Let's Grow Different Cut Flower Types for Our Pollinators

Gardening is becoming so much more common on a small scale in backyards, urban areas, patios, and really just about anywhere. I often see people voice concern about a lack of pollinators, wildlife, or beneficial insects in these spaces. More times than not, I find that the average garden lacks diversity, and by that, I mean they only contain the varieties people want to yield themselves.

Diversity is so important in colors, shapes, sizes of blooms, plants, and textures. One of the ways we can achieve this is with a cut flower pollinator garden. There is nothing better than a purposeful garden outside and fresh cut flowers inside. With that in mind, let's talk a little bit about different cut flower types.

There are so many types of cut flower plants and pollinator plants as well. The goal is to keep some form of bloom throughout the majority of the year. We can achieve this with a good mix of cut flower perennials and cut flower annuals.

Here are some of our favorite perennial varieties we use for pollinators and cut flowers:

• dahlias
• black-eyed Susans
• yarrow
• salvia

Let's look at each of these beautiful flowers and how they grow.

Dahlias Are the Star of Any Cut Flower Garden

Dahlias are often thought to be bulbs but are actually tubers—yup, like a potato! They produce blooms in a variety of colors and are very quick growing.

Dahlias make a good choice because the blooms not only come in different colors, but different shapes and petal types too! They can grow and produce a plant the size of a mature rose bush in one season.

Growing Dahlias

Dahlias grow excellent in well-draining, acidic soil. Be careful to water these infrequently and deep since they are tubers. (Too much water can lead to the tubers rotting.) Dahlia plants are usually pest free. Some larger varieties that grow taller will require staking, so keep that in mind.

Unfortunately for us in Southeast Texas, we find that dahlias don't particularly like our humid conditions. But that doesn't mean they won't work for you!

Bringing Dahlias Indoors

Dahlias tend to have a short life span once cut, lasting 3 to 4 days.

Black-Eyed Susans Make Beautiful Cut Flowers That Last a Long Time

Black-eyed Susans work well for a late summer to fall bloom. While traditionally yellow, they are available in other colors. The large black center is made up of hundreds of tiny flowers, all acting as a source of nectar and pollen for pollinators.

Growing Black-Eyed Susans

Make sure to plant these in full sun to get the most blooms. They love nutrient-dense soil that is well draining. We really love Indian Summer and Cherokee Sunset here in our warmer climate.

Bringing Black-Eyed Susans Indoors

Black-eyed Susans are a much longer-lasting cut flower, holding up to 10 days.

Yarrow Is a Drought-Tolerant Cut Flower

I find this cut flower option to be one of the most underrated. It does so well in our drought-prone seasons and helps build nutrients in our soil. Bees and beetles tend to be the most attracted to yarrow, while some butterflies find their way to it. Solitary bees are often found near yarrow, ranging from mason bees to bumble bees.

Most yarrow blooms a white color, but cultivated varieties are available in many colors.

Growing Yarrow

Plant yarrow somewhere with full sun. The plant requires very little from the gardener once established.

Bringing Yarrow Indoors

As a cut flower, yarrow will look great for 3 to 4 days once cut. Its fern-like foliage makes such a good contrast in cut flower bouquets.

Salvia Attracts Hummingbirds to Your Yard

Salvia comes in so many colors, and the bloom seasons are long, making this a great plant option for both a pollinator garden and a cut flower. Unlike some of the other cut flower pollinator species, salvia attracts hummingbirds along with the more common bees and butterflies.

Growing Salvia

Like my other cut flower favorites, salvia is also drought tolerant, which works so well for our Southeast Texas climate. I really enjoy Pineapple Sage the most, as well as the native Texas sage.

Bringing Salvia Indoors

Choosing the right color combination for a bouquet with complimentary salvias can make the arrangement really stand out. Like sunflowers, salvia can last a long time, typically 7 to 14 days in a vase.

When it comes to cut flower annual varieties, we like the following:

• zinnias
• sunflowers
• cosmos
• marigolds

Let's look at each of these beautiful annuals in turn and how they grow best.

Zinnias Are Easy Cut Flower Annuals to Grow

Butterflies especially love zinnias, which work so well intercropped in gardens growing vegetables. I recommend taller-growing varieties and those with large, wide blooms. This allows for larger landing areas. Swallowtails and monarchs are often attracted to zinnias.

Growing Zinnias

Thankfully, zinnias are very tolerant of most growing conditions and prefer full sun. After cutting, zinnias replenish blooms quickly, so they work well for a continual supply of flowers.

Bringing Zinnias Indoors

Once cut, zinnias will last about 5 days.

Sunflowers Are Among the Cut Flowers That Last the Longest

The largest of flowers we use for cut flowers can be seen by pollinators from long distances due to their size. They produce large amounts of pollen and nectar, and like the right species of zinnias, they provide large landing spaces for butterflies and more. Sunflowers aren’t just yellow, and varieties like the Chocolate Cherry are amazing to see in a floral arrangement.

Growing Sunflowers

Plant sunflowers somewhere they'll receive 8 hours of sun per day. Check how wide the flower will grow for the variety you're planting and make sure you leave at least that much room between plants.

Bringing Sunflower Indoors

Sunflowers surprisingly are some of the longest-lasting cut flowers that we have listed today, holding for 7 to 10 days.

Cosmos Blooms Replenish Quickly for a Constant Cut Flower Supply

Cosmos produce a ton of nectar and pollen for bees. They produce colorful blooms that draw monarch butterflies in to collect nectar.

Growing Cosmos

Cosmos can be incredibly easy to grow by seed. We really like cosmos as a garden addition because we can cut them and they replenish blooms within days, like zinnias. This gives us a constant cut flower supply and extended bloom seasons.

Bringing Cosmos Indoors

The vase life for cosmos is around 5 days.

Marigolds Are a Must-Have Flower for Every Vegetable Garden

Marigolds provide beautiful flowers and make such a good companion plant for lots of veggies. They are extremely bee friendly because of the open centers of many varieties. I typically will stray away from French Marigolds because the bees don’t respond to those as well.

Growing Marigolds

I love these in our pollinator garden because they thrive so well in the hot summers of Southeast Texas. Pick your varieties wisely, as African marigolds are drought tolerant, while French marigolds can hold up to wet conditions better. Plant them in spring and as late as the middle of the summer. It takes about eight weeks for marigolds to bloom. I really avoid shady spots in our garden areas because of how easily moist conditions can cause powdery mildew.

Bringing Marigolds Indoors

Marigolds can look pretty for about 7 days in a vase.

Start Your Pollinator Garden Today

There are so many flowers that can be dual purpose in our garden spaces like these. You may be thinking that these are quite common varieties, and there's good reason for that. Not only do they look beautiful, they also thrive in not-so-great conditions, including in our Southeast Texas climate, where the humidity is often 100%. We couple these with beautiful herbs such as African blue basil, dill, parsley, and many more to bring an amazing pollinator habitat for our garden.

If you haven’t taken the chance to grow a pollinator garden, do it now! It will give back more than many other things in the garden with beautiful floral arrangements inside the home and a bustling array of beneficial pollinators helping us grow our outdoor paradise!

David Pool of Mid County Edible Landscaping

David has managed and owned his family business, Mid-County Farm & Feed Supply, for almost 20 years. When he realized his store had become the go-to place for gardeners seeking knowledge and honest answers, David decided he wanted to bring his knowledge and love for gardening to his customers' own homes.

A self-taught gardener, David is always seeking new avenues for learning. His favorite part of gardening is sharing those teachings with others so that they may be successful too.

Follow David on Instagram to learn more about gardening in Southeast Texas.

Thanks to David for supplying the beautiful flower pictures taken at his favorite local farm for this article.