The Cut Flower Garden

I try to keep work out of my blog. For the most part, it's easy. By nature of what I do, however, there are times when there is a crossover. Like when I appear on the country's biggest morning show. Or when I can share travelling tips, because who doesn't want tips from a seasoned veteren? This is another one of those crossovers.
Our March Homestead magazine inspired my plant selection this year. The bright-coloured cover caught my attention in the office, and I brought a copy home to browse. I made my flower list based off the article's recommendations and my own personal quest to grow perennial Sweet Williams. As I added flowers to my flowerbeds, I looked for those which would not only add beauty to my yard, but also my home in a bouquet. I was lucky to already have wonderful cone flowers and lilies, so it's been easy to build on the existing perennials.

This is one of the first bouquets I picked. Lots of purples. Guess what the white flowers at the top left of the photo are? Not your typical perrenial...

They're ONIONS! I never pulled them out last year and they came back this year with vengeance. I can't eat that many green onions, so I left most of them to flower. They make great filler in a bouquet!

My sunflowers were also a surprise return to my flowerbed. In fact, I wasn't totally happy when they came up, because the dahlia I planted is now severely stunted in growth in the middle of a sunflower forest. They do make amazing bouquets when mixed with a few coneflowers and sedum!

I haven't yet been able to find the tall Sweet William variety that makes a great bouquet. When I worked in St. Jacob's, I used to drive by Mennonite farms, where you could buy cut bouquets of Sweet William for a couple dollars. Does anyone know what this variety is called? Maybe the Mennonites have cornered this market.