Brian Minter: Nothing represents a hug better than a beautiful batch of cut flowers

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Perennials are now playing many different roles in our gardens, everything from providing longer-blooming periods and sequential colour to being pollinator attractors and bird-friendly sources of seeds and nesting materials. Also important, perennials provide an ever-increasing supply of cut flowers.

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For years, I’ve watched local growers produce a steady stream of cut perennial flowers for the local flower auction, which attracts buyers from across Western Canada and the United States. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the wide range of home garden cut flowers available from seed and annual starter plants, and I promised a follow-up on perennial cuts.

The nice thing about perennials is the fact that they increase in size year after year, creating a much larger quantity of cuts over time. With some strategic planning, you can enjoy a continuous supply of cut perennials from April well into fall.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is one family that has certainly grown in popularity, not only because of its increasing colour options, but also for the extended blooming period of some varieties. The New Vintage series has four colours, including white. They grow up to 28 inches and are repeat flowering from April well into September. Proven Winners has added a few nice colours as well, including Firefly Amethyst, which changes from lavender to pink and Firefly Peach Sky, a lovely peachy-orange that ages to yellow.

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Astilbes, in all tones of pinks, reds, lavenders and creams, will beautifully accent any bouquet. White astilbes are the most in-demand. Some varieties, like Mighty Pip, will grow 30 inches tall and are ideal for larger bouquets. Astilbes perform best in slightly shady garden locations. From the earliest blooming varieties to the late ones, you can enjoy a three-month sequence of these delightful flowers.

Delphiniums have also grown in popularity, especially their blue and purple varieties. They love a well-draining, sunny location, and when cut back in mid-June or early July, they will often rebloom in August and September. The New Millennium series has a wide range of colours, and today, we have good pinks, like Pink Punch, deep blues, like Cobalt Dreams and rich purples, like Pagan Purples. Next year, a new hot coral, called Red Lark, will be introduced.

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Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum superbum) have always been highly valued cut flowers, and there is a wealth of new varieties. We seldom see the old L. Esther Read, but we have some much-improved varieties. Growing about 16 inches tall, the pure white Daisy Whitecap is a newcomer that blooms from March into October. Next year, there will be a new introduction, called Sunshine Freak, which grows about 12 inches in height, has a rather appealing yellow and white coloration and blooms from April until August. I love the tall (26 inches) L. Santé, with its spidery, double white flowers and very strong stems. Proven Winners’ amazing Banana Cream is a distinct lemon yellow that fades to a nice cream. It has long, 28-inch stems and flowers over a six-week period.

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Peonies are, perhaps, the most expensive and most in-demand flowers. They have just now finished blooming, and it’s a great time to plant them for next year’s blooms. For the best flower production, peonies thrive in open, porous, well-draining soil that is not too rich. There are many old favourites, like P. Festiva Maxima (a white flecked red), Kansas (a double red), Sarah Bernhardt (a double apple blossom pink) and Dr. Alexander Fleming (a double, fragrant pink). Coral coloured peonies, such as Coral Sunset, and yellow ones, like Bartzella (a semi-double hybrid), are a little rarer.

Perennial phlox has become very popular as a cut flower, and one of the very best is P. David, a tall, pure white, disease-resistant variety that was once chosen the Perennial Plant of the Year. Disease resistance, especially mildew resistance, is one of the most important considerations when evaluating today’s garden phloxes. The Super Ka-Pow series, from Darwin Plants in Holland, is available in six colours, grows about 18 to 20 inches tall, is very disease resistant and blooms from June into August. The compact Flame series has a wide colour selection, grows up to 18 inches in height, blooms into midsummer and is very mildew resistant. Proven Winners’ Luminary series grows about 30 inches tall, blooms mid to late summer and comes in a vibrant pink and the rather punchy, Ultraviolet variety. They all have a pleasant, soft perfume and make great bouquets.

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As we move into the later part of summer, tall sedums have been overlooked as cut flowers for far too long. Cut when in tight bud, the blooms open nicely into shades of pink, like Autumn Joy and shades of purple, like Matrona and Night Embers. Their foliage can be green, bronze or black. As cuts, they last a long time and blend well with so many other summer flowers.

Veronicas, too, make magnificent cut flowers. Averaging from 18 to 24 inches tall, they last for a surprisingly long time and come in a wide array of colours, from the purest whites to the deepest blues, like Moody Blues and the hottest pinks, like Skyward Pink. They have a long shelf life and add a touch of elegance to any bouquet or arrangement.

There are many other perennials, like rudbeckias, salvias and coreopsis, that make attractive cut flowers, but over the years, from watching our local growers and by using their great cut flowers, I believe the varieties, that I have mentioned here, have become the backbone of B.C.’s cut flower industry.

Even if you just plant some of these varieties, they are perennials that you can enjoy year after year. Spring, summer and fall, you’ll always have the opportunity to cut some stems and bring them inside to enjoy — or better yet, to share with your friends and neighbours. Remember, flowers are the new ‘hug.’