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📖 Cut Flower Care Guides

Everything you need to grow, harvest, and care for your cut flowers. Detailed guides for 17 flower types.

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Dahlia

Dahlias are the backbone of many cut flower farms, producing an incredible range of colors, forms, and sizes from midsum...

🌱 After last frost when soil reaches 60°F (15°C) 💐 4–7 days with proper conditioning
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Zinnia

Zinnias are fast-growing, heat-loving annual cut flowers that produce abundantly from midsummer to frost. Direct-sow see...

🌱 Direct sow after last frost when soil is consistently above 70°F (21°C) 💐 7–12 days with proper care
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Rose

Garden roses are the luxury crop of the cut flower world — fragrant, romantic, and always in demand. For cut flower prod...

🌱 Bare-root: early spring (March–April) while dormant 💐 5–10 days depending on variety; garden roses generally 5–7 days
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Gladiolus

Gladioli produce tall, dramatic spikes of color that are essential for large arrangements and market bouquets. Plant cor...

🌱 After last frost 💐 7–10 days; florets continue opening up the spike
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Tulip

Tulips are the first major cut flower crop of spring, bringing color to the farm and market when little else is blooming...

🌱 Fall planting: October through November 💐 7–10 days in cool conditions; tulips continue growing in the vase
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Peony

Peonies are a high-value perennial cut flower that can produce for 50+ years from a single planting. The lush, fragrant ...

🌱 Fall (September–October) is ideal for bare-root planting 💐 5–8 days at room temperature; up to 4 weeks in cold storage (34°F)
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Carnation

Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) are classic, long-lasting cut flowers prized for their spicy-sweet fragrance and exce...

🌱 Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before last frost 💐 14–21 days — among the longest of any cut flower
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Snapdragon

Snapdragons are cool-season workhorses that fill the gap between spring bulbs and summer annuals. Their tall, densely pa...

🌱 Start seeds indoors 8–12 weeks before last frost 💐 7–10 days
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Lily

True lilies (Lilium) produce spectacular, fragrant blooms on tall stems and are a staple of the cut flower market. Asiat...

🌱 Fall (October–November) or early spring as soon as soil is workable 💐 10–14 days; buds continue opening on the stem
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Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums are fall's premier cut flower, offering blooms when most other flowers have finished. Disbud mums produce...

🌱 Spring — transplant rooted cuttings or divisions after last frost 💐 14–25 days — among the longest of any cut flower
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Hydrangea

Hydrangeas produce enormous, showy flower heads that are essential for wedding work and large arrangements. They are woo...

🌱 Spring or fall 💐 5–10 days fresh; excellent for drying
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Cosmos

Cosmos are effortless, airy annuals that fill the gap in summer bouquets with their delicate, dancing blooms on wiry ste...

🌱 Direct sow after last frost 💐 5–7 days
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Sunflower

Sunflowers are fast-growing, high-impact cut flowers that go from seed to harvest in just 60–75 days. For cut flower pro...

🌱 Direct sow after last frost when soil reaches 55°F+ 💐 7–10 days with clean water management
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Other

This covers specialty and less common cut flowers that are valuable additions to any cut flower farm — lisianthus, ranun...

🌱 Varies widely by species 💐 Varies by species — 4 days (sweet pea) to 3+ weeks (chrysanthemum)
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Celosia

Celosia produces vibrant, long-lasting blooms in cockscomb, plume, and wheat forms. Heat-loving annuals that thrive in h...

🌱 Start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost 💐 10-14 days (exceptional)
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Lisianthus

Lisianthus produces exquisite rose-like blooms that rival roses in beauty with better vase life. A premium cut flower th...

🌱 Start indoors 12-16 weeks before last frost (January/February) 💐 10-14 days (premium)
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Scabiosa

Scabiosa (pincushion flower) adds unique texture to arrangements with dome-shaped blooms and interesting seed pods. Exce...

🌱 Direct sow after last frost 💐 7-10 days
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