Growing flowers is so rewarding, especially when you have children that get just as excited as you do about choosing what kind to grow and where to plant. My kids can make some pretty impressive bouquets too! My daughter, above, will supply us with bouquets all summer long.
I have tried growing the more difficult flowers, but end up disappointed as they either failed to grow or needed too much maintenance for me to keep up with.
Over the years, I have come up with my favorite five. The first importance in my book is ease of growth. Do they require a whole lot of attention after the seed is planted? Do they germinate easily? Do they need fertile soil to thrive or do they do well in less than perfect soil?
I also look at how well they do as a cut flower. Some flowers look beautiful, but do not do well when cut, or have too many side stems, are too short or do not last very long after they are cut.
My top five are beautiful to look at as well as easy to grow and maintain. Although one of my favorites is considered a filler, it is used quite often in bouquets and goes well with pretty much anything.
These flowers do very well at the farmer's market. When I sold vegetables, I also sold flowers on the side. People were drawn to my booth because of the beautiful colors and usually did not leave without buying a few stems.
Top Five Flowers
1. Sunflowers
Hands down one of the prettiest and easiest flowers to grow! I personally like the ProCut series sold at Johnny's Seeds as they do not leave a mess of pollen after being cut. Sunflowers are super easy to grow and there are so many varieties to experiment with. Sunflowers were one of the best sellers at the farmer's market for me.
2. Zinnias
Zinnias, you just can't go wrong! They are super easy to grow and when you cut them, they keep producing more flowers. Zinnias come in many different colors and sizes, but I have a favorite, Benary's Giant. This is a large flower with long stems. It is beautiful in bouquets and lasts a long time in the vase. Another good seller at the market!
3. Cosmos
Cosmos look dainty but are actually a pretty hardy flower. One of the last flowers to stay in bloom coming into fall, this flower is an easy grower, although not quite as easy as the sunflowers and zinnias. I have a new favorite kind of cosmos, the Double Click Cosmos. Very nice!
4. Pampas Plume
Pampas Plume is the filler flower I mentioned earlier. Although, as seen above, it looks beautiful all together! I personally like using this filler flower with my sunflowers and zinnias. Very pretty! I start these indoors, but once they get going, there is no stopping them.
5. Celosia
This unusual flower looks like it would be difficult to grow, but it is quite easy. I start these indoors as well, but they are pretty easy keepers. These flowers last a long time in a vase, surpassing all of the above flowers. Their colors are stunning.
All of the flowers listed above go well together. You can mix and match all summer long for beautiful bouquets.
I really like marigolds, but as a cutting flower, they do not do very well. There is not a whole lot of length in the stem and they have quite a bit of foliage. Plus, they do not last as long in a vase. So, poor marigolds did not make it in my top five. They look beautiful in the garden next to my beans, though, and I appreciate their ability to keep bean beetles at bay!
These top five flowers make a great addition to a farmer's market display. At one market, a farmer had bouquets of just sunflowers and pampas plume. The display was quite stunning! You can sell just the stems, make bouquets or both. Some farmers don't even sell vegetables at the farmer's market, but sell flowers only and do quite well.
