For summer bouquets, there's a veritable jungle of possibilities

By Carol O'Meara, Special to the Rocky

Published August 8, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Photo by Linda McConnell © News

Joan Kinney cuts some annual statice for her bouquets at the her home in Fort Collins.

The same scenario plays out every summer: You walk through the garden, gathering and snipping, hoping for a big, bodacious centerpiece. But despite that effort, you're left frustrated by a handful of anemic posies, wondering why a garden full of flowers won't fill a vase.

For casual summer displays, think beyond the roses and baby's breath and go exploring for other cut flowers. You'll find they open up a whole garden of possibilities to your creative desire.

"This can be so much more than a vase of flowers," says Chet Anderson, owner of the Fresh Herb Co., in northern Boulder County. "Interesting designers use something a little different in their displays." The blooms they use change with the seasons, and accents of vines, fruit, unusual sticks or even vegetables customize the arrangement.

Annuals and perennials are staples of the flowers he sells, but Anderson says the popular petals are still sunflowers and lilies.

"They're long-lived, bright and beautiful, plus the Oriental lilies have a wonderful fragrance. Other growers tell me that sunflowers are over, but every year everyone loves sunflowers."

The 52-year-old farmer grows 24 acres of flowers to supply Whole Foods, wholesale florists and his booth at the Boulder Farmers Market. He converted his farm from vegetables to flowers eight years ago, when the few flowers he grew became more successful than his vegetables.

Joan Kinney, who grows and sells flowers at the Larimer County Farmers' Market in Fort Collins, understands.

"It's a hobby gone crazy. I can't help myself when it comes to the flowers. I don't grow vegetables anymore."

Kinney, 54, began a cut-flower business in 1999 as an activity to share with her two boys, then 8 and 10 years old. Since then, the hobby has turned into a thriving part-time business, where she sells out by 10 a.m. every day.

Both growers suggest shopping at farmers' markets to find flowers that have been harvested within the past day and not trucked over long distances. "I love it when people at my booth tell me that they'd love to buy my flowers today but can't, because the ones they bought from me last week still look too darned good," said Anderson.

But turning your own garden into a floral supply is easy, says Kinney, if you plan for all parts of the display. "Think of it like putting together a painting. You'll need color, texture and something for background. You can grow for traditional or contemporary taste."

To keep yourself in bouquets all season, plan for succession bloom, where groups of plants flower one after the other. "Our work is an avalanche at this time of year," says Anderson. "We've planted every two weeks from May to July, and now something's always coming on."

Sturdy, long-stem plants of 18 inches or taller work best for floral arrangements, and those that hold their blossoms proud will keep their faces toward admirers. Everlasting flowers used for dried arrangements are good, since they hold their color and form for a long time.

Textures to punctuate the design can be plucked from spiky Blue Star sea holly (Eryngium planum), purple, cloud-like sea lavender (Limonium latifolium) and the spires of Bells of Ireland (Molucella laevis).

And don't forget greenery to give your bouquets a backdrop. Peony foliage, ferns and grasses are familiar companions in floral works, but Kinney encourages gardeners to think outside the box with colorful leaves. Artemisia "Valerie Finnis" frosts arrangements with silver and cream, while burgundy smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) adds a unique accent.

The colors you plant are a personal decision, says Kinney. "Do what feels good to you in the hues you love."

And plan to manage a cutting garden a little differently, she warns, or the plants may take over the garden. Cut them in flower to reduce problems from aggressive reseeding, and deadhead to keep them in bloom longer. Leave a few to sprout again next year, because by then you'll be hooked.

Carol O'Meara, a local gardening expert, may be reached at omearac@yahoo.com.

The perfect pick

Shopping for perfect, long-lasting flowers is a snap with these cues from Chet:

* Look for flowers that aren't blown or too old. You want buds just beginning to crack open, showing color.

* Choose those with plenty of healthy, fresh foliage, without bruises or disease.

* Pay attention to the water in the vendor's bucket, and select your flowers from clean, clear water.

Turn your blooms into winning bouquets:

* Cut flowers the evening before you need them, when temperatures are cool.

* Place them immediately into a bucket of water with flower preservative, found at your local florist's shop.

* Hold flowers in water overnight in a cool room to let them pull up water and preservative - they'll last up to two weeks if conditioned this way.

* Build your bouquet by holding stems in your hand, adding new ones to the bunch as you turn to view it from all sides. Make fresh cuts on each stem end just before you add them.

In season

Peonies and iris have given way to sunflower and lilies, but to make your shopping easier, here's a short list of flowers and when they're available:

* Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus): August- September

* Calliopsis (Calliopsis tinctoria): July-August

* Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius): July

* Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus): August- September

* Sunspray (Helienium spp.): August

* False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides): July

* Red hot poker (Kniphofia spp.): July-mid- August

* Statice (Limonium sinuatum): July-September

* Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia hirta): July-September

* Zinnia (Zinnia elegans): July-September

Plan 'n' plant

Want to start your own cutting garden? Sprout seeds indoors in March for planting outside in May, or follow this plan for direct sowing

* Zinnia (Zinnia elegans): May-June

* Love in a mist (Nigella spp.): April-June

* Strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum): May-June

* Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus): May-June

* Larkspur (Consolida spp.): March

* Sunflower (Helianthus annuus): February-June

Plant perennials for bloom next year:

* Rudbeckia (Rudibeckia spp.): September, April

* Butterfly weed (Aesclepias tuberosa): September, April

* Solidago (Solidado spp.): September, April

* Prairie Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.): September, April

* Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x. superbum): September, April

Drop in summer bulbs and corms for drama next year:

Crocosmia (Crocosmia x. crocosmiiflora): May

* Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.): May-June

* Dahlias (Dahlia spp.): mid-May

* Asiatic or Oriental lily (Lilium spp.): May, September

* Day lily (Hemerocallis spp.): May

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