While not entirely on topic for a community vegetable garden post, bringing flowers into the house can be almost as rewarding as putting homegrown food on the table. Many of the common perennials found in Calgary gardens make great cut flowers – peonies, delphiniums, yarrow, globe thistle, iris, bleeding heart, and asiatic lilies. Even lady’s mantle with its spray of tiny yellow flowers adds great texture. Annuals can also be planted in order to cut. Plants like dahlias, sunflowers, sweet peas, snapdragons, zinnias, and gladioli are great options. Consider sneaking a few of these into your veggie garden as a way to add to the visual appeal and allow for bringing the outdoors onto your table with vase arrangements.
When cutting flowers, use a sharp knife or clippers, and put the cut stems directly into a bucket of water. Look for blooms that have just started to open and avoid any that have even a hint of brown on their petals. Adding foliage or greens adds great structure to an arrangement and can come from plants like peonies, ferns, or shrubs.
Make sure no leaves or flowers are below the water level in your vase and top up the water daily. Every two to four days it’s worth changing the water and re-cutting the stems.
Happy gardening!
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