SLO County gardens can produce gorgeous bouquet blooms — if you know the tricks
Is there anything more satisfying than harvesting bountiful bouquets from one’s own garden?
Whether you have a patio or acreage, you can grow flowers that are suited for cutting and arranging at home.
The UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County will present a workshop on Growing Cut Flowers on April 26. Presenters will discuss the difference between a traditional cutting garden versus incorporating flowers into your landscaping. Details regarding flower and color selection and extending the vase life of cut flowers will also be addressed.
Flowers well-suited for cutting have different life cycles.
Annuals can be grown from seed or purchased from garden centers in six-packs. They bloom, produce seeds and die within the same growing season. Examples of annual include bachelor buttons, carnations, cosmos, scabiosa, snapdragons, sweet peas, sunflowers, verbena and zinnias.
Biennials are plants that require two years to complete their life cycle. After a period of dormancy in the cooler months, the plant bolts and flowers, producing seed before dying. Black-eyed susan, canterbury bells, clary sage, euphorbia, forget-me-not, foxglove, hollyhock, nigella, stock and sweet william are biennials that are beautiful and long lasting in a vase.
Perennials live for more than two years, though they may die back in winter. The advantage to perennial flowering plants is that you plant them once for years of production. Perennials include ever-popular roses and dahlias, as well as alstroemeria, calla lilies, coreopsis, daffodils, day lilies, delphinium, gaillardia, hydrangea, Mexican sage, Asian lilies and penstemon.
To extend the life of cut flowers, be sure to use a clean and sterile container. Using demineralized water can be beneficial, if you have very hard water or a water softener, as well as using a floral preservative. Change the water every few days, rinsing the stems and cutting the bottoms off before putting them into clean water.
For more information
The UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County next Advice to Grow By workshop on invasive plants and pests will be April 26 at 2156 Sierra Way in San Luis Obispo. Please check our website for more information.
Visit our You Tube channel at San Luis Obispo County UC Master Gardeners for more informative gardening videos.
Visit our website at ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/ or email questions to anrmgslo@ucanr.edu.
UCCE Master Gardener Helpline offices:
- San Luis Obispo: 805-781-5939 (Monday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m.)
- Arroyo Grande: 805-473-7190 (Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon)
- Templeton: 805-434-4105 (Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon)
This story was originally published April 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "SLO County gardens can produce gorgeous bouquet blooms — if you know the tricks."