Wanna Give Cut Flowers a Go? Here’s What You Need to Know
September 22, 2020 Cut flowers are one of the best cash crops for small growers across North America, with profits of up to $30,000 per acre. They are easy to grow, produce quickly, and can supply a good income throughout the growing season.
Most growers start by targeting local outlets such as farmers’ markets, florists, and restaurants. It’s best to stick to proven cut flower varieties when starting out, so you have a better chance of selling out on market days. According to Craig Wallin, an author on ProfitablePlants.com who specializes in gardening advice, here is a list of 10 cut flowers to consider when getting started.
1. Ageratum. Clusters of long-lasting flowers in red, white, and blue add color to bouquets. With successive plantings, ageratum can produce continuous blooms from early summer to frost.
2. Scabiosa. Also called the pincushion flower, scabiosa is excellent for cutting and comes in a wide variety of colors, from white to dark. As with most cut flowers, plant every two to three weeks until mid-summer for extended bloom harvest.
3. Larkspur. This relative of the buttercup has complex flowers and comes in a wide range of colors. Most seed suppliers offer color assortments, so you’ll have a rainbow of blooms to harvest and mix into bouquets.
4. Snapdragon. Best to start indoors and transplant. Snapdragons take 120 days to mature. Most growers plant a mix of eight to 10 colors for variety.
5. Peony. With hundreds of varieties of this popular perennial, the hardest decision may be which ones to plant. The large, fragrant flowers are always a hit at the Saturday market.
6. Zinnias. Nothing fills out a bouquet quite like zinnias, with their brilliant colors, shapes, and sizes. The giant varieties are best sellers at the market.
7. Sunflowers. Early blooming varieties are popular market sellers. Some growers prefer to sell individual stems.
8. Verbena bonariensis. This popular flower produces lilac-colored flowers on long, thin stems.
9. Salvia. This plant produces an abundance of flowers on its elongated stems. There are many variety choices for a wide range of colors, from scarlet to white.
10. Yarrow. Also called Achillea millefolium, this popular annual comes in a variety of colors. It can be direct seeded or transplanted and is ready to harvest in around 90 days.
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