Garden Planning: Conquering the Seed Stash

January 1, 2025 Fawn Rueckert

We all have them. For some its a bagful, for some its a boxful, for some its even more. I’m talking about seed stashes. All those packets that seduced us from the pages of our favorite seed catalogs during the cold gray months of winter. The new varieties that call to us like sirens, the old favorites that trigger our hoarding instincts… next thing we know we have more seeds than we can grow in our space.

While not the crime of the century, I mean, seeds are relatively cheap, no one wants to waste precious gardening funds. So let’s chat about how to take care of that existing seed stash and how to make the most of your seed budget going forward.

PURGE

Okay, we all know that most seed stashes have a few packets that are a little past their prime. It’s no fun to expend the energy and supplies on starting seeds only to find they are no longer viable. So the first step is to identify which seeds will grow. There are two ways to do this-

Each seed packet should have a date of when it was packed. Plant seeds vary on how long they can be stored. Johnny’s Selected seeds has a fabulous chart on how long each variety can last with proper storage. Toss any packets that are past the ideal time frame. For example, you have a packet of Snapdragons from 2014 and Snapdragons can be stored for 3-5 years. It’s probably best to toss them.
Say you have seeds that were saved from your garden or gifted from another gardener, or maybe have lost their packaging so you may not know just how old they are or maybe they are right on the cusp of the storage guidelines. You can do a germination test by selecting ten seeds, placing them in moistened paper towel, and placing the paper towel inside a plastic bag. Find a warm spot for the bag and let the seeds germinate. If 5 of the 10 germinate you know the rest of the seeds should have about a germination rate of 50%. This means maybe you sow them at double the amount of the seedlings you are hoping for. You can also do this test on packets of seeds that weren’t stored well or at the end of their normal storage range.

During this stage I also like to make a pile of varieties that were interesting at one point but now I have no desire in growing again. These are great to swap with friends or give to a new gardener.

ORGANIZE

This might be my favorite step! There are lots of ways to organize your collection. Here are two of my favorites-

Sort by variety, then type and season, then method of sowing. A couple of examples- all the snapdragons would be together, and then with other cool season flowers that are started indoors. Zucchini would be with other summer squash with warm season annual vegetables that are direct sown. With this system I like to keep my perennials altogether. I also will sort them according to the role they play in bouquets, all the fillers together or all the line flowers, so I can see where my gaps are.
Another way is sort them all according to the date you will be sowing them. This is how we sort the thousands of seeds at Snuck Flowers. That way when it is time to start them I just have to grab one bag and I have them all. As an example we start all the cosmos and marigolds on the same day so they are in a bag together.

INVENTORY

Now that you have tossed all your old seeds and organized the remaining it is time to make an inventory that you can keep with the rest of your garden planning notes. Here is a simple sheet to record variety, amount, life span, and any notes.

Once you have any idea of exactly what you have you can make informed decisions about what you want to grow and what you may need to purchase for the up coming season.

Best Garden Yet: January Edition

December 30, 2024 Fawn Rueckert

January is for dreaming, dreaming of all the new blooms and plans to come in the new year. Planning is a big part of the garden prep in the beginning of the year and we are going to have a little Garden Planning series to follow along with soon. In the meantime, here are some things to think about doing to start this year’s garden off right.

Outside-

We’ve had a fairly warmish winter thus far, your ground isn’t frozen you could work on any garden clean up that has yet to happen. Do try to stay off your soil in your planting beds if it is wet, walking or kneeling on wet soil can lead to compaction, not a good thing for your plants.
Talk a walk and notice the plants in your neighborhood that look good right now. Evergreens, grasses, and trees or shrubs with colorful or peeling bark add winter interest to our gardens.
If it is unseasonably dry and warm, water your bulbs, especially if you are growing them for cut flowers and need long stems. When you water, try to do it on a day where the nighttime temps stay above freezing and don’t forget to unhook your hose before it freezes again.
If you don’t have measurements of your garden space, grab a tape measure and get that info for your winter planning session.

Inside-

Take some time to dream about what to grow this next year. Make a wish list of plants to research. Pin some inspiration photos. Look through your saved posts on social media. Was there a bouquet or arrangement that you want to recreate? A tomato variety you are dying to try?
Look over your notes. What went well? What issues did you have? Take some time to research solutions to your garden problems. This year I’m going to invest some time in figuring out how to avoid powdery mildew.
Get a plan together BEFORE you buy seed or start any seed. This is a big task and I’ll have some thoughts for you in the following days.
Organize your seeds BEFORE you buy more, I’ll have a post on that too.
Inventory any tools or supplies you need, it’s nice to have them on hand when the weather gets good. Things to check- netting, plant tags, watering cans and nozzles, replacements for leaky hoses, seed starting materials, etc.
Read a gardening book, check out some gardening magazines from the library. I love me a copy of Fine Gardening or the Garden Gate.
Divide your dahlias if you haven’t already.
Start seeds that really need to be started this early, but don’t start any others.
Invest in some learning opportunities. Check out the Utah Flower Conference, the Utah Food and Farm Conference, or Urban and Small Farms conference.

Seeds to Start-

Only the long game seeds like lisianthus, trachelium, or slow growing perennials. Pay attention to the timing.
Direct sow any cool season hardy annuals. They will come up when the conditions are right. Some options are bells of Ireland, larkspur, bupluerum, ammi, nigella, daucus dara, and icelandic poppy.

I would love hear your plans for this years garden! Have a happy new year!

Best Garden Yet: November Edition

November 5, 2024 Fawn Rueckert

Are there even things you can do in the garden in November?!? There sure are! While it’s pretty chilly in most areas of Utah there are little things you can do to make next season the best yet.

Outside-

As long as the ground hasn’t frozen it’s not to late to plant bulbs like tulips, crocus, daffodils, and alliums. If the weather has been dry make sure to give them a good drink of water to settle them in.
If you haven’t yet, clear out any diseased foliage from any perennials. Powdery Mildew spores will hang out all winter on infected plant material. Removing this debris will help you get a head of it next year. Trash the foliage, do not compost it.
Make sure you’ve cleaned up any peony foliage. Even if they look good, peony foliage should always be cleaned up in the fall. They are especially susceptible to a lot of disease like botrytis and those diseases will over winter and affect your plants next year if not removed. Again trash the plant material, don’t compost it.
Sow some cold hardy seeds. They’ll emerge when they are ready with almost no work from you. See below for some suggestions.
Feel free to leave your healthy perennials and grasses, and even fallen leaves. You’ll provide habitat for beneficial insects and even food sources for birds.
Forage in your yard for any evergreens that would look fabulous in holiday trimmings. Spruce, pine, fir, holly, boxwood, juniper, Oregon grape, and arborvitae are good options for wreaths and swags.

Inside-

Take some time to write down how things went this season. What flowers bloomed their heads off? Which tomatoes were your family’s favorite? What disease always seems to strike your zinnias? Later in the winter you can take some to do some planning and research.
Take inventory of your seeds. Toss any that are too old, just keep in mind that different varieties last longer than others. You can find a great seed storage guideline here. You could even organize a holiday seed swap!
Take an inventory of your tools too. Are there too many of some and not enough of others? (I have about 28 pairs of snips, but desperately need a new 2nd digging fork). What needs to be sharpened, fixed or replaced? Plan to work on them after the holidays and put any needs on your Christmas list.
Order your seedlings for next spring. Locally you can get cut flower starts at Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove. It’s a program I run during my winter downtime.
Divide your dahlias and get them tucked away for winter. Dahlias like to be stored between 40-50 degrees and do well packed in vermiculite or wood shavings.

Seeds to start-

Direct sow any of the following, even if there is snow on the ground. A lot of cold hardy plants need some cold temps to germinate, it’s called cold stratification. Bells of Ireland, nigella, bupleurum, larkspur, Agrostemma, Ammi, chocolate lace flower, and Icelandic poppies all do well direct sown in most northern Utah climates.

Happy November! I hope you enjoy a little cozy indoor weather with a seed catalog or two.

Best Garden Yet: May Edition

May 1, 2024 Fawn Rueckert

YAY for May!! May is such a fun month in the garden, the threat of snow is gone for most of us, unless you are gardening in some of the higher elevations here in Utah. I've made a list for you according to what I do here in my zone 6a/7b garden. By no means is it exhaustive, but it can give you a good idea of what you can plan to do this month in your garden.

Outside-

By the first or second week you can plant out most of your warm season tender annuals. Some that you might wait on are celosia and peppers that like nights over 55 to 60 degrees. These can be planted later in the month.
Dahlias can go in the ground safely, plant them about 4-6 inches deep. Even if we have some cooler weather in the beginning of the month they will still be working to emerge and should be just fine.
Keep weeding! Your July self will thank you for staying on top of those pesky weeds.
Pinch your cool season hardy annuals. Pinching involves removing the growing tip of a plant to encourage branching. Some cut flower varieties that benefit from pinching are snapdragons, agrostemma, godetia, trachelium, dahlias, marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, basil, and celosia.
Take some time to enjoy your garden! Sit on a bench, swing in a hammock, have a bonfire.
Add a birdbath, birds make excellent pest hunters. Welcome them to your yard with a place to drink and bathe as it warms up.
Scout for pests like aphids. A strong jet of water from the hose can be a good way to handle an early infestation.
Put netting on your cut flower varieties. Horizontal netting helps support long stems keeping them straight and upright.

Inside-

Start a second round of warm season annuals so that you have a succession of flowers to enjoy.
Make sure you put on your sunscreen before heading out to the yard!
Start a list of bulbs you want to add to your garden in the fall. You think you’ll remember that tulip variety you were drooling over but it’s best to take some notes.

Seeds to start -

Direct sown flowers- Cosmos, amaranth, marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers
Indoors-basil, gomphrena, ageratum, celosia, (any of the above can also be started indoors if you have more luck that way)
Direct sown vegetables- beans, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, melon, pumpkins.
Plant out these vegetables and flowers- tomatoes, peppers (when it’s warm enough), eggplants, basil, zinnias, ageratum, gomphrena, annual asters, marigolds, cosmos, celosia, dahlias, geranium, amaranth

Happy gardening in May! See you with a new list in June.

Best Garden Yet: April Edition

April 1, 2024 Fawn Rueckert

April is when things really start to get fun in the garden! This month we should see some of the first real cut flowers in bloom. Here's a list of some of the things I do in April in my zone 7A Cut flower garden. If there's something I've missed, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.

Tulips from the Sego Lily Flower Farm Spring Subscription

Outside-

WEED! This really should have been at the top of the list last month. The better you are at getting to the weeds in the spring, the less weeds you'll have later in the summer. Get them while they're small and before they go to seed. I love hoes like this to help me get to the small weeds quickly.
Add mulch to your garden beds. Small annual additions of organic matter can help you improve your soil and suppress weeds. Don't go crazy, one to two inches is great.
Plan a day just for irrigation. Make sure all your new plants have drip irrigation to them and that your existing drip lines and sprinklers are working as they should. I flag broken lines and other issues with landscape flags when I come across them as I clean up my beds in the spring. That way I don’t waste time looking for that drip line I know I accidentally cut. (I know I’m not the only one that does this, right?)
Disbud your young peonies. If you have peony plants that are in their first two years of growing, you can help them channel more growth into their roots by disbudding. With your thumb and your forefinger simply snap off the small new buds. I tried to do this when the buds are pea size or smaller. This will let your plant focus on growing more roots and become a stronger, bigger plant sooner.
Plant out your cool season annuals. If you planted in March, this is a great time for a succession or for your first round of cool season Hardy annuals. I love to plant my lisianthus at the very beginning of April. Other things I'll be planting this month- snapdragons, scabiosa, rudbeckia, feverfew, statice, digitalis and more.
Plant some raspberries. They love to be planted when it's still a little cool. Check out this blog post for some inspiration!
This is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs. It gives them some time to get established before our hot weather kicks in.
Water your tulips if we don't get enough natural precipitation. You can check moisture levels by sticking your finger in the ground.

Indoors-

It's finally time! Break out those warm season seeds and get sowing! You will still want to wait till after the last frost date to do any direct sowing though.
Wash your buckets. If you are going to have some tulips, daffodils or hellebores blooming, make sure you're harvesting into clean buckets. Clean buckets are the key to long vase life.
If you haven't already, start keeping notes in a garden journal. Write down when things bloom, when you spray if you spray, which tulip varieties were your favorites, and so on. Your future self will thank you.

Seeds to Start-

Direct sown flowers- Ammi, agrostemma, larkspur, nigella, bells of Ireland, bachelor buttons, bupleurum, scabiosa, baby's breath, cosmos, sunflowers(towards the end of the month)
Indoors- celosia, zinnias, nicandra, basil, gomphrena, ageratum, china asters, dahlia seeds, amaranth, marigolds, cosmos
Direct sown vegetables- peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, radish, turnips
Indoors- tomatoes early in the month, melons, cucumber and squashes later in the month.
Plant out these vegetables- broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage

Happy gardening in April! See you with a new list in May.

Best Garden Yet: March Edition

March 2, 2024 Fawn Rueckert

I can't believe it's March! The winter months flew by this year and I am so excited to get my hands in the dirt outside. I've made a list for you according to what I do here in my zone 6a/7b garden. By no means is it exhaustive, but it can give you a good idea of what you can plan to do this month in your garden.

Outside-

Prune roses, fruit trees, and other woody shrubs that do not bloom in the spring. For those spring bloomers you want to wait to prune till after they bloom.
Spray dormant oil before your roses and fruit trees leaf out. Dormant oil can help suffocate any overwintered pests and keep aphids down to a minimum.
Direct sow some cold hardy annuals. I have a list of options down below.
Clean up any perennials that were not cleaned up in the fall. Cut back to any new growth you see. This might be my favorite task, the garden looks so fresh and clean, with peeks of new growth.
Take a soil test sample. Save yourself time and money before buying any fertilizer or amendments by knowing what you actually need. USU Analytical Lab has some great instructions on how to take soil samples.
Mid month you can plant out your first round of cold season hardy annuals and perennials. I'll be planting things like snapdragons, fox gloves, statice, scabiosa, feverfew, rudbeckia, forget me nots, delphinium, agrostemma, godetia, phlox, dianthus, stock, yarrow, and more. These were all started indoors in January and February.

Inside- (you know that there will be at least a few snowy or rainy days this month)

Sharpen your tools! Treat those hard working tools to a little spa day. They will work much better for you when they're sharp and clean.
Divide your dahlia tubers. This gives you an idea of how much space you'll need to plant all your tubers, and if you have some to share.
Towards the end of the month you can start some of those warm tender annuals and vegetables that have a slower growth rate. Hold off on anything quick growing though, like zinnias or cosmos. I'll have a list down below.

Snapdragon plug ready to plant mid-March

Seeds to start -

Direct sown flowers- Ammi, agrostemma, larkspur, nigella, bells of Ireland, bachelor buttons, bupleurum, scabiosa, baby's breath
Indoors- snapdragons, feverfew, scabiosa, delphinium, phlox, digitalis, straw flower, yarrow, stock, rudbeckia, statice, godetia, gomphrena, ageratum
Direct sown vegetables- peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, radish, turnips
Indoors- peppers, tomatoes towards the middle to end of the month.
Plant out these vegetables- broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage

Happy gardening in March! See you with a new list in April.

Changes on our little Farm

November 28, 2022 Fawn Rueckert

I have a spreadsheet titled “The Plan 2023”. It is supposed to be a well thought out master plan for the next growing season.

Right now the first line says “What the heck am I supposed to do?”

If you had asked me in August what the plan was I could have rattled off a plan pretty similiar to this last season, Farmer’s Market, nice long summer subscription, lots of different annuals. A few smaller changes, for both my mental health and to make more time with my family. Things like a smaller spring subscription, and no Snuck flower share, now that we have their own cut flower garden up and running.

But bigger changes were coming.

For the last three years I have had the beautiful opportunity to grow on a property that was not my own. We call it the sister site, named so for the two wonderful sisters who live there. These two have become dear sweet friends. They have been my cheerleaders, patient and kind no matter how filthy and tired I might be on any given day. It’s been a win-win type of situation. The burden of caring for a large property was reduced for them, an opportunity for me to grow more than I could on my own land, and lots of flowers for all of us to enjoy. Both growing there and getting to know them better has truly been a blessing for me.

As life happens, their situation changed in the blink of an eye and by October they informed me that they would need to move and their home would be sold.

I am so grateful for the time I had to farm there, so grateful for their friendship and kindness. It was a lovely three years and I am beyond grateful.

It has been bittersweet as we have cleaned up this fall. We moved a few perennials back to the home farm, and made it as neat and tidy as we could. We have left the infrastructure (drip tape and landscape fabric mostly) till Spring, with the hope that maybe the new owners will be open to keeping us around.

In the meantime, it’s been back to planning. With our growing space reduced by about 60% I ‘ve been thinking about the best way to manage the remaining 40%. Here at our homesite we have a good amount of our space planted in specialty cut flower perennials that bloom in Spring and Fall. Perennials are an investment in time and money and I wanted to focus as much our attention on them as possible. Most seasons we harvest exclusively at our home farm site through the end of June, so it made it (kinda) simple to choose to focus on a new, longer Spring bouquet subscription. It takes time for perennials to establish and I am so glad that we will have so many mature beauties like Peonies, foxgloves, clematis, baptisia, and others to harvest from this spring. We are also growing lots of our favorite bulbs, like daffodils, tulips, ranunculus, allium and anemone. I’m especially glad that we should have enough to attend our favorite market in June for the beginning of the season.

After the spring abundance is over we will switch gears and focus on a smaller planting of some of our late season favorites. Lisianthus and dahlias typically bloom in August and September and will be a beautiful way to wrap up our season. Along with our perennials, dahlias, and lisies we will be looking for every free spot to sneak in a few more annuals like gomphrena, basils, and asters.

Change is hard, but sometimes there are silver linings. I am looking forward to our first July off in six years! It will be nice to spend more time with all my teens before they spread their wings and leave home. Time is fleeting and we’ve got to make memories while we can.

6 Gifts for Cut Flower Gardeners

November 22, 2022 Fawn Rueckert

Gift giving can be tricky, especially if you are looking for thoughtful gifts that the receiver will actually use! I thought long and hard about my favorite things as a gardener and I think I have some good ideas for the gardeners in your life. If you happen to be the gardener- feel free to send this post to friends and family that need gift ideas for you, they will appreciate the help I’m sure.

I tried to focus on local and sustainable options, so you will be seeing lots of fun gifts from our home state of Utah on this list. EVERYTHING on this list are things I’ve personally owned or used. I’m not being paid any endorsments, I just really like them.

Amaryllis Gardens from Three Sprouts Flower Farm

It may be freezing outside but you can still get your plant fix. I have had her amaryllis in my home for the last 3 winters and they are stunning. Last year’s amaryllis bloomed for close to 2 months. Once they are done blooming inside you can store them for planting outside.

This amaryllis garden bloomed forever in my kitchen last year.

2. Mom’s Stuff All Purpose Salve and Face Balms

Being outdoors for extended amounts of time can wreak havoc on our skin. I love this stuff, the all purpose salve seriously saves my hands from cracking all winter and the nourishing night face balm soothes my skin when I am sun and wind burnt from working long days on the farm. Made local in small batches here in Utah.

Super soothing after a day in the garden.

3. Snuck Farm’s Backyard Growers Collections

It can be so hard to find locally grown cut flower plants in the spring and not everyone has the space or time to start the seeds themselves. The Backyard Growers collections are curated with varieties that do well here in our climate. There are 3 collections, each collection has 8-9 varieties and include focal flowers, fillers, and foliages. Everything someone would need to have a well rounded, beautiful cut flower garden perfectly planned out for you.

Carefully selected cut flower seedlings ready for your garden in Spring.

4. Johnny’s Selected Seeds Gift Certificate

This isn’t a Utah company but it is a an employee owned, American company. What I love about Johnny’s is that they carry the tried and true varieties that are guaranteed to grow well. The seed packets themselves are a wealth of knowledge, making it easier on both new and experienced seed starters. They’ve got some great tools too.

5. The Backyard Cut Flower Garden Course

For those of you that like to gift experiences this one is for you. A collaboration between Snuck Farm and my farm, this 5 month course covers all the basics of growing cut flowers and then some. The best way to learn any skill is by having the opportunity to learn it hands on. The course is held at the beautiful Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove. Each participant has their own 30 foot growing space to practise the methods taught and all plants, seeds, and materials are included. The best part is the buckets of blooms that you will harvest through out the season. Teaching this course is one of my very favorite things, reach out with any questions you have.

Bouquet making class during the Backyard Cut Flower Garden Course.

6. Corona Long Straight Snips

Pretty much the only tool used to harvest flowers on my farm. These stainless steel snips last well and stay sharp. I have a pair that is at least 7 years old and it works as well as the day I bought it. Use them for harvesting flowers and herbs, pinching plants, and dividing dahlias. We keep a whole bucketful on hand so every employee has one to use.

There you go! Hope this list of my favorite gardening gifts was helpful. Happy Holidays!

"What would you plant?" -Warm Season Edition

January 3, 2022 Fawn Rueckert

Last January I had the chance to present at the Utah Farm and Food Conference. As we wrapped up our session someone asked for a list of the ten flowers I would grow if I were starting a farm or cutting garden for the first time. What a fun question! I love variety and grow way too many types of flowers on our farm, so it was challenging to narrow it down to just 10. You can check out my recomendations for cool season varieties here and my favorite starter perennials here.

Today I wanted to share my favorite warm season flowers for first time cut flower growers. Warm season flowers are those that grow during the frost free days of the year. Plant them after any threat of frost has passed in your area. Here in the Salt Lake valley we plant these varieties around Mother’s day, with another succession (second planting) about a month later.

Sunflowers. These classic summer flowers are so happy and cheerful and easy to grow! Place a seed about an inch deep in the soil, gently cover, water it in and wait. Sunflowers are also one of the fastest crops we grow, usually taking about 50-70 days to bloom depending on the variety.

Top Tips-

Sunflower size can be controlled by how far apart you plant your seeds. I plant mine about 4-6 inches apart in a grid for perfect bouquet sized blooms
Look for varieties that are “pollenless” or “pollen free”, these are bred for cut flowers and won’t make a mess on your table cloth, or your customers table cloth if you are growing for others.
My favorite selections are Vincent’s Choice, Procut Plum, and Procut White Nite
If you choose a branching type, make sure to give them a little more space, about 12 inches, and pinch them when they are 6-12 inches tall.
Cut just as the first petal begins to lift off the center disk for longest vase life.

From left to right: Sunflowers Procut Plum and Vincent’s Choice, Procut Plum sunflower at correct harvest stage.

Cosmos. If you are interested in the wildflower look, these sweet flowers are for you. Simple to grow, they can be planted directly in the ground or started inside. Cosmos come mostly in white and various shades of pink, although there are a handful of apricot, and citrus colored varieties.

Top tips-

Pinch them when they are about 6-12 inches tall
Cut them when the largest bud is just begining to open, the other buds will soon open as well. Make your cut deep into the plant, so that later stems will be long.
You can use the foliage as greenery in your bouquets!
Cosmos are kind like zucchini, super productive and quick to get past their ideal stage. Plant less than you think you need for your first go round.
Cosmos are very prone to powdery mildew. Its always the first plant to get it on my farm. Be prepared to treat it if powdery mildew is a problem in your garden.
I love the varieties Double Click and Sea Shell for their uniqueness.

Basil. I know, I know, you must be thinking “But that’s an herb, not a cut flower!” Basil makes a fabulous and easy to grow foliage for your bouquets. It’s quick growing and loves the heat. And you can eat the left overs!!

Top Tips-

Choose your varieties carefully. Smaller leafed and tall cultivars work best. My favorites to grow are Mrs. Burn’s Lemon, Cinnamon, and Siam Queen Thai Basils.
Unlike growing basils for flavoring food, we want to let the basil bloom. Harvest when the basil is tall enough and a few of the florets have begun to bloom.
Basil can sometime be a little wilty. Harvest in the cool of the morning or later evening. Let it sit overnight in bucket, in a cool (not too cold) room. This will allow it to fill it’s cell walls with water and resist wilting. Stripping lower leaves off the stem will also help the remaining leaves hydrate better.

Fall bouquets featuring the dark and heavenly scented florets of Siam Queen Basil.

Celosia. This last season was the season of celosia on our farm. It was so lush and beautiful. Celosia comes in a vast array of shapes, textures, and colors. It’s a unique group of flowers that can stand up against our heat filled summers here in Utah.

Top Tips-

Get to know your celosias. There are crested celosia, a.k.a. cockscomb celosia or celosia cristata. Their texture is fun and velvety, the shape they grow in reminds me of ocean coral. Wheat celosia or celosia spicata bears narrow spikes of color that resembles, you guessed it, wheat. Celosia plumosa sends up feathery plumes of tiny florets.
Both plumed and wheat celosia are great upright linear additions to bouquets and arrangements. Crested celosia adds a fun texture and a talking point. For Wheat type my pick is Flamingo Feather. The plumed varieties of the Sunday series, especially Orange and Dark Pink, are winners, as is Sylphid, an icy lemonade yellow that blends with both brights and pastels. For crested varieties, I love Cramer’s Burgundy and the Chief series, specifically rose and persimmon.
Celosia is best started indoors on a heat mat. Besides needing to be started indoors, celosia is a very easy crop to grow. I have not seen any pests or diseases on celosia on our farm.
Pinch celosia when it is about 6-8 inches tall for consistently sized stems. Pinching is especially important for crested varieties that will bloom on multiple stems. Do not pinch any varieties that has “single stem” in it’s description, you’ll pinch off it’s one bloom.
Celosia will bloom in less than ideal circumstances, but for best blooms give it full sun and consistant water.
Harvest when the blooms have reached the size you desire but before the seeds ripen.

Celosia Plumosa Sunday Orange and Dark Pink

From left to right, Celosia Flamingo Feather, Celosia Cramer’s Burgundy, Celosia Sunday Dark Pink and Orange.

Zinnia. You might have been able to guess which flower would be the last of our top five, zinnias are a no-brainer for any cut flower garden. Big, bright, and beautiful, they are easy to grow from seed and bloom over a long season.

Top Tips-

Zinnias can be started directly in the ground outside or indoors to get a little head start.
Zinnias cannot be shipped, making them a flower unique to locally grown markets.
Harvest when flowers have fully opened and the stem right below the flower head has become firm. Do the wiggle test- gently grasp the stem 8-10 down from the bloom and give slight shake, if the flower stem is stiff all the way to the top it is ready to cut.
Cut deep, especially your first cut on a plant. I cut down to the bottom 3 or 4 branches on the plant. This will insure nice long stems for future harvests. Trim off any foliage or side buds for longest vase life.
Watch for powdery mildew, treating it sooner than later can protect your crop for the long haul.
Be careful with herbicides, zinnia are super sensitive to herbicide drift. Even a neighbor spraying weeds from 20 feet away can affect them.
Varieties to try - Any of the Benary’s giants, my favorite colors are the salmon rose, deep red, orange, and bright pink. Uproar Rose is disease resistant and super productive, the blooms are always large and uniform. The Queen series can be a fun novelty.

From left to right, Uproar rose and Benary’s Giant Bright Pink, Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose, Zinnia leaves affected by herbicide drift.

There you go, my top five warm season varieties to start your cutting garden with. Which will you try this year?

What would you plant? - Cool Season Annual Edition

January 27, 2021 Fawn Rueckert

In the last post I talked about the best perennials for new growers to try, today I want to tell you about some of my favorite cool season annuals. These lovely blooms are great because you can get them started at the end of winter and plant them out before it’s too hot. Gotta love those cool spring days in the garden!

A couple things about “cool flowers”.

-Plant them out in the garden 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Here in Northern Utah our last frost date is typically around Mother’s Day, so I do my first outdoor planting in mid March.

-If you need to start your own seedlings, count back from your planting date to figure out when to seed them. For example, if you know it takes 5 weeks to grow snapdragons to the size you want plant out and you want to plant them in mid March you would start them in early February.

-They like it cool, so don’t put them on a heat mat with zinnias or other warm flowers, one or the other will suffer. I keep my mat around 65 degrees when starting most cool season flowers.

-It’s best to have your beds prep in the fall so you don’t get held up by rainy weather that could make bed prep a muddy mess.

-While they are cold tolerant, it can be a good idea to keep some frost cloth on hand to cover them if the temps dip a little too cold. It’ll help you sleep better during those inevitable cold snaps knowing your plant babies have a little protection. I like Agribon 19.

-Direct sown varieties are a great option if you don’t have space to start seeds inside.

Now for the fun part- the varieties! There are a lot to choose from but I think the following are a great place to start.

Nigella
I’ve never actually “planted” nigella, but I harvest it every year. It comes back year after year from a wildflower mix that some past owner sprinkled out decades ago. Disturb the soil slightly, cast your seed and give it a light watering and walk away. It’s that easy. The blooms are usually a lovely light blue or white and the seed pods that from later are great to dry for use later. You can even toss your seed out in the fall and they come through the winter like champs! Cut when buds are beginning to open or wait til the seedpods form.

2. Snapdragon “Madame Butterfly”

I love these frilly, gorgeous flowers! They make a great linear shape in bouquets and smell delicious to boot. Snapdragons are best started indoors. They have tiny black seed casing that sometimes become stuck on the new seedling, using a dome over the seedlings and misting them occasionally will help with that. The color “Bronze with White” is a coral pink and one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Cut when the bottom third ot the florets are open.

3. Statice “Seeker Series”

Statice is the unsung hero of the summer bouquet. Not flashy on its own, it fills out and adds color to the group. I plant it twice, once in mid March and again in mid April. From these two plantings I have flowers from late June or early July until frost. Start inside much like snapdragons. I especially like Seeker Blue and Seeker Light blue, they make yellows and peachy colors pop. As a bonus, you can dry your extra stems in a dark warm space for use later. Cut when the florets are fully open.

Statice “Seeker Blue” and “Seeker Rose Shades”

4. Bachelor Buttons

These cute “buttons are easily sown straight into the ground in early spring or in the fall. They come in shades of blue, pink, white, and purples. Sow several successions a couple weeks apart to have a longer span of blooming. They typically bloom in June and July depending on when they are sown and are even edible! Cut as they are just begining to open.

5. Feverfew “Magic Single”

This is my hands down favorite variety of feverfew, perfect, tiny, cheerful daisy shaped blossoms with long strong stems. Each stem is a lush cluster of these cute little blooms. They fill out an arrangement well and impart lots of charm and whimsy. These tiny seeds are best stared indoors, but will gently reseed if happy. I plant a round in mid March and another in mid April, they bloom in June and July AND if you leave them in the ground they will over winter and bloom again, even earlier in June. Cut when most of the flowers on the stem are open.

Just a farmer and her favorite feverfew, “Magic Single”

Many of these flowers will be blooming at the same time as warm annuals that are planted a bit later. Together they make a beautiful bouquet.

Find my top 5 beginner warm season varieties here and my 5 favorite beginner perennials here.