Come see the different types of cut and come again flowers and a few that I give honorable mention to as well. Save this list to Pinterest so you can refer to it when planning your garden!
With a few years of growing 1/2 acre fields of cut flowers under my belt, there are a few flowers that I like to refer to as the workhorses of my summer flower season. These are cut and come again flowers that bloom over and and over again, even if you cut them. They are some of the most utilized flowers for large scale, specialty flower growers and some of the most sought after for summer weddings and cottage gardens.
Still seasonal
Now, this list of cut and come again flowers will still be seasonal for my zone, which is 6a in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My growing season starts in May and my blooming season is from late July through mid-October. This season, I will be planting some of these from plugs to get a head start and planting up my dahlia tubers in my green house now (March) to give them a head start for the season and to make cuttings.
Some of these may be classified as perennials in your area, most of these are annuals in my zone. However, some of them will be self seeders that tend to do well as wildflowers in Michigan.
My growing list
I do not tend to grow all the flowers on this list because I try to be focused. For me, it is most useful to grow a handful of these flowers in the space we have available. I am a small flower farmer and really only use my flowers for vases in the farm stand, my personal garden and dried flowers. Next season, I will be selling subscription to the summer vases and hopefully some tulip vases in the early spring too.
As we get further along with some fo the landscaping projects, I will be working some of these in seasonally around the greenhouse and other areas of our home.
Here is my list of 12 cut and come again flowers.
Dahlias
Some people think Dahlias are a lot of work, mainly because in the cooler zones you have to dig up their tubers in fall and replant them in the spring. But I find that Dahlias are worth the wait. The more you cut them, the more they bloom and they are a stunning flower that for me goes strong from late July all the way through our first cold snap sometime in October. Dahlias are some of the most sought after wedding flowers and make a beautiful addition to a cottage-style or English garden. You can pinch them when they are 12 – 16 inches tall and have at least 4 sets of leaves on the center stalk.
Zinnias
While all of these flowers may be considered workhorses, zinnias top the list as being one of the easiest flowers to grow and one of the strongest producers all season. They come in a variety of pinks, reds, yellows, whites, lime green and salmon colors. You can pinch them when they are 8-12 inches high just above a set of leaves for bushier flowers that result in more individual blooms. Then each time you cut those blooms they will be happy to bloom again for you. Zinnias are not huge in terms of wedding flowers but they do make wonderful vase flowers and are another perfect cottage-style flower
Snapdragons
I’ll be adding in Snapdragons for the first time this year and I’m excited to see how they do in our cut flower space. Many gardeners love them as vase filler or the ultimate cottage/English garden flowers. Since they are more of a tall, spiked flower, sometimes cut flower growers don’t love them. However, they come in a wide variety of beautiful, soft colors. They are also prolific cut and come again flowers so if you have the space, it is worth it to add in Snapdragons to your flower beds.
Cosmos
Cosmos are always one of my favorite cut and come again flowers because they look so happy and peaceful. These will get very tall and look lovely waving in the wind. I always plant them in one row of my cut flower garden but I want to add them to the garden space this year since I find them to to be so lovely. They are a thing stemmed flower and can sometimes feel a little dainty, which is great for the English cottage garden feel. I tend to use these as filler in vases to give my vases a little extra something. You can see them sticking out of the flower vases below. They are the tall, white, thinner looking flowers
Pincushions/Scabiosa
Gosh I love these flowers. I mean I absolutely love them. Pincushion flowers are so different and unique. They are part of the Scabiosa family so you will sometimes hear people refer to them as Scabiosa. Even when the flowers are done, the seed pods called Scabiosa pods are beautiful in arrangements. They are a small flower and a little finicky but they make gorgeous filler in the summer season and in the fall when the seed pods come into play. Pincushions are technically cut and come again flowers, but they will not be as prolific cut and come again flowers as some of the others due to the pickiness about growing conditions.
Amaranth
I actually can’t believe I haven’t grown Amaranth yet because apparently they love poor soil. They have not been on my priority list because they are a spiky flower or a trailing flower that a lot of people use as filler. Amaranth has a draping kind of quality to them that makes them great spiller flowers. They are very tall and make beautiful ornamental plants if you want to try to grow them for your own enjoyment. It is advised to pinch them when they are about knee high to make sure they don’t get too tall. They can grow to 6 feet and be difficult to use in anything. Harvest and deadhead them and Amaranth will continue to bloom again and again for you in your cut and come again flower garden.
Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia tends to be a late summer/early fall bloomer when it comes to cut and come again flowers. However, they are a cheerful flower that looks beautiful as a boarder flower too. I see this flower as another great filler flower or vase flower. I have not planted it yet because I’m happy with my current cut flower space flowers (which I try to pair down as much as possible). However, in the future this is one that I would love to add to our landscape boarder They do tend to self seed if you don’t deadhead them in the fall. But I love a good surprise flower!
Marigolds
I’ve always grown marigolds in my vegetable garden, but the kind of marigolds we are talking about here are the cut flower types. The Cracker Jack Marigolds of Mary Helen Marigolds are better for growing as cut flowers because they have longer stems and some thing prettier flowers. Most people think of Marigolds as the bright yellow and orange flowers – and they are – but there are other color varieties too. There are Kilimanjaro marigolds that are a beautiful and fluffy creamy white and even strawberry blonde marigolds that I have seen too.
Strawflower
Strawflower is one of my favorite cut and come again flowers but it has also been traditionally one of the most difficult for me to grow. These are native to Australia and they are often called Everlasting flowers or Paper flowers. I think they look similar to crepe paper. The first time I grew them I thought they were a wash but these flowers love the late heat of summer. They have long lasting blooms and they are wonderful for drying too for arts and crafts. I added some of my dried ones to these DIY Fire starters {HERE}. They make a perfect additions to a cottage garden or flower vases. For weddings you might see them as filler flowers because the blooms tend to be small compared to something like a dahlia.
Gomphrena
Gomphrena, also sometimes called Globe Amaranth, is an easy to grow cut and come again flower. As a bonus, it has a two week vase life! I find this bloom similar to Pincushion flowers in shape (not at all the same flower) and also similarly delicate. Gomphrena is a slow grower. It in a diverse range of shades that can make for a lot of interest in bouquets. It can grow almost anywhere. However, Gomphrena needs well drained soil and 6 hours of sunlight. Generally, it is also not recommended you sow it directly unless you are in zone 9. But it loves those long hot days and will flourish in the heat of the summer. They are also beautiful dried so to me, it might be well worth it for that alone.
Statice
Statice is another cut and come again flower that tends to be more of a filler and less of a star-of-the-show flower. It is one of the reasons I haven’t added it to my cut flower garden yet but it is a prolific cut and come again flower that is pretty easy to grow. The Statice flowers a like large rosettes of flowers that can bloom for months. They make excellent dried flowers and you will often see them used in dried flower wreaths. Harvest them or deadhead them and they will be perfect re-bloomers all season long.
Calendula
Sometimes people call Calendula pot marigolds or also refer to them as marigolds. However, they are technically a different flower. You can find them in a variety of colors as seen below. I grew yellow orange and this kind of light pink/peachy color. Last year was my first time growing Calendula and while I think they might work for a cut flower for some people, I will probably only grow them as part of my cottage garden for homemade body whips and things like that. I don’t tend to love their small but there are a lot of benefits to the oils you can make with them. They are also pretty, happy looking flower and a cut and come again flower as long as you deadhead them.
Honorable Mention Flowers
These flowers are not exactly cut and come again flowers, but there’s a reason I included these here as honorable mention flowers. You can get multiple blooms out of them per season.
Roses
Roses are really my only annuals on this list, at least for me. My roses tend to bloom throughout the season as long as I am cutting them or deadheading them. Certain varieties (like the cheapest hardware store varieties) will bloom for me all summer long giving me a first bloom in June, sporadic blooms through the summer and then shining again in September.
Branching Sun flowers
Sunflowers tend to be one of the easiest flowers for me to grow. They are great self seeders and I always like a good surprise sunflower or two. However, to me they are a little frustrating as a cut flower because they tend to flower once and you have to succession plant in order to get blooms all season long. Since I grow for myself and flower vases for the farm stand and delivery, I don’t tend to need them all season long. However, I have found branching sunflowers will bloom over and over again. I use these primary as vase flowers or flowers for just for the garden’s visibility from the road and pollinators. If you are trying to grow for wedding bouquets though, sunflowers are always good to have too.
Bachelor Buttons
Bachelor Buttons are another small, round flower. You can find them in blue/purple or pink. I have tried to grow these in my regular cut flower fields and they’ve not done very well. BUT, I also have grown them in my wildflower field where they have done exceptionally well! At any rate, they will continue to produce for you if you deadhead them throughout the season. I did not do this in my wildflower field. Apparently they are easy spreaders so I am looking forward to seeing them again this coming summer. You can see mine in my field below. You can find out more about my wildflower field {HERE}.
Sweet Peas
I’ve not tried to grow sweet peas yet, mainly because they need to be started early and in inside somewhere. I’d personally rather give the space I have to starting my dahlias. But these will probably be a flower I add in over the next season or two once we get the flower farm portion of our home flowing a little better. Technically, sweet peas are cut and come again flowers. However, they are cool season flowers. Most of the other flowers on my list thrive in the summer. By the time the heat of the summer is on, the sweet peas will die back on you. You will need to fill that space with something else. They are a beautiful early season cottage garden flower but only certain varieties work well for cut flowers for bouquets.
Basil
Technically, this is not a flower. However, I do let mine flower for a vase filler. I love adding in herbs instead of other fillers. Not only do they make the flower jars smell nice, but they will help keep some pests away too. I usually grow a whole long row of sweet basil, Thai basil and purple basil. And the more you cut basil, the more it likes to grow. So for me, this is officially part of my cut and come again flowers. In the photo below you can see some of the basil in my flower jars. In the flower jar above near the cosmos you can see some of the purple basil.
Do you want to learn more about gardening?
If you love gardening, here are a few other articles to check out!
- Companion Planting Flowers and Herbs to repel bugs {HERE}
- Tips for planting flowers in pots {HERE}
- How to Grow a Food Forest {HERE}
- How to plant an indoor kitchen herb garden {HERE}
- No tilling to build garden soil {HERE}
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Thank you so much for following along today, friends! I hope you found this article on cut and come again flowers informative! I look forward to seeing you again. Happy gardening!
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