You’ve been stalking your favourite flower growers on Instagram and decided it’s finally time to take the plunge. You’re going to grow your own backyard cut flower garden.
But where do you get annual cut flower seeds? The ones in the big box stores and garden centres are nice, but they’re usually not the Floret-style Instagram-friendly ones that stole your heart and made you want to grow flowers.
Don’t worry. I’ve compiled a list of seed companies that sell annual cut flower seeds to backyard gardeners across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Being from Canada myself, the Canadian list is the most extensive, but there is enough in the other lists to get you started on your cut flower gardening journey.
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HOW DO I CHOOSE WHICH FLOWER SEED COMPANY TO BUY FROM?
After you read my list of companies to purchase flower seeds from, you’re likely going to get overwhelmed. While it’s nice to order a little bit from everyone, it’s also the fastest way to blow your budget completely. Here are a few of the questions I ask myself when I’m trying to choose which 2 or 3 companies I will order from each year:
- Is the company in my geographical region? Not a requirement, but it is a significant consideration if you are buying perennials.
- Could I also purchase my vegetable seeds there? Sometimes it’s nice to order your flowers and vegetables from the same place.
- Which company has 75% or so of the items on my must-have list? I often go with the company with the bulk of the flowers on my wish list, then buy smaller orders from one or two other companies. And usually, a small fall purchase of something or other makes its way into my online cart, too.
- If you’re ordering from a different country, Does the price after the exchange rate make it worth buying? Sometimes that specialty flower is not worth the 30% markup the exchange brings.
- Also, if you’re ordering from a different country, Will the seeds be allowed over the border? The laws between the Canadian and American border are tightening, and sometimes the flower company can not honour your order because it gets stopped at the border. Perennials are a no-go in general.
- Do I really want specialty colours and varieties, or am I happy with basic cut flowers? If you’re happy with basic cut flowers, you can likely find a decent-enough selection with the company you order vegetables from. If you need special colours and varieties, it is 100% worth it to order the bulk of your order from a specialty grower.
There is no right or wrong answer in deciding where to purchase annual cut flower seeds for the year. I hope these questions will help you arrive at your answer more clearly. If your goal is to get the prettiest flowers, as seen on Instagram and Pinterest, then head to this video for my recommendations.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PURCHASE ANNUAL FLOWER SEEDS?
It is likely too late to get the best selection if you are reading this in April or May. The most popular varieties of cut flowers go out of stock within days of the seed company opening the website for business. If you love a company, you must get on their email list and stalk them on Instagram. It’s the only way to ensure you know when their shop is open for business.
If you’re looking for perennials, dahlias, or ranunculus, flowers like these will often go on sale in the fall, around September or October, and will be shipped out in the spring. You can usually still purchase them in the spring, but the most popular varieties are often unavailable.
Want to start a backyard flower farm on the cheap? Here’s how one flower farmer did it.
Now, on to the list!
Please know that although I have ordered from most Canadian companies and a few American ones, I have not personally purchased from all of the companies on this list. In the case of companies I have not personally purchased from, I have researched their site with this thought in mind: “If I could purchase from this company, does it have enough selection and specialty varieties for me to want to do so?” If the answer is yes, it made the list.
P.S. Once you’ve figured out where you want to order cut flower seeds from, here are 10 easy-to-grow cut flowers you need to plant:
CANADIAN COMPANIES
1. Edgebrook Farm
I might be making a pretty big claim here, but I would consider Edgebrook Farm the Floret Farm of Canada. If you want to get into flower farming for profit, the seed selection at Edgebrook can’t be beat. I really appreciate that you can filter their cut flowers by colour or form and that they have an extensive selection of dahlias.
New to cut flowers? I highly recommend the Garden collection of dahlias. It’s a small but beautiful collection that will get you hooked on the wonderful world of dahlias. No ugly big-box-store varieties here!
2. West Coast Seeds
West Coast Seeds is a reasonable alternative to the more familiar seed sellers. While they don’t have everything, they have a surprisingly good selection. I was lucky enough to partner with them in 2022 on a $100 cut flower garden project. Check out the blog posts linked below to learn more, or watch this video.
A Cut Flower Garden for $100? Yes, It’s Possible!, $100 Cut Flower Garden Update.
Ready to plan your own $100 Cut Flower Garden? Grab your free seed plan below!
3. Veseys
I personally love Veseys because it is genuinely one-stop-online-shopping for everything plants. The selection of vegetable seeds, cut flower seeds, and perennials are all excellent. New to flower gardening? The perennial kits are a no-brainer way to start a flower bed.
Veseys is also one of the few places that have bulk quantities of seeds and perennials that you can order as a gardener and not a farmer. In the past, I ordered calendula, Zinderella Peach zinnias, and the Queen Lime series of zinnias with excellent results.
(Slightly unrelated: If you do order flowers from here, you must hop over to the vegetable section and order yourself a packet of Sunset Orange Paste tomato seeds. They have an amazingly fresh taste, are great for making tomato sauce less acidic, and each plant has TONS of tomatoes. Plus, if you ripen them indoors, they do not go bad quickly.)
4. Whistling Prairie
Whistling Prairie is a flower farm in Southern Saskatchewan, and Dawn has one of the most beautiful and honest accounts on Instagram. The flowers fly off the shelves when she opens the cart for seed, bulb, or dahlia sales. It’s worth the trouble, though, as the tulip and dahlia varieties she carries are so gorgeous. Previously, I was able to score two varieties of ranunculus, and I’ve been lucky enough to score some hard-to-find daffodil varieties.
5. Antonio Valente Flowers
I wish I knew Antonio in real life because when I read his captions on Instagram, I want to cheer for team flowers every time. And I’d love to sit down, drink coffee, and chat flowers. Oh, who are we kidding? I’d want to see the farm! Anyway…
Antonio Valente Flowers carries a Floret-style assortment of dahlias, tulips, ranunculus, anemones, and narcissus. His offerings usually sell out fast, so get online ASAP when the shop opens for the best selection. My favourites are the Cornel Bronze dahlias and Renown Unique tulips.
6. Dahlia May Flower Farm
Dahlia May Flower Farm is a family farm offering bulbs, corms, subscriptions, and bulk flower purchasing for DIY wedding flowers in the summer. The tulip bulbs always go quickly, but I was surprised to see when I was researching this post that almost all the ranunculus varieties were still available. If you haven’t grabbed any yet this season, head on over and order yours.
7. Brecks
Looking to add perennials to your cut flower garden? Brecks is the place. You can filter the perennials by zone, exposure, colour, height, bloom time, and usage. Check the “cut flowers” box under usage to ensure the perennials you buy have long enough stems. The Super Saks are a great deal if you have a large space to fill.
As for my favourites, the Pink Hawaiian Coral peony, October Sky dahlia, and Creme de la Creme phlox are on my must-have list.
Brecks is a Canadian company, but they also ship to the US and internationally.
8. Unicorn Blooms
Unicorn Blooms is another flower grower with a swoon-worthy Instagram account. They have large quantities for flower farmers and smaller quantities for home gardeners. If you’re a Canadian flower farmer, this is one of the go-to places for Floret-style flowers in large quantities in Canada.
The offerings were relatively small at the time I wrote this post, however, I know that they are continually updated depending on when it’s time to plant a particular flower. Get on their mailing list or check back often for availability.
9. Incredible Seed Company
The selection may not be as large as some other companies, but what they offer is very on-trend. All seeds that the Incredible Seed Company sells are heirloom varieties, so you know you can save the seeds. The Tower Chamois asters and Charbaud Picotee Dianthus mix are on my must-have list.
Also, they stock Crackerjack marigolds, which are not the most common cut flower, but one of my favourites for their versatility in both the cut flower and vegetable garden. My baby also enjoyed ripping up the blooms I gave her to play with a couple of summers ago.
10. Richters
Richters has an IMPRESSIVE variety of herbs and flowers. There are easily 30 types of basil listed. I just ordered the Chocolate cosmos (They actually smell like chocolate!) and am eager to see the results. They cost $1.00 per seed, so I hope they’re worth it!
The only downside to Richters is that their site is not mobile-responsive, so making your order on a desktop or laptop is best. A great resource to get flowers not every other flower farmer has.
11. Fraiche Flower Farm
This is a flower farmer I’ve been following for years, and I really respect her work and her style. These seeds are new as of 2023, so I have not worked with them yet. I’m looking forward to planting several varieties from her this year, and I’ll update you when I have some impressions.
12. Sarah’s Cut Flowers
Sarah is based out of Alberta, and I’ve ordered from her quite a bit. She sells spring bulbs, anemones and ranunculus corms, as well as dahlia tubers. She’s meticulous about her dahlias, and I’ve had outstanding results from every tuber I’ve bought from her.
13. Tundra’s Flower Farm
Like me, Laura is a Saskatchewan flower farmer. She has a lovely selection of tulips and ranunculus at affordable prices.
14. William Dam Seeds
William Dam is a one-stop-shop for cut flower and vegetable shopping. The selection of cut flowers is very similiar to Johnny’s in the States, and it’s a place I order from almost every year.
15. Stokes
Stokes doesn’t have the most incredible selection of cut flowers for flower farmers, but their pumpkin selection is arguably the best in Canada. If you run a pumpkin sale or want to plant something really cool, you must place an order. These specialty seeds are NOT CHEAP, but they are worth it not having to order from 4 different places.
AMERICAN COMPANIES
As a Canadian, I am always very excited when American companies ship to Canada. I have included a note about the ones that ship here. If you are a Canadian purchasing from an American company, please note that you will not be able to purchase any perennials. Some annuals are unavailable, as well, and occasionally your order will not be allowed to cross the border.
If you are an American reading this list, I would love to know what companies you would add.
1. Floret Flower Farm
Due to the popularity of their small-scale flower farming book, Floret Flower Farm is the go-to seed company for beautiful, on-trend flowers. If you are planning to purchase anything from Floret, I highly recommend signing up for their newsletter so you can mark your calendar when flowers and seeds are available for purchase.
The most popular varieties sell out FAST. So fast that if you don’t purchase on opening day, you might not get what you want. They also ship to Canada, but some varieties cannot cross the border… Bread poppies and Peony poppies, I’m looking at you!
Floret Flower Farm has also published an assortment of beautiful books: Cut Flower Garden, A Year in Flowers, and, most recently, Discovering Dahlias.
2. Johnny’s Seeds
Didn’t get your order in fast enough at Floret? Go to Johnny’s Seeds, where you will find colours and varieties just as beautiful and on-trend. Excellent selection and good prices. Get your vegetable seeds there too, as the selection is very impressive. Johnny’s Seeds offers different quantities of seeds for flower farmers or home gardeners and they also ship to Canada!
3. Harris Seeds & Garden Trends
Harris Seeds has every type of cut flower seed you could possibly want in large quantities for flower farmers. Their sister company, Garden Trends, offers a similar selection in quantities more suitable for the home gardener.
I like the Double Click Rose Bon Bon cosmos, Larkspur Cannes mix, and their beautiful collection of ornamental kale.
4. Select Seeds
Select Seeds also has an impressive variety of unusual and on-trend cut flowers. The Apricot Lemonade cosmos are a must-have that I haven’t seen on any other seed companies page. There are over 50 varieties of zinnias, and I really need the Eldarado one in my life (a double flowering salmon colour). The rare finds section is also worth a look. They also ship to Canada for a flat rate of $15.
5. White Flower Farm
No annual seeds here, but a very impressive selection of beautiful perennials. If you want to focus on perennial cut flowers, White Flower Farm is an excellent mail-order option. I’ve found over the years when I’ve researched them, that the website is always up to date, and whatever is seasonal and on offer looks so good, making me wish I could order there!
My American readers assure me that the quality of the perennials you order is second to none. I also appreciate how you can filter perennials by price, zone, growing conditions, colour, and more.
6. Swallowtail Garden Seeds
Swallowtail Garden Seeds is based in the US but will ship to Canada and internationally for a reasonable flat fee. The selection is impressive, and there are quite a few varieties that I didn’t see anywhere else in my research.
Must-haves for me include Cupcake Pink zinnias, Queen Lime with blotch zinnias, Gypsy Charmer sunflowers, and anything in the Twinny snapdragon series.
7. GeoSeed
GeoSeed is one of the best and cheapest places to get seeds from. However, they have no pictures on their website. Only Latin names. If you don’t know what the Latin names are, you have to Google them.
This is not the place to start if you’re a beginner gardener. However, when you do buy seed from GeoSeed, I have heard nothing but good things about their germination, service, and prices.
EUROPEAN COMPANIES
I’m sure there are many other growers whose websites are in different languages, but these are the English-language ones I could find. If you know of any good growers whose website is in another European language, please let me know!
1. Chiltern Seeds
They have over 1000 cut flower varieties for sale. Enough said.
2. Seedaholic
I love that Seedaholic has separate sections for cut flowers, dried flowers, edibles, and flowers that are good for natural dyes. Also a good selection of wildflowers and bee-friendly options.
3. Sarah Raven
A beautiful selection of unique cut flowers in trendy colours. I especially love the cut flower garden kit, which is a selection of easy-to-grow cut flowers perfect for the beginner gardener. There’s just enough of each variety to keep a backyard flower gardener in bouquets all season long.
4. Suttons
The Cut Flower Wall Chart and Growing Guide is very helpful for trying to plan your backyard garden. Even if you don’t live in the UK and the timings don’t quite apply to your situation, it’s still helpful for planning out enough filler, thriller, and spiller flowers for your garden.
Got all your flowers and looking for vegetable seeds? Here are 35+ more companies my readers and I recommend.
If you liked this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to follow more of my farmer florist journey and join in the cut flower conversation! I also make weekly videos on my YouTube channel. You can also sign up for bouquet-making events and buy my flowers at my sister-site Shifting Blooms. I hope to see you there!
P.S. If you love the content I create for Shifting Roots, consider joining our community on Patreon. Your support means the world to me, and I am grateful for each and every one of you!
READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN, WITHOUT THE HASSLE?
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.
Finally, you can create a stunning cut flower garden with everything you need to make beautiful bouquets all summer long.
Click on the picture to find out more, or get your copy.
LOOKING TO START A CUT FLOWER BUSINESS?
Have you been researching all over the internet and in free Facebook groups about starting a cut flower business and are feeling more confused than ever? Don’t believe you can make a profit from a cut flower garden on modest terms? Check out this video for how I went from a wannabe flower farmer to a resilient backyard business owner!
And, if you’re still feeling frustrated, worried about spending too much money and not making your money back, or just want to learn more about profitable small-scale flower farming, you can enroll in Backyard Business, my program for aspiring flower farmers. Some of my students were already making money (enough to pay the cost of the course!!) in the middle of winter by getting creative and trying new things. I hope to see you there!
Learn more here!
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