen plants still need water before dormancy.

7. Overwatering or Poor Soil Drainage

Just like too little water can be problematic, too much water can also harm your plants. Whether overwatering is human error or due to poor soil drainage, overwatering leads to leaf yellowing, defoliation, and root rot. In severe cases, root rot can kill a shrub very quickly, even before you notice an abundance of physical symptoms.