What to Cut from Your Summer Garden for a Homegrown Bouquet
A list of our family’s favorite beginner-friendly cut flowers
August in the cut flower garden is a little wild, but in the best way. Everything is tall, tangled, and joyfully overgrown, with blooms spilling into every corner.
This is the season I head outside with a pair of scissors and a thrifted vase, ready to gather whatever catches my eye. I never plan my arrangements. I just wander around, snipping what looks happiest, and somehow it always comes together like something out of a magazine. Flowers are kind of magical like that.
If you're planning a cut flower garden this summer, these are our family's favorite beginner-friendly flowers for homegrown bouquets and cut arrangements. Most are easy to grow from seed, and several will bloom all summer long if you stay on top of cutting them.
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I received these tiny vases as a party favor at a bridal shower, and they are darling. It’s been great to have some this size for the kids. I’m thinking of getting more- these look particularly lovely!
Where I buy my seeds
Before I get into the list — I know the first question is always where to find these varieties! For unique and specialty flower varieties, Johnny's Selected Seeds is my first stop. For heirloom seeds with incredible germination rates, I order from Survival Seed Co. Quality seeds are worth the investment, and these are the two companies I've had the most success with over the years.
For perennial plants, I prefer to shop local greenhouses rather than order online. And don't underestimate your neighbors! Some of the best plants in my garden came from friends who had roots to divide or seedlings to spare. If you know other gardeners, a community seed or plant exchange can save you a lot of money when just starting out.
Annual Flower varieties that have worked well in our garden
Zinnias are an obvious first pick for any cut flower garden, and for good reason. They're forgiving, bright, and the more you cut them, the more they bloom — making them one of the best flowers to grow for bouquets at home. They are easy to grow from seed and have become a genuine confidence-builder for me every year. My favorite varieties are Agave Cactus Flowered, Zinderella Peach, and Oklahoma. This year I also grew Queeny and Ballerina, they looked amazing together!
Cosmos are tall and a little tangly, but that's exactly what makes them beautiful in a vase. They are delicate and flutter around at the slightest movement. Just be sure to harvest them when they are almost ready to bloom, but not fully opened — that will extend their vase life quite a bit. Cupcake and Afternoon White are my preferred blooms, but double flowered varieties like this mix are also stunning.
Marigolds are my husband Devin's favorite flower, so I always make sure to plant a few. I love the Coco Gold variety for big, puffball blooms, and French Marigolds like Durango or Bonanza make fiery, long-lasting fillers. Cut them for a vase and they'll easily last a week or more, they’re one of the most reliably long-lasting cottage garden flowers you can grow.
Sweet peas are a classic cut flower, and honestly, I think they look best when left on their own. I rarely add greenery or other flowers, just a little vase overflowing with sweet peas is enough to brighten any room. If you're wondering how to grow sweet peas for cutting, the Mammoth variety is a great place to start for larger blooms. The smell amazing too!
Sunflowers will be in my garden every year, period. Last year I grew Procut Gold and White varieties and they were breathtaking. Most of them stayed in the ground because I just couldn’t bring myself to cut them! They’re stunning in the garden. The ones I did bring inside were gorgeous and held up for over a week. Others varieties I’ve loved through the years are Teddy Bear, Velvet Queen, and Autumn Beauty. One practical note: stagger your planting for a longer season, and be thoughtful about placement, as sunflowers don’t play nice and can inhibit the growth of some plants.
Herbs in flower arrangements are lovely
Most of the flowers I plant, such as zinnias, do not have a strong scent of their own. So my favorite hack for getting an arrangement to smell as good as it looks is to use herbs as a greenery filler! Using herbs in flower arrangements may sound surprising, but many hold up better than you'd think. They add scent, texture, and variety all in one go. For foliage and flowers both, I love sage, oregano, basil, and mint. Sage and oregano are especially hardy and last a week or so in a vase. Basil and mint are definitely worth trying — the scent alone will win you over. Both wilt a little faster than other stems, so get them into water quickly and keep them out of the heat. Also, consider planting anything in the mint family in it’s own container, it likes to take over!
Oregano is not just great on pizza- it works beautifully as a filler flower too!
A few simple cutting tips for longer vase life
For the best chance at long-lasting cut flowers, harvest in the morning or later in the evening when stems are well-hydrated. Snip the stems at an angle and strip off any leaves that would sit below the waterline — this prevents rotting and keeps the water fresh. Put cut stems straight into water as you go, and they'll last considerably longer.
That's really it! Growing a cut flower garden doesn't have to be complicated. Start with a few beginner-friendly varieties you love, pay attention to what thrives in your space, and don't be afraid to experiment. There is nothing quite like walking outside and coming back in with an armful of flowers you grew yourself.
