Spring Planted Bulbs for Summer Cut Flowers
Spring planted bulbs produce some very nice summer blooming cutting flowers. Some are actually tubers, corms, or rhizomes but they’re sold bare root in packages along with regular bulbs.
With bulbs, always let the foliage of bulbs to die back naturally so it will feed the bulb for the next year’s flowers.
These are the ones that are most popular and are easy to grow:
These are the ones that are most popular and are easy to grow:
Alstroemerias: One of the very best cutting flowers to grow, these grow from tubers.They’re long lasting in the vase and a so easy to grow! Best in warmer zones. Read more about growing alstroemerias.
Crocosmia: Brilliant red flowers or other shades are available, too. They’re deer resistant and make a striking landscape plant. They’re corms. Read more about crocosmia here.
Calla Lily: Some of the most elegant yet dramatic flowers; well-drained soil, sun to part shade (4 hrs. sun per day); zones: 9-10, or if in 3-8, lift in fall and store in dry wood shavings or peat moss, or plant into pots, keep from freezing indoors, when new growth starts, move to a sunny window where it can get at least 4 hrs. sun; these are rhizomes: plant 4 in. deep and 12 in. apart; feed with organic flower fertilizer in the ground and keep well-watered.
Dahlia: There are so many different types of dahlias. They’re actually tubers, but they’re planted in spring and sold with the bulbs. They make show-stopping flowers, and are very popular. They grow best in full sun, in rich, well-drained garden soil. Plant after the last frost date for your area (like tomatoes). Plant in a hole that’s twice as deep as the length of the tuber, add organic flower fertilizer to the bottom of the hole, cover tuber with 1 ½ in. soil, water well. Dahlias need to staked or caged while young to support them throughout the season. They tend to be deer resistant, depending on the deer situation you have.
Daylily: A surprising cut flower, since the flowers only last a day. So it’s best if you select the ones that stay open longer into the evening. One with a fragrance makes it even better. My variety of choice is ‘Hyperion’, it has more than the usual benefits. Daylilies are often deer resistant and super easy to grow. Flowers are borne in clusters and each day a new one opens, though it’s slower when cut and indoors. Fairly deer resistant. Read more about this daylily here.
Gladiolus: Tall flower stems with big flowers make gladiolus attention-getting cut flowers. These will grow in zones 3-10, but they need to be lifted in zones 3-7 and stored, they can’t handle freezing. Plant corms about 4 times as deep as their height, 4-6 in. apart, in good garden soil, with added organic flower fertilizer.
Lilies: Asiatic and Oriental lilies are great as cut flowers and have a long vase life. Asiatics bloom early on long stems and Oriental ones come with a fragrance that will be noticeable once they are cut. They are both tall lilies. Plant 6-8 in. deep, fertilize with organic flower fertilizer.
Peony: They don’t like to be transplanted so plan your site wisely, allow for its full size; full sun, a little less in hot areas; deer resistant; plant in soil that’s slightly acidic, well-drained soil. These are very long-lived plants giving big, luscious flowers with attractive foliage. Read more about peonies here.
Tuberose: One of the most wonderful fragrant flowers. One stem of these flowers adds fragrance for a room. Read more about tuberose here.
