Cut Flowers from Seed to Sale

Transcription

1 Cut Flowers from Seed to Sale Karen Mimo Davis, Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers Miranda Duschack, Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers 1

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5 Weekly Tower Grove Farmers Market Select Florists Events Educational Workshops What Customers Do You Want To Target? Top 10 Easy Annuals Ageratum Nice blue filler flower. Start from seed in February. Cut back after first cut for a second flush. Heavy feeders. Suggested variety: Blue Horizon Celosia There are three types and all of them love summer heat: Crested, Plumed, and Wheat. These can be direct sown but we start them in 128s. These need support netting. Do three or four successions starting in April. Suggested varieties: Crested (Don t pinch) Chief series Cramer series Cramer s Hi-Z Plume (Don t pinch for one large head and lots of side stems) Pampas plume Sylphid Wheat (Pinch at 9 inches) Cramers Amazon Celway 5

6 Celosia argentea var. cristata (Cristata Group) Celosia argentea var. cristata (Plumosa Group) Cosmos Great color and a nice, airy filler. Must be supported. Pinch when 8 12 tall. Do not fertilize. Cut daily. Do three successions starting in April. Suggested Varieties: Versailles and Double Click. Dianthus Some require vernalization and others can be treated as annuals. Suggested varieties: Tall Double Mix and Electron (sow in July and plant in August for blooms the following May). Amazon Series and Sweet Series (do not require vernalization sow in March and July). Gomphrena- Invaluable as a bit of color and lots of filler. Sow in April. Suggested Varieties: Audray series (branching). QIS series (single stem). Rudbeckia Biennial/Annual grown from seed. Sow in January or February for blooms in July/August or sow in August for blooms the following June. Suggested varieties: Indian Summer and Prairie sun 6

7 Sunflowers plant weekly or bi-weekly for continued harvest from April through August. These can be direct sown, if you don t have problems with small rodents or birds eating seeds or seedlings. We start them in April in 128s and plan to get them in the ground within three weeks. Suggested varieties: Pro Cut Orange, Vincent Fresh, Vincent Choice, Sunrich Summer, Pro Cut Bi-Color Zinnias- Great colors! Direct sow or start in April in 98s. Succession plant three or four times. Support needed. Best variety: Benary Giant Eucalyptus Great filler! Start seeds in December or buy plugs. May overwinter with thick straw mulching. Suggested varieties: Silver Dollar, Silver Drop Easy Perennials Achillea (Yarrow) Grown from cuttings, divisions or seed. Suggested varieties to start from seed (sow in January): Colorado Mix, Coronation Gold. Varieties to buy as plugs: Terracotta, Paprika Mints Great fillers! Buy plugs. Suggested varieties: Mountain mint (Pycanthemum muticum) and Spearmints Phlox paniculata Grown from cuttings or divisions. Plugs planted this summer will produce next year in June. Can get a second flush in September if you cut back to about 4 inches, keep watered and fed. Suggested varieties: David (white), David s Lavender (actually pink), Eva Cullum (dark pink). 7

8 Perennials to start now for (valuable) blooms in 2+ years Hydrangea Woody shrub. Requires lots of moisture and partial shade makes for the best blooms. Buy bare roots or potted plants. These suggested varieties bloom on new wood every year after a cut back to 12 inches in late winter: Paniuclata Limelight; Arborescens Annabelle Flowering Branches Pussy willow, Curly willow, Red Twig Dogwood, Winterberry Holly. Purchase bare root or potted plants. Peony A great investment! Plants take several years to become fully productive. Purchase 3 5 eye roots. Suggested varieties: Monsieur Jules Elie (hot pink), Festiva maxima (white), Sarah Bernhardt (pink), Red Charm (red), Coral Charm (coral). 8

9 Questions??? For more information & a really good time!!!! Contact The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers 9