SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Features
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Gardening
    • How to Start a Garden: Especially if you’re in Zone 3 or Zone 2
    • Seed Starting
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Perennials
    • Cut Flowers
    • Small Space Gardening
  • Recipes
    • Canning
    • Preserving
    • Prairie Fruits Cookbook
    • The Best Pumpkin Recipes
    • How to Make a Tempting Christmas Cookie Tray (Plus Recipes!)
  • Popular Posts
  • E-Books
    • Pretty & Practical Garden Planner
    • Cut Flowers Made Simple
    • Constant Colour Perennial Garden
    • Small Garden, Big Harvest
    • Growing Roots Online Gardening Course
    • Frost Proof Flower Garden
    • Bouquets Made Beautiful
    • Savvy Seed Saving Annual Cut flowers
    • Prairie Fruits Cookbook
    • Online Gardening Consultations
  • Seasons
    • Christmas

How to Create a Stunning Bouquet with Annuals from Your Backyard

November 12, 2018

Pin947
Share1
Tweet
948 Shares

I recently interviewed urban flower farmer and artist Danielle Fulawka and she gave me so much flowery-goodness to work with that I needed to split up her interview into two posts.  If you haven’t read how she transformed her rocky city yard into an urban flower farm for $2000, you can read that here.  In today’s post, Danielle shares her favourite flower varieties and the rules you need to know to make a beautiful bouquet with your own homegrown flowers.

Wish you knew how to make a Floret style cut flower arrangement like a flower farmer? Wish no more! Danielle Fulawka gives us tips, trick, and ideas for beautiful and easy bouquets from annual flowers you can grow in your own backyard flower garden. #growingflowers #bouquets #annualflowers #flowerfarmer #flowergarden

All Annual Flowers are not Created Equal

A flower is a flower. . . right?  Wrong.  While you should grow any flower you think is beautiful, there are definitely ones that are better for flower farming and cut flowers than others.  When choosing varieties to grow, you need to choose ones with thick stems, as well as a variety of flowers that will look good in the arrangements you’re planning to make.  You also need to try and stagger the bloom times, so you don’t end up with tons of flowers one month, and almost nothing the next.

Confused yet?  You also need to think about which varieties produce the most blooms or are continuous bloomers, as well as be careful that the variety you’re planting has enough of a stem length.  For example–the snapdragons you see in big box stores are all dwarf varieties and won’t do well in arrangements.  However, there are many varieties of snapdragons that have long enough stems, you just have to watch the seed packets.

Related: 36  Cut Flowers to feed your Floral Arranging Habit

To make it easier on yourself, stick to a couple varieties that you love, and plant a crop of them every 3 weeks to easily prolong your blooming season with less stress.  Don’t worry, Danielle shares with us some of her favourite varieties below!

Wish you knew how to make a Floret style cut flower arrangement like a flower farmer? Wish no more! Danielle Fulawka gives us tips, trick, and ideas for beautiful and easy bouquets from annual flowers you can grow in your own backyard flower garden. #growingflowers #bouquets #annualflowers #flowerfarmer #flowergarden
One of the stunning bouquets from Danielle’s flower subscription.

Thrillers, Spillers, and Fillers

Every flower arrangement looks best if it has a combination of these three elements: thrillers, spillers, and fillers.  Thrillers are the big focus flowers, like tall delphiniums, a large sunflower, or pretty peonies.  A spiller is a flower that trails down the sides of your arrangement, and a filler is the greenery or small flowers that fill in the blank spaces, creating a fuller look.

For floral arranging, Danielle further refines this rule.  Each bouquet should have something tall, like delphiniums or snapdragons, a filler, like queen anne’s lace, 2 round shapes of different sizes, like strawflowers and sunflowers, and lots of greenery.  For greenery, don’t be afraid to use unusual choices like herbs, tree branches, or stuff you’ve foraged from a ditch.

Danielle recommends planting at least 5-7 varieties to bloom in each month of the flower growing season that have these qualities.

Get our easy beginner cut flower garden plan

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
    Powered By ConvertKit
    Wish you knew how to make a Floret style cut flower arrangement like a flower farmer? Wish no more! Danielle Fulawka gives us tips, trick, and ideas for beautiful and easy bouquets from annual flowers you can grow in your own backyard flower garden. #growingflowers #bouquets #annualflowers #flowerfarmer #flowergarden

    Danielle’s Favourite Annual Cut Flowers

    So what flowers does Danielle recommend? Here are her favourites that are easy to grow and give you lots of blooms:

    • Branching sunflowers
    • Strawberry lemonade mix sunflowers
    • Strawflowers
    • Cosmos
    • Snapdragons, especially the rocket variety
    • Sahara Rudbeckia
    Wish you knew how to make a Floret style cut flower arrangement like a flower farmer? Wish no more! Danielle Fulawka gives us tips, trick, and ideas for beautiful and easy bouquets from annual flowers you can grow in your own backyard flower garden. #growingflowers #bouquets #annualflowers #flowerfarmer #flowergarden

    A Few Flower Growing Secrets

    Danielle was also kind enough to share with us some of her secrets for growing beautiful flowers.  She recommends starting as many of your own seeds as possible and pinching off some of the new growth when the plants get to the 4 leaf stage.  Pinching off encourages the plant to branch out, eventually creating more blooms in your garden.

    If you want to grow the best cut flowers, plant your flowers closer together for longer stems.

    She also tells all of her customers to keep their bouquets in the fridge overnight when they’re not enjoying them.  The fridge is practically magic and can double the life of your flowers.

    Thanks Danielle for all your advice and words of wisdom!  If you are local to Saskatoon and would like to book Danielle for 2019 weddings or her floral subscriptions, you can DM her on Instagram.  Follow her journey on Facebook, Instagram, or her website.

    To see bouquet making in action, watch this video.

    Then grab your copy of Bouquets Made Beautiful to learn more and get it right every time.

    Wish you knew how to make a Floret style cut flower arrangement like a flower farmer? Wish no more! Danielle Fulawka gives us tips, trick, and ideas for beautiful and easy bouquets from annual flowers you can grow in your own backyard flower garden. #growingflowers #bouquets #annualflowers #flowerfarmer #flowergarden

    READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN, WITHOUT THE HASSEL?

    I’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating a cut flower garden with my e-book, Cut Flowers Made Simple. It’s the perfect way for beginner and intermediate gardeners to start their own cut flower garden with or without seed starting, growing annual flowers.

    Click on the picture to find out more or get your copy.

    Kristen Raney

    Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

    1 Comment
    Filed Under: Backyard Florist, Flowers Tagged: annual flowers, bouquets, cut flowers, flower arranging, flower farmer, Flowers

    About Kristen Raney

    Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

    Comments

    1. https://www.youtube.com says

      December 13, 2018 at 8:33 pm

      The Columbine can be a self-sower if you do not deadhead the blossoms and prune the foliage in the fall anticipate to thin out your seedlings while they arise. Many wedding venues, especially the indoor ones could be booked for entire day itself and used by hosting all sorts of pre and post weddings like mehndi, sangeet etc. Compost needs to be added for perennials just like annuals, but could be trickier to operate in.
      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Grow roots with us

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Welcome!

    Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

    P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

    Recent Posts

    • How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season!)
    • 26 Best Flowers to Grow for Dried Flower Arrangements
    • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
    • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds
    • How to Start a Cut Flower Garden

    Welcome!

    Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

    Connect with Shifting Roots On. . .

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Find What You’re Looking For. . .

    Privacy Policy

    I love seeing the world through this loving boy’ I love seeing the world through this loving boy’s eyes.  Honestly, I’ve been so sick that I wasn’t really in the mood to “do Valentines Day” but there was this sweet little voice going on about how excited he was for today and how much he loves his family and I just couldn’t resist.  So whether you’re on your own, part of a couple, or in the thick of life-with-littles craziness, Happy Valentines Day!

#valentinesday2020 #mylittlevalentine #boymomlife #lifewithlittles
    How do you pass a cold -28 day? By planning your How do you pass a cold -28 day?  By planning your garden, of course!  Today in my stories I’ll be going through the steps I take to start planning everything out.  I’m curious, do you start planning now or wait until the last minute?

P.S.  want your own copy of this planner?  This is the newly updated paid version and it’s on sale by itself from now until Sunday for only $5.  If you’re from Canada, use the code CANADA to make $5 USD be closer to $5 CAD.  Head over to the link in my bio to get yours.

#gardenplanning #gardenplanner #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #organizedlife #organizedliving #wintergardening
    Curious about growing lettuce indoors? My experim Curious about growing lettuce indoors?  My experiment is a success so far, although it’s still going to be awhile before I’m eating another salad off of them.

Okay, so maybe a little rant today.  I think sometimes in the gardening space we’re guilty of making things seem easier than they are.  Myself included.  This lettuce project is a case in point.

Was it easy?  Yes.  But will it provide me with endless salads all winter long? Nope.  Or at least not at this scale.  I’m going to estimate that I’d need at least 15 plants this size, especially since it’s winter and everything just grows slower.  And I’m the only person in my family who really eats salad.

In conclusion, this is a fun project to pass the winter, and not a truly sustainable source of lettuce.

Thoughts?

#growinglettuce #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #wintergardening #indoorgardening #plantproject #sustainablefood #gardenersofinstagram #gardenerslife #northerngardening
    Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing ex Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing exactly what to start when.  Every two weeks, I'll be posting these handy guides so you have enough time to order your seeds and be ready to plant when it's time for your area.  To find out when these veggies, herbs, and flowers need to be started where you live. . . ⁠
⁠
1. Search out your area's last frost date.  There are plenty of calculators on the Internet.⁠
⁠
2. Count backwards 8 weeks from that date.⁠
⁠
3. Start these seeds when that date hits.⁠
⁠
If you follow me because we're in similar zones--don't panic, it's not time yet!! I won't be starting my 10 week seeds for another two weeks, and even that is slightly on the early side. (I'm starting everything a bit early so I can hopefully plant it out before baby gets here--I won't be physically able to do it after.) I like posting the info early for followers in warmer zones and so you can save it and still have time to order/buy seeds & supplies.⁠
⁠
Which one of these are you most excited to start?⁠
⁠
#seedstarting #seedlings #homegardener #northerngardener #homesteading #urbandhomesteading #homesteadingskills #gardenlife #gardenlifestyle #startingseeds
    Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing the whole seed packet in hopes that a few of these little luffa babies will provide me with zero waste sponges that I can use for home cleaning, and as an exfoliant in home made beauty products.

The catch?

These plants are notoriously hard to grow, especially when you live somewhere cold with a really cold growing season—and if they get a hint of frost on them they turn to mush and all my hard work is ruined.

Gulp.

But gardeners are born optimists, so I’m giving it a shot—because you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

P.S. if you’re trying luffa in zone 3 like me, just basically ignore all the directions on the seed packet.  Start them immediately (two weeks ago would have been ideal) and follow along because I’ll show you exactly what to do and when.  I’ll be popping these under a grow light once the sun goes down.

#luffagourd #luffa #loofah #seedlings #seedstarting #northerngardening #northerngardener #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #mygardenthismonth #gardenlife #canadiangardening
    This weekend I took a big leap of faith. I came t This weekend I took a big leap of faith.  I came to New York to meet with other content creators/business owners to dig deep into what we do and create a strategy around our messaging.  I don’t even know how to properly describe what all went down, but is was incredibly life changing and I really feel connected to this tribe of women who are committed to playing to win and being the people our businesses need us to be.  I’m so excited to share what I’ve planned for my business with you in the coming months.

#playtowin #gardenblogger #businessowner #wahmlife
    Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant? I Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant?  I think the Sansevera or Snake Plant or Mother-in-law’s tongue comes close.  Sure, it might be the vanilla of the plant-loving world, but it is so good for so many situations!⁠
⁠
It can handle you forgetting to water it, low light, or bright light.  It is somewhat forgiving if you are an over-waterer. ⁠
⁠
I’ve had this one for 2 or 3 years now and I keep getting rewarded with more spikes.⁠
⁠
Plant lovers, is there another houseplant you think would be perfect for beginners?⁠
⁠
#crazyplantlady #houseplantsofig #houseplantsofinstagram #snakeplant #houseplantlove
    Load More… Follow on Instagram

    Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2021

    Copyright © 2021 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in