One of my flower dreams (and there are many) is to have a large cutting garden, where I can pick beautiful bouquets whenever I want. For now, I’ll start with a small bed of flowers for cutting. To learn more about growing stems for arrangements, I reached out to some of my favorite flower farms for their expert advice: Frogtown Flora, Tiny Hearts Farm, and Fivefork Farms.
Started by landscape designer Kathleen Ferguson, Frogtown Flora (Read about one of her garden design projects here) is a “micro-mini” farm based in the Frogtown neighborhood of Los Angeles. Ferguson specializes in climate-appropriate blooms, including many California natives. You can find her organically grown flowers at the Gather Flora stall in the LA Flower Market or by messaging @frogtownflora on Instagram.
The brainchild of two classically trained musicians, Jenny Elliott and Luke Franco, Tiny Hearts Farm grows a dizzying array of organic flowers—tulips, snapdragons, larkspur, poppies, lisianthus, dahlias—on 38 acres in the bucolic Hudson Valley. They have a charming shop in Hillsdale, NY, where you can pick up beautiful bouquets and browse a chic mix of gardening and floral wares. On Instagram, you can find them @tinyheartsfarm.
It’s a family affair at Fivefork Farms, led by grower extraordinaire Grace Lam. She, her four siblings, and parents all chip in to make this Massachusetts flower farm a hotspot for well-grown flowers, especially voluptuous peonies and a stunning selection of dahlias. Stop by their self-serve farmstand in Upton, MA, (check their site for hours), find their blooms at select shops in the Boston area, and follow them on Instagram @fiveforkfarms.
Here’s what Kathleen, Jenny, and Grace shared to help you get started on your own cutting garden.
Q: What’s your favorite summer flower to grow?
Tiny Hearts: I’ve been really having fun with the new varieties of cosmos that have been introduced over the past few years. All of a sudden there are so many new, beautiful colors! There’s a great cosmo that nobody seems to be growing called ‘Kiiro.’ It’s like the now-famous butter yellow ‘Xanthos’ but it’s so tall and amazing for cutting. I’m also trying ‘Apricotta’ this year. I have high hopes for it.
I know I’m not alone in being entirely obsessed with dahlias. We have four acres and over 60 varieties planted this year. They’re hungry, thirsty, and take a ton of labor to dig, divide, and store the tubers over winter. But they’re glorious! I used to be concerned about their relatively short vase life, but nobody seems to care. They just want those flowers!
Dried flowers have become so popular recently, and I love making big arrangements with them in the fall and winter. Finding new varieties and enjoying classic ones to dry has become one of my favorite summer growing adventures. I grow tons of strawflower and never tire of the glowing, vibrant colors. I love all the deep-colored Celosia (yellows and greens don’t dry well) and have recently started growing Carthamus ‘Zanzibar’ (safflower) and Centaurea americana ‘Aloha’ series as cuts for dried flowers. They have such great color and texture.
