5 flowers NOT worth growing!

[@equestanton1017]

I lived in the Nertherlands and I must say buying tulips as cut flowers in season was always a joy. Big wonderful bunches of them. I prefer the lovely big simple cup shaped ones on tall stems. Unfortunately I too discovered that the production of tulips is an incredibly dirty business, on our health yes but also on the environment's health. The Netherlands are world champions at contamination of water and soil by pesticides, chemical fertilisers and manure by the tulip industry with very little meaningful regulation. The flower auction has introduced an ecological hallmark that guarantees the flowers carrying it are grown without pesticides but you will be hard pressed to find any at a store near you. Toxic bulbs and yes not just tulips of course. There should be a greater awarness how our garden plants and bought cut flowers are produced because almost none of it is particularily clean. I like the native flower movement where only natives are used which are of the area and so adapted to surviving and producing very well without the use of all these poisons, they're also positively beneficial to wildlife.

[@anni50ful]

Here in the UK the government has just given permission for a pesticide to be used that kills bees?? The stupidity of politicians astounds me😢🇬🇧

[@equestanton1017]

@@anni50ful Unbelievable!

[@anni50ful]

@@freespiritwithnature4384 No Im sorry , just look up stupid British politicians ,its bound to be on the internet .

[@poorthing]

@@anni50ful the US can top any of your clueless politicians. Deregulation is always for the almighty $, you may not have dollars but greed is the same everywhere. Our legislators are tainted with corporate financial donations.

[@653j521]

@@poorthing Oh brag, brag. The US can equal but can't top others for any corruption you can name.

[@MilliePat]

I love your channel because many garden channels only address the commercial plants and fertilizers. They rarely address the environmental impact of certain products ❤😊

[@bruceroberts1713]

It's great to have a grower on KZbin that knows what he or she is talking about. I'm 77 years old and a horticulturist all my life. I will see you again.

[@fraukeg.facchini2691]

Interesting choice of flowers not to plant again. 😂 I am not a flower farmer, just a home gardener who plants some of these flowers to cut and make a few bouquets. While grocery shopping today, I looked at the flowers and what price they were sold for, and I don't know how flower farmers can make money or even break even! Thank you for your concise, down to earth advice!

[@Jalleur14325]

I think monetising online mostly - via books and courses..look at Common farm flowers, and Lisa Ziegler - both centre heavily on online learning and teaching other people. If you don't do that you don't really make money. I know three flower farms who folded because they just couldn't make it work financially. One actually managed to struggle on with an on-site cafe but people only go on sunny days and those are limited!

[@Nickelini]

I understand your reasons for not growing tulips, but the tulips you showed are STUNNING. I always grow tulips because they bring me joy, but I have a tiny garden so I don't have your issues

[@bluegirl4079]

Wow. You are the third gardener I have heard who is not going to grow tulips for various reason. You have really laid out valid reasoning.

[@JulieH-tq3ul]

I had sworn I was never going to grow cosmos again until I saw the pictures of Apricot Lemonade! I'm very grateful that your honest review saved me from disappointment, I'm gonna give cosmos another shot but with a more tried and true variety.

[@chrisp.76]

Thanks for explaining about invasive flowers-especially for showing the maps. Really helpful.

[@florafarmstead9154]

Thank you for affirming why I don’t want to grow tulips. My mom and aunt have been getting more involved in the business after watching KZbin over the winter, and I’ve been trying to explain to them why tulips aren’t the best idea for us, but “such and such on KZbin grows them.” 😅

[@goblinb]

As you explained it(and I was not aware of this before I saw the video), not growing tulips makes sense for a cut flower business. However I used to grow tulips quite a lot when I lived in Illinois, and I like them a lot for the garden. They almost always perennialized for me, even the fancy varieties, and even some of these were planted along the south wall of my parents house, where cannas and gladiolas had overwintered many years. My drawback about tulips and most spring bulbs, is after they go over, they look horrible, but you have to keep them till they turn yellow and brown, in order for the remaining leaves to give energy to the bulbs so they can return the following year.

[@sandrafranciamore9972]

I feel the same way about all of the flowers you mentioned. And this whole time I thought it was just me! Thank you for reinforcing my personal opinions about these flowers. I am new to your channel and I love it!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Ha it’s funny how we get “influenced” into feeling we SHOULD like certain things (or not!) I always thought I *should* love tulips but they’re just a pain most of the time 😂

[@mietta11]

I live in on the eastern side of Australia, we pop our tulips in the fridge for six weeks before planting at the start of winter. We don’t get snow but do get frost and I do buy nearly annually for personal use. Enjoyed this talk. Thank you it was appreciated. 😊

[@rmcn8173]

Thank you for thinking of those who are immunocompromised. I really appreciate it. I also used to sell antibiotics and resistance in antibiotics and antifungals. I recently took a class in planting a dye garden. The teacher discussed how invasive Queen Anne's Lace can be. Each plant can produce 40,000 seeds. It does make a beautiful color though. Pregnant and hoping to be pregnant women need to take caution around this plant as well. Bedstraw is another good dye plant that needs to be contained.

[@TRUTHRULES777]

As a person who’s been gardening since my 20s and I am much older now. I think we all learned what doesn’t work and does work for us and where we plan things and how they do. But when you’re trying to grow specific things like fruits and vegetables, etc. that’s when you have to bring it up a notch. Find out where they should belong in the garden for cold sun and wind purposes. sometimes when you just walk around your yard and you say wow, I wanna plant that little thing and look how good is doing well that’s probably something that if you like the way, it looks and behaves in your garden you should grow again because it’s telling you “I like it here.”

[@apriloestman8304]

I so appreciate your channel. We grew the Apricot Lemon Cosmos for two seasons and experienced similar results as yours. Thank you for your honesty about Tulips. We have just a small bed growing to add in to spring CSA bouquets (realizing we may not recover cost). Listening to you made me reconsider for next year. They do take extra time to clean!

[@mkitchens8163]

I'm not a cut flower farmer, but I have started growing a group of flowers in my garden for cut flowers for myself and to make gift bouquets for friends and family. I'm going to have to research the perennial scabiosa for my area, zone 7B N MS. We had a banner tulip year this year in our area, as opposed to last year following a fairly dry and very warm winter; most tulips last year bloomed almost at ground level or just 3 or 4 inches high. I can see it not being worth growing for a cut flower. They are definitely annuals for us here but they are such a delight in the late winter/early spring (they've just finished up bloom here). Last year was my first year for Dara, but I absolutely loved it! I actually had one plant come through the winter and it is growing strongly. I'll have to wait and see about the reseeding. The swallowtail caterpillars absolutely ate all my other Dara plants to the ground, as well as the one that survived. I'm not sure if they hosted any swallowtail larvae, but they sure provided a lot of food for the caterpillars!

[@aleashacasarez855]

I'm excited to grow cosmos for the first time this year and you definitely didnt deter me! I didnt know they had such a short vase life, so I'm glad to hear the good and bad of it 😊 thank you!

[@mylamberfeeties875]

I grow them every year they are beautiful the bees absolutely love them. I make cute summer music videos with them among other flowers. I don't pick my standard flowers I save bouquets I give for sunflowers only.

[@bambinaforever5720]

I LOVE cosmos. Grow every year.

[@johnascialpi5247]

theyre good filler flowers cause theyre foliage ,they grow well in cool weather in my experience ofc

[@DalhiaSun]

I loved this video ! I’ve never really liked Cosmos. Grew it one year and I was unimpressed. Another plant I will never grow is cleome. It’s very sharp and painful and for me it was hard to get rid of. I didn’t know that about those beautiful tulips. I planted hundreds this fall. I’m zone 6B on the east coast of Massachusetts it’s cold enough here for tulips and I really love them but at 75 with bad knees and back I need plants that will come back. I’m just a home gardener. I’m enthralled with flower farming but at this stage that ship has sailed. I love your honesty . I keep wanting to plant Dara but haven’t gotten around to it. After learning about them I won’t be planting them. Thank you for a great video

[@CMSCK]

I am with you on tulips. I was unlucky to get fungus in my lungs. It was a hard time fighting that and took a long time with lots of medical follow-up. We want our gardens to bring us joy and not make us sick. I now have to play safe and wear a mask while gardening.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Very smart of you. I’m sorry to hear of your struggles, I hope you fully recover! ❤️

[@Find-Your-Bliss-]

I also wear a mask outside, more and more.

[@poorthing]

I've planted tulips for years. Now I am freaking out...

[@GoAwayNow-iz3du]

Have a lot of oak trees nearby? I used to get sick doing fall raking with lots of oak leaves, but since I loved away, I haven't had any of that problem with other trees (southern US).

[@Jalleur14325]

​@@Find-Your-Bliss-a mask? Because of air pollution?

[@cathylampshire1140]

It is interesting to learn the reason a flower farmer does not want to continue growing a flower. It may not apply to a home grower (and sometimes it might) but I enjoy knowing the reason behind your choices to stop.

[@Christine-su1rz]

The tulip info is so interesting and makes sense! Here in Ny we had a very very mild winter and basically what I planted is flowering with barley any stem at all… and the other info is alarming thank you for the info

[@cabbking]

I totally hear you with tulips! Long ago I dropped them since in addition to the negatives you mention, squirrels find the bulbs if they persist after one season and eat them. I just can’t afford them.

[@SasuHinaRox1596]

So this may sound weird, but Trader Joe’s sells bulb plants as bunches (as bulbs) at really good prices! You can even make an order by calling it in! The pot alone is worth the price, let alone the plants in it! They get shipments in the morning if you want to look at the potted bulb section! I love it ☺️

[@augustvukosovich4683]

I'm a nurse, and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you linking the information on Aspergillus for us to read. Thank you ❤

[@DalhiaSun]

Also the fungus thing is extremely important to me. My poor husband is allergic to almost all antibiotics. Big thank you!

[@edanaestenes9656]

I am not sure, but do antibiotics work on fungus? I think it would be antifungal medicines. Antibiotics work on bacteria, which is not fungus.

[@SS-pw3pk]

So I am your neighbor around the corner from your farm. About three years ago, out of nowhere, the version of Queen Anne's Lace you were talking about showed up in my yard, and it's spreading like crazy. Now I know how it got here. I am downwind apparently. Southeast from the farm. The other thing I've noticed is no Japanese Beatles. I tell all my garden buddies that because you are my neighbor, there's no Beatles infesting my plants. So I guess it's a trade off, so thank you. If I see any Beatles, I'll put out traps too, to help out.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Ack! Let me know where you are and I’ll come help you pull it!

[@tracycrider7778]

Milky spore helps!❤

[@trinawilliams1395]

Good stuff to know. I have planted seeds of all 5 flowers you mentioned. I also have the perennial scabiosa planted. I think they are all beautiful, but as a new flower farmer I'm finding it difficult already to keep up while working a full time job. I definitely don't need high maintenance flowers. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!!

[@joanmayfield4791]

My wild flowers - wood poppies, wild columbine and wild phlox, mixed with Solomon's Seal are doing GREAT! Saves a ton of $ and VERY LITTLE care!

[@Find-Your-Bliss-]

What is your growing zone? I appreciate the list that worked for you!

[@joanmayfield4791]

@@Find-Your-Bliss- Zone 6. I am also working on establishing ferns into the semi shaded areas. I love the single Japanese painted fern I have - hard to find!! Folks not into ferns anymore.

[@Thinkerton997]

My Solomon seal is just blooming. They look beautiful with lilacs in a bouquet!

[@great-garden-watch]

@@joanmayfield4791do you have any shade ground cover ideas? Flatter…not tall? I love pachysandra but it is a reservoir/carrier of boxwood blight and I have a lot of boxwood.

[@juliasidorov1963]

This is so good info! I’m in Colorado too.. agree with you on several of these. Can we get a video of what you are growing more of? Perhaps what you are replacing the ones in this video with?

[@michellebeatty7899]

Yes please!

[@anni50ful]

In Colorado surely you should look for drought tolerant plants such as geranium, I'm guessing it gets hot there in summer ? 🇬🇧☺

[@jenn976]

Thank you very much for this wow. This is very honest which I appreciate. These are the best-researched reasons I’ve heard supporting the decision not to grow these plants. I appreciate that we’re not told not to grow them because, as you said, it all depends on climate (and other factors). There seem to be too many people on KZbin touting themselves as experts yet they never mention 1) where they’re located & the climate they’re in, 2, whether they are in business or not or 3, anything about soil. I’m not a flower farmer (but I have followed Floret Farm for 15 years and live 2 hours south of her - near Seattle). She decided years ago to grow tulips and has a very different set-up with labor, etc. For my home garden, I decided long ago to grow bulbs other than tulips. Tulips didn’t seem worth it to me and now I have good reasons for not growing them. The only one I’d consider (if I could ever find it) is the Tulipa Sylvestis (yellow, wild in Europe). But not if treated it with fungicide. The only flower I grow on your list is cosmos (the variety you showed). But again, I’m not a flower farmer, only a home gardener. I grow none of the others and I can easily see why you don’t. My garden is primarily for pollinators and my tastes. Pretty funny that one of the marketing reasons used so often (“great for butterflies!”) did not work for the swallowtail because of the variety they developed. But they still use it for marketing that variety of Ammi. Same thing for monarchs. There are many flowers pushed for the monarch butterfly but if you live in one of several states *not in their migration path, why grow them? I try to stick to heirlooms but I don’t have a greenhouse and can’t grow *everything* by seed but I try. (the milk jug-clochettes work wonderfully for seeding hardy annuals in winter) With so many beautiful flowers to grow, these 5 flowers won’t be missed. Thanks very much for your video. Flower farmers are some of my favorite people. Subscribed.

[@catherineemerson99]

Oh, oops! Just ordered two varieties of cosmos after watching your cut flower garden videos and planted one of them earlier this week! But I'll keep an eye on them. I do still plant tulips as I'm putting spring bulbs around our (small) property. I love the pops of color from those, daffodils, and hyacinths, and add a few more every year (so far, but probably about maxed out on space now). People around here are always telling me how tulips don't reliably come back (zone 7 b, SW Oklahoma, mild winters generally), but thankfully, that hasn't been my experience. I don't have the other plants on your list, though I remember statice from my days working at a local florist. And after watching your video, won't be tempted to plant them! As always, thanks for an informative video!

[@evitaslittleparadise]

Very informative vlog! I have a few tulips in the garden that comes back every year and also have the wild variety that I don't mind spreading. I also have the perinneal scabiosa in blue and white that I love, but then I am not a cut flower farmer. I fully understand why you're not growing these 5 flowers again.😊Have a nice day! - Evita

[@stephaniedesante3433]

Two flowers I am growing for the first time this year are strawflowers and china asters! Seedlings are sprouting now (zone 5a). Would love to see some more information on these flowers in some upcoming videos :)

[@hmh3808]

LOvE china asters! Till it attracted a little leaf hopper that spread aster yellows throughout my garden! I would recommend if you have the space to grow them in their own place, and away from any precious perennials like peonies, etc. - that would be a huge disappointment if they got contaminated, because the plants have to be completely destroyed, there’s no cure for aster yellows.

[@Heirloom_Leaves_and_Seeds]

Great information! As a beginner flower farmer I have always wondered how flower farmers made much money on tulips. From the high cost of bulbs, pulling bulbs for stem length, and blooming so early. Now with the fungicide information I think I will pass on tulips. Totally agree about Cosmos - Apricot Lemonade. I grew it last year & found it to be underwhelming - smaller plants & very, very muted colors. This year I am trying bunny tails, dusty miller, and mahogany splendor one last time before I cut them. A few issues with each. 😊

[@mylamberfeeties875]

Coneflowers make beautiful bouquets 💐 i like growing flowers that are healthy and good

[@janeforever]

I know what you've said about cosmos. I don't cut them but plant them in my garden because of their light & airy structure. It's 1 if the few flowers I always plant among all the perennials & natives that I mostly grow in the garden❤

[@aplacetohideaway]

I've been incorporating flowers into parts of my vegetable garden - cosmos and dill are beautiful when planted together. Both feathery and airy plants. Pretties things up a bit. :)

[@imaginempress3408]

​@@aplacetohideaway that sounds lovely.

[@felixfelix6499]

I loved this video! I am an elderly, long-time home gardener. I already grow and do not grow some of the things you mentioned, but it is always nice to have someone else say it! The one question I have is about Star Flowers. I love them but they shatter in my dried bouquets. I always wondered if folks sprayed them to keep that from happening (and the black centers from falling off)? I have this same problem with some of the lovely perennial grasses for bouquets I grow and will never grow again without serious deadheading: bunny tails, for example.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Try harvesting them a bit earlier!

[@victorialg1270]

I would like to see a video about your perennial flowers.

[@rosemarythyme6351]

Hi, new sub here. Interesting to learn about the five flowers from a cut-flower grower's perspective when I've grown them all in my garden over the decades as a homeowner. Thanks for the heads up on Dara as Queen Anne Lace and the drab Pink Lemonade Cosmos. I've wondered if that variety of Cosmos didn't look washed out irl. I like the vibrancy of regular Cosmos and have been growing it for decades because it reseeds freely, and I'm okay with that. It's actually kinda fun to see where the wind or the birds will plant Cosmos next in our yard! 😉

[@JillBretherton]

I watched this with interest as there are a couple of flowers having grown once I thought, ew never again, and 2 of them are on your list. Dara and statice. I found both to be quite ugly. I grow for an english cottage garden anyway so they didn’t fit but I just generally did not see the beauty in them despite them being so popular. Re tulips, as an organic gardener I am concerned by the levels of pesticides from the NL used on them & some of the daffodils. I planted loads the autumn before last and the following summer I hardly saw any bees or butterflies in my garden when I usually have so many. I was very concerned by this. I don’t know if this was just a coincidence but I don’t think I will be buying anymore. I go to a lot of trouble to preserve and encourage wildlife.

[@hmh3808]

Great video! Thanks for detailing your personal experience it is so valuable to other gardeners! From Toronto

[@StayPositive050]

Oh gosh cosmos was on your easy cut garden from seed list but you said it takes over and to only plant 2…I think I’ll plant none! Thanks for the timely info. Much appreciate your content.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Haha yes you’re right and it IS easy! Too easy in my climate 😅

[@flowergrower1247]

I have also decided not to grow tulips in my operation, there are too many hurdles to jump, the main negative factor is the weather, I flower farm in zone 3. I will not grow kress as it bolted for me when seeding it and I did not see the value of it in bouquets. I have not grown Dara or Queen Anne's lace yet and will perhaps avoid the reseeding issues in the future. I had a lot of reseeding issues with Vanilla Sunflowers and double cosmos but I planted some of the seedlings in rows and my husband cultivated the rest under. I am looking forward to getting my used Kubota rototiller fixed for next year, we bought it somewhat damaged but my husband will fix it. I will be able to do a better job of keeping the weeds down. Love your videos!

[@vivherman2296]

Hey! New to your channel and love it. I agree with all those flowers....and I'm adding dahlias. I only ordered 5 tubers just to enjoy. I had to plant alot of them to get any nice ones because they wouldn't fully open into the bloom stage. Every yr. the same, and not along enough vase life for me. I have choc. dara come back here and there after many yrs. Per. Fama scabiosa I love, but short lived for me. I just lost a patch of what I think was black knight scabiosa, that I had for about 10 yrs.!!! it was my bee flower , and it had a sort of tap root but I just left the patch go to seed and stay messy for the bees. It bloomed from June till frost from old and new little plants. We had the area dug up for tile work and I only have a few plants left...they are coming up now. Z5. As I said, I ordered it from somewhere yrs. ago...and it looks exactly like black knight scabiosa. I have looked it up and found an heirloom variety with same name. I'm hoping the seeds I have started are the same?!

[@LiseFracalossi]

Interesting commentary on Daucus carota/QAL, and I’m intrigued that you asked Douglas Tallamy himself! You may already know this, but Daucus carota is the same species as the common carrot - just the carrot has been selectively bred for hundreds of years to produce desirable roots. So really we can’t eradicate QAL without eradicating the carrot! QAL can be invasive, for sure, but it’s not high on my list of concerns, compared to things like bittersweet or knotweed. But I agree, if the brown variety makes it less useful to pollinators, then there’s no reason to put more of it into the world. You’re probably one of my favorite gardening channels to watch, and it’s largely due to this holistic (in the original sense) approach you take to gardening.

[@Green.Country.Agroforestry]

I had contemplated adding tulips to our lineup when we expand to a larger property .. but I think you have managed to convince me to leave them alone! Most of what we grow are edible flowers, or flowers with edible tubers, or medicinal purposes .. things that people can plant in an HOA that could be used as food in an emergency, but still not raise too many eyebrows. (dahlias, day lilies, cannas, crosnes, hibiscus. yarrows, monardas and such.) _helianthus tuberosa_ might be too much for an HOA .. but we grow it, too 😁

[@FilipinoCowgurl]

These are gone out of my cutflower list. Single petal cosmos - The vase life makes the flowers not worth it. Although, I love my doubles! Marigold - Short stems but will still use up my seeds for in the vegetable garden. Calendula - sticky stems but still use them in the garden. Annual Scabiosa - Short vase life and tedious to harvest. Bachelors button - Small, tedious to harvest and short vase life.

[@yolandapierce4258]

How many days do you get out of your Cosmos and Bachelor Buttons? I usually get 10 days out of both. I'm a hobby grower and I thought that was a pretty good vase life lol

[@FilipinoCowgurl]

@@yolandapierce4258 Dang if you can get 10 days, that’s awesome! For my double cosmos I can get 7 days. Singles only a couple days. Bachelor Buttons are a couple days as well. But they are so small, and take much longer to harvest for such a little flower. I had the Boy Black and they were so cute, they will be grown in a flower bed I can enjoy. But there are much easier flowers to grow for money.

[@richbishop7896]

I've been digging out Queen Annes Lace on my property for over 30 years and it still shows up. I'm just a home gardener. No I never planted it. I was surprised my double tulips from last year came back. Didn't know that about the fungus on tulips. I grow cosmos in containers. Bonny zone 5b

[@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327]

I'm just a home gardener, but I have found Queen of the Night and Parrot tulips perennialize and do well for me in high desert zone 5-6. I agree with you though. I also have old tulips that come up every year, but don't do anything. I've tried to dig them out, but I never get all of them. Daffodils are way more reliable. I planted a few chocolate lace flower 5 years ago and they still come up in unexpected places. If we actually had rain, they would have taken over my whole garden by now.

[@MaryMarsh-ex6fo]

Thank you so much for this information. I grow in a different climate but same worries of invasive plants. I am glad to check and double check before I contribute to the problem. There are so many plants to choose from.

[@maryjoszymanski8409]

Trying Afternoon White and Apricotta Cosmos this year. If they don’t perform better than the others I’ve tried, cosmos will be off my list too! I’ve started both the perennial Scabiosa and the annual. I’m hoping the perennial will survive for me this year so I don’t have to grow the annuals again. Good to know about the dara! Thanks for the info. It was on my list just to get rid of the seed this year but I think I’ll take a pass. They make a huge mess all over the table as they age in arrangements! Tulips will be off my list for next because of the cost. I’m not a flower farmer so the retail cost of them ($1+ per bulb) has become too cost prohibitive. Thank you for all the information you share! 😊

[@Dahliaismypassion]

I am not a flower grower but I do grow a fair amount of cuttings flowers and I totally agree with you! Did not know about the fungicide issue. I have stopped growing tulips a few years ago as well.

[@valerieneal2747]

I LOVE FLOWERS ! THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL AND MAKE ME SMILE WHEN MOST PEOPLE CAN'T🤣 MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME IS TUBEROSE...THE SCENT IS HEADY, SENSUOUS AND INTRIGUING. I LOVE PEONIES, VIOLETS, PANSIES AND SOME ROSES. BUT MY FAVORITES TO BE HONEST ARE WILDFLOWERS😍 I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU; I LOVE YOUR FUN LOVING PERSONALITY AND YOU'RE A HOOT TOO. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU🌻🌱🌻

[@TheFloweringFarmhouse]

I had no idea about the fungicide in tulips. I developed a system rash planting my tulips this year and I know wonder if that's what caused it. Looking forward to reading the article you linked.

[@amberlangford8471]

I was on the fence about statice. Decided to keep for this year cuz it pulled so much weight as a filler last year. With you on tulips! Not worth the investment I’m over it

[@thecraftyhairdressercardsa205]

What a great informative video. I treated myself to a bag of 7 ice cream tulips this year and only 4 came up but only 3 have buds. It’s quite disappointing because they were quite pricey compared to other varieties. The whole fungus thing is a worry, I didn’t realise about that. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise. New sub here, going to binge your videos now 😬

[@alisonlee8153]

How were the blooms?

[@thecraftyhairdressercardsa205]

@@alisonlee8153 still not open although they are colouring up more, so fingers crossed 🤞

[@OfftoShambala]

I love love love statice… I find it super easy on all levels. I’m surprised you find it difficult to harvest. ??? It’s so easy to deal with but it is an easy perennial in my zone. It’s actually a common landscape plant. We get a few cuttable blooms starting in mid Feb, but by mid March thru may… they are like cut and come again… I have only had the purple variety… can’t wait to try the other colors.

[@DeAnne9743]

I have never been a fan of cosmos but tried apricot lemonade last year, and I'm still not a fan. They look so pretty in pictures. Thanks for the heads up on the Dara. I just bought a seed pack but I think I will hold off on starting.

[@hbogielski]

I vased cosmos last year and they lasted a long time! When dead ones started to appear I just.clipped them off. I probably had the vase for 10 days!

[@ahavarichardson5426]

I cut my first Statice yesterday, it is perennial in my zone 8b, I'M keeping them!! Orlaya is another I want to perennialize! As well as, Lisianthus!! I ONLY have seven so far! I might ORDER them NEXT year!! Very difficult germination

[@sheilaehrich2774]

This was the first of your videos I ran across. (I will be looking for more!) I really enjoyed this video for a number of reasons, some of them technical, I suppose. First of all, you explained your choices as coming from the perspective of someone growing flowers for a cut flower BUSINESS. Not the everyday gardener or someone trying to grow a sort of Prairie so I don't have to mow my backyard. (Ugh!) I particularly appreciated the segment on Cosmos. I grow Cosmos for the pollinators and I LOVE that they re-seed. My philosophy has always been, buy one package of old-fashioned Cosmos and you'll never have to buy another package. If you don't like where they're growing, dig them up and move them, or throw them in the compost. Easy-peasy. I like the way they fill in empty spaces where something may have died over our sometimes harsh Minnesota winters. (This last one was a doozy!) I appreciated the section on tulips and would like to know what the other variety of Tulip is that naturalizes. I love tulips! My mother-in-law used to have a section of tulips that naturalized into the grove on our farm. And even though no one has lived there for over 30 years, so they receive no TLC, some of them still come up every year. Also, it was good to learn about the fungicide. That's something I will be paying attention to when I look for new bulbs to replant a garden that went awry out front. Again, from your perspective, Statice is really a "pain." While I don't grow it every year, I still have dried Statice from years ago that is still vibrant and I like to use it to fill in dried flower arrangements. I always keep some on hand in my cupboard where I keep my indoor plant fertilizers, vases, pots, etc, Also, nice to know there is a perennial Scabiosa should it be something I might think about growing. All-in-all, a very educational and entertaining video. Thanks!

[@emiliebean1221]

I'm with you on the scabiosa front - converting to perennial scabiosa and starflower only. The upkeep of the annual scabiosa is a headache! Thanks for the great video!

[@achnix3167]

The perennial ones are pretty easy.... Shorter though i think

[@juha7830]

Thanks, agree with cosmos and tulips.. maybe somehow statice also. I dont like it but florists buy it. Dara is one of my most profitable and most easyest to cut and collect a bucket full of it and florists buys it every week. Scabiosa is not so profitable. I calculate the ROTE of all the flower varieties I grow.. meaning how much I make Return (= profit) out Of it divided by Time and Energy I put into it.

[@sarahmunoz14]

I think it’s really helpful when you explain why, environmentally and for your business, you won’t be growing something. I live tulips but they don’t do well for me in Southern California. I have heard some flower farmers say bulbs just don’t bring in $ and others are planting thousands of bulbs.🤷🏽‍♀️

[@michaelarichmond438]

I love hearing your reasoning! Personally, you can pry statice out of my cold, dead hands 😂 But gomphrena (so annoyingly floppy AND breaky) and amaranthus (weird octopus tentacles) will never have a place in my garden.

[@jaimemorgan5323]

It's fascinating how climate influences plant performance and habits! I've grown Daucus a few times, and always regret when I don't have it in my line up. I don't think I've ever had a single volunteer from Daucus (I wish!!) - unlike Orlaya, Orach, and many others, which I haven't bothered buying seed for in years, but still have loads of, year after year. I'm cutting annual Scabious from my lineup next season, too - but especially the Stellata/Starflower variety. That is about the weediest self-seeder I've ever grown. I grew it once - in my first season, and five years later, I still have volunteers popping up in droves. I dropped it at first because it is far too shatter-prone to be relied on as a fresh or dried flower - the weedy factor I didn't learn until the following season!

[@americanpatriot4080]

I totally agree, most just don't come back strong. I've been digging mine out each spring. Daffodils and hyacins are more reliable year after year.

[@sheamaloney5527]

I want to grow flowers for my daughters wedding in September. I would love your advice.🙏 We’re going for lots of color! I love your channel!!!! Thank you for all of your great work! I’m learning a lot!⭐️

[@michaelarichmond438]

She actually recently just posted a cut flower garden plan video that I think would be helpful! It's funny though because she does reccomend cosmos in it 😂 If you're going for color, you can't go wrong with zinnias.

[@jacksonfamily678]

Shea Maloney- plant a variety of flowers so if one type has a bad year you have enough others to make bouquets. Also, plant in succession (some each week over 3 weeks) because you want to hedge your bets when they will bloom. Also, remember to plant some things that are for the greenery too. They add a lot of interest.

[@dianeosgood6594]

Pannicle hydrangeas of different varieties will be blooming in July, August and September. They last after cutting too.

[@susancase4254]

I gave up growing Gladiolus, (they were always subject to some problem or another and you only get one bloom) Campanula (grew these once and never again, hardly had any useable stems for cutting) and Asters (which, despite hopeful promise, just never had enough blooms to be worth the labor). I love Cosmos though and they also give nice greenery/filler for my bouquets, even if for just that reason they are lovely- especially the Double Click variety.

[@mariefriedmann3203]

Wonderful content, btw I understand about the tulips… I just have a few early orange emperors … single large… that’s it. They’re mixed with the iris and so I have something to look at in April and May!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Yes some do perennialize!! The low maintenance ones are great 😂

[@yolandapierce4258]

My neighbor used to work at a nursery and she has loads of Tulips. When I told her that I wanted to plant some, she didn't hesitate to tell me not to lol She said that sometimes they come up again and sometimes they don't and we ended up digging them all up over the fall.

[@saraloggins8365]

Thank you for addressing the problems with tulips. I subscribe to many flower farmer channels and cannot mesh the overall negative environmental impact of growing tulips for cut flowers. I just don't understand why people would buy "local" flowers when the bulbs are shipped in from thousands of miles away every year and then wasted bulbs when the flower is harvested. Not very "green" or sustainable even though they think they are helping the environment by purchasing "local" flowers.

[@patriciakeys4873]

Thank you for helping me make the decision to NOT get any tulips. For all the financial reasons you mentioned but also, new to me, the fungal problems. I have auto immune and now it is permanently off my list. I used to live in HIghlands Ranch but now have moved to Oklahoma so I went from 5b to 7b zone. We get Spring and Fall for about a minute, the rest mostly Summer but Winter can be pretty cold but not cold enough for tulips, those I'd have to get prechilled.

[@auntifelin]

I totally agree!. My tulips were beautiful on first year then it's not as great looking the next years and now just didnt come back up. My hyacinths also flop when it rains and it always rains in my area in spring so it just ruins the presentation of the flower when its laying on the ground lol.(Right now theyre flopped to the ground again due to the 2 days of rain) Ill just leave them until they just disappear or take them out when they looking bad. They only bloom a couple weeks or even less anyways. Not planting them anymore!

[@peggyjk]

I have quite a few tulips that came back from last year but I don’t plan on buying anymore……the deer come eat them…we have put small fences around them but not sure if that will deter them, just to much work. Purchased alliums last fall, waiting to see how they come out. I don’t like growing cosmos, they get too big and flop too much….I am trying the black pincushion flower but may not next year if they are that much work, we’ll see. I don’t sell cut flowers but love to garden and give family and friends bouquets. Thanks for sharing!

[@martybellinger]

I absolutely love cosmos! I'll grow it just because it is so beautiful in my small garden. It sounds like good choices for you not to grow though. Enjoy your channel very much!

[@Blossomandbranch]

There are many who adore them! You’re not alone :)

[@olgak506]

My very first year I planted around 300 tulips and only a couple random daffodils , - yes its pretty but quickly I realized its not the best decision .. it needs to be the other way around ! So I don't think I will plant tulips as much because I want to make more efforts on planting daffodils instead because they do naturalize and multiply and unlike tulips their leaves are not as wide and ugly when they dye back, and since the effort of planting is the same, I think its worth it to spend it on planting stuff thats gonna thrive and not diminish with every year , so lesson learned ! this season I got around 300 daffodils and only 150 tulips, but I never had a chance to plant them , they are chilling in the garage and we still nave snow everywhere, I think I will plant them in containers because it seems I would have to wait forever to have our soil thaw , I live in MN .. my plan for tulips was containers anyway but daffodils I will have to replant into the lawn

[@carolp6433]

Same here. Mine are in garage, too - snowing now w/3-8" predicted. And probably next week, too.

[@annakozlowski4837]

Your vlog popped up and I am hooked will go over past ones ..looking forward to more❤🌹

[@davidthedeaf]

I’m not in business. I am also in 8b zone. Almost every tulip I have grown has come back without any fertilizer in the ground, and in planters. The issue I have is not always do I like the tulip look after it blooms. Photos I check online very well and yet sometimes there just isn’t enough to prove what I really will get. A variety I can recommend that is a bit unusual is the sport Picture tulip. Now it seems there is a new type of tulip that comes in red, white, as well as mottled which does the same outward appearance as Picture, which is a pink. What is nice besides the look is very strong stems and the petals are thick, so it makes a good dried flower too. The new variety of tulip is called Coronet. Look it up and grow for the fun of it, not business.

[@sherrianderson7306]

Tulips are soooo expensive as a home gardener. Now knowing all the fungicide issues, they will definitely be moving to my NO list. I planted Dara for the first time this year and am in love, so will be interesting to see if I have issues with it reseeding! 😮

[@pompe221]

I've given up on tulips too, because I've lost too many of them to the squirrels and chipmunks. I grow daffodils instead because they're slightly poisonous and don't get eaten. But I had never heard about the fungicide causing resistant Aspergillis!

[@sharoncalatayud6410]

Thank you for the Tulip fungus article!! I will not be growing Dara and cynoglossum because of them reseeding everywhere as well. Statice I have always struggled with too and are on the fence as to whether or not it's worth growing, same with Gomphrena because its a pain to cut. :) there are so many other beautiful flowers out there that have great qualities. Enjoy the warm up and good luck with your growing season.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Very good to know about the tulips/fungus!

[@nicolephillips9991]

Ugh, Queen Anne's Lace. We had some the first summer at our house and I let them go to see because I was trying to be good for the birds, but I didn't know how invasive it was. I spent all of last summer pulling it up everywhere! It's terrible and my biggest regret

[@tessmonro7102]

Thanks very informative. I will never grow angelica again because it is very invasive and hard to pull out. Amaranthus is another extremely invasive plant but the seedlings are very easy to pull. I will grow it again because I love the texture & colour.

[@meghanmurphy3623]

Love the attention to invasive plants and environmental impact of the floriculture industry. Spread the word! 💪 Also stattice blech regardless of color. Feel the same about Celosia. Any time over ever gotten a market bouquet Ive immediately thrown it away. I don’t care what color it is.

[@meghanmurphy3623]

Please do a series on all the invasives recommended by the common wisdom cut flower world. Have been making it in my head for years- Cannot believe anyone still sells and promotes Dames Rocket. And FYI even if something isn’t invasive in your area today it might be in a couple years. As a flower farmer I certainly don’t want to be responsible for destroying my local habitat. There’s so little of it left. There are plenty of pretty non invasive things to plant.

[@RadioactuveToy]

Tulip clusiana, Lady Tulip, grows very well in Zone 6/7. I bought the "Annika" cultivar and have had a clump for 3 years. Flowers are bigger and pinker each year and has already made daughter bulbs. Wouldn't say it's cut flower/ commercially viable, but a great low maintenance landscaping tulip.

[@neosapienz7885]

Our tulips are propagating on their own here in Chicago, to the extent I need to thin them out. They’ve established successfully after 4 years. Our neighborhood is about to be full of tulips.

[@catbee1452]

Do you have a She-shed? So sweet! I won't be planting any more tulip. We moved to a rural area and I immediately planted tulips. When they came up this spring, the buds were just about to open and overnight, the deer (or rabbits) ate the buds with one chomp. Heartbreaking. So NO more tulips for me! Do you have a video about the top 5 flowers to grow?

[@oldsoul6421]

Well, the flowers you talk about are huge novelty to me. I live in Poland. But tulips are extremely popular. Our winters are good for them. Thank you for this video.

[@marynadewet4634]

Watching from South Africa. Cosmos was brought to SA by the British during the AngloBoer War in the horse feed. It is beautiful, but very invasive and therefore considered a weed. The Brits took our diamonds and gave us cosmos!!! But is does cover the fields beautifully in spring and summer in some parts of the country. Tulip bulbs are very expensive here ...always wanted to still do it, now I know better ...also our winters might not be cold enough. Thanks for the info, very interesting to me as gardener and plant lover.

[@lovebelieveachieve]

I won't be growing Phlox anymore. They are beautiful and smell nice but you have to pinch them off so many times before they get a decent stem length and they were the only flower that seemed to get powdery mildew very easily.

[@charlesdelarock7960]

Thank you for the videos and like you I grow Dahlias and cross pollinated to get new colors My plant to absolutely avoid is Drumstick Allium,…very invasive and hard to get rid of. I am sorry I planted 60 of them 5 years ago now I have hundreds to kill. I usually wait for a raining day to be able to pull it all stem and bulb out and discard it. Do not put it on your compost pile

[@ivylll3397]

I have a perennial Scabiosa in the backyard. Probably it’s because it’s planted in part shade, I never got any straight stems out of the plant last year😅 The annual version produced nice long straight stems for me, but weren’t near as floriferous as your picture…

[@Mrs.dhplatt]

My perennial Scabiosa is planted in part shade also and tends to flop but stems are still straight enough for smaller bouquet work or compotes. I don't fertilize mine, and it still leans, possibly it's growth habit. Tends to stand up better in clay heavy gravel soils, similar to dirt road material. Also native grown.

[@Mrs.dhplatt]

Rubeckia Goldstrum or the Indian Summer variety it grows readily in our feilds, roadways etc, not to say that I don't harvest it I just harvest in place. Also, same with statice native variety unknown and verbena banariopsis, both grow native and love are wet low areas. Sometimes making it difficult to harvest, but eventually by summer it seeds in grows to higher dryer areas where it is easier accessable.

[@LavenderandLettuce]

So funny I also cut statice and scabiosa from the lineup this year! I'm with you on the tulips, I planted some Darwin's last Fall as an experiment to see if the stems are long enough to cut and leave to perennialize. I used to dislike cosmos but the last few years they have made a comeback for me and I use them for both the foliage and flowers that dance above an arrangement. I find the Afternoon White from Johnny's does well for me as a cut flower with a longer than average vase life (for a cosmos). Grew Apricotta for the first time in 2022 and fell in love....it ages beautifully and has the best vase life I've yet found on a cosmos. I think you mentioned you're going to try it this year....so good luck! Going to try and get seeds for Versaille Flush as they are supposed to be an improved cut flower type...so maybe better vase life too?

[@brookestranberg4054]

To funny I am agreeing with you so much! Dara sucks, I also agree with the tulip decision, while they are beautiful I don't plan on growing them again. I love the double Cosmos but was soo disappointed in the Apricot lemonade so sad. I actually love statice!! Scabiosa I totally sheared a couple times and it really helped 😊😊😊

[@Centerpiecegardens]

We've learned the hard way a few times. Thank you for putting this information out there. :)

[@michaelamalmstrom3684]

Great video! I agree about the tulips and cosmos. The tulips are way to expensive, if you want making any money at all, and a lot of work.. Cosmos are pretty but in september the plants are just so boring with only brown sticks and it's too much deadheading 🤸‍♀️ Greetings from 🇸🇪

[@julieclark9173]

I planted about 50 tulip bulbs last fall, just inexpensive ones, as I'd never grown them before. Well, ONE of them came up and made a flower. The others, every bulb, was eaten by voles. So I'm there with you on tulips! A lot of work for one flower!

[@JuneJustifia]

omg - you got the voles too? They are horrendously taking over my garden too. What do you do to get rid of them??/ Please, tell me

[@julieclark9173]

@@JuneJustifia sorry I can't help. I haven't done anything yet, they are good for aerating the soil, although very pesky and a little destructive. I don't like using toxic chemicals, so I tried the little ultrasonic beepers that are supposed to repel them, but they were pretty useless. I'm still thinking about what to do if they're still here this summer.

[@scarter8137]

I have used castor oil and my aunt uses peppers mixed with dish soap. Removed any thick mulch around trees / garden area. It works but takes time patience is key!

[@julieclark9173]

@@scarter8137 Peppers! Hot ones? I may have to try that. Thank you.

[@pamelaspooner7183]

Plant in containers. Voles will not bother those.