Cut flowers in Southwest Florida
The hurricane season is upon us and it didn’t even wait until June 1. Ana already formed and impacted North and South Carolina.
The names for this season, after Anna, are Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda. The list is maintained by the World Meteorological Organization. Tropical storms are given their name when winds hit 39 mph, then when they hit maximum winds of 74 mph, they can be called a hurricane. The rainy season does not necessarily coincide with the hurricane season, but we sure seem to be building up to it.
To me, and I am revealing my age, this is the Memorial Day weekend, not last Monday. My memories of Memorial weekends past were of picking flowers I had grown for this very purpose and going to three cemeteries in Indiana with my big bouquets and placing them on the graves of loved ones. My northerness comes out with thoughts of lush blooming bouquets of peonies and irises; cut flower bouquets of respect, honoring the memories of beloved relatives. When I moved to Florida, I had to leave those behind. I’ve been thinking of those bouquets and cut flowers lately.
The Trafalgar Middle School Builder’s Club’s newest project is to grow cut flowers to take to nursing homes. As they lay their vegetable garden to rest by pulling up the spent plants, laying down fresh compost, then covering everything with plastic and mulch for the summer, they will be free for vacation time after June 8 sort of. They have three other gardens on the school grounds, and they want to add to their caring by growing cut flowers to take to nursing homes. So they tussle with the dilemma do they do annuals or perennials, or both. We have a whole new world of cut flowers here in Southwest Florida.
Nothing will replace the bulk and filling beauty of the peony, but we do have irises in South Florida. They are African irises, walking irises, blue flag, Louisiana irises and the blackberry iris or blackberry lily because their flower looks like a lily. In Florida we need to remember that full sun plants are really part shade because the intensity of the sun is overpowering here. The regular day lily (not a true lily) also grows here; the Lily of the Nile or Agapanthus has a very large showy blue ball-like head; Easter lilies can be planted but like many lilies varieties, we don’t have the cold spell they need, heat and humidity do them in; my favorite is the gloriosa lily that vines with its curved back petals of red and gold. Florists charge a pretty penny for stems of those. They do die back and disappear, so don’t forget where they are in your beds.
Among the flowers that grow really well here is, our state flower, coreopsis, though they like full sun even in Florida, I’m needing partial shade. There is always our trusty periwinkle with its washed out magenta color. I found white ones that do well and reproduce from seed nicely. Cosmos bloom from spring to fall, another full sun candidate. I’m wondering about the full Florida sun theory, and may try out that theory to see how they do in partial shade.
One can always go to corms of bird-of-paradise and heliconias for showy exotic bouquets. Another full sun flower is celosia, plume or cockscomb. They do well in bouquets and arrangements. I’d love to see snapdragon spikes in all colors with their mouth opening when squeezed at their bloom sides. Love to show the children that mouth opening trick. They do best in the cool weather. Spikes of gladiolas need to be included, because this was once the “Gladiolus Capital” of the nation.
Of course, I researched the longest lasting cut flowers, Alstroemeria, Peruvian lily. Tolerating the shade in the heat of the summer, loving the heat of the summer, their tuberous roots can take mulching, but it’s not essential. They are considered invasive in Australia, so keep them in check. Planted early in the spring, they flower late spring early summer. That collides with our school schedule.
Another flowering stem that smells super and is called one of the most fragrant plants in the world, is the freesia (in the iris family). Their stems bends backward so that the funnel shaped blooms always faces up toward the sun. Best planted in a pot in a cluster with 6 corms in a 5-inch pot, one inch below soil, they love very warm temperatures and a humid atmosphere. They thrive here without much human involvement. Like most flowering plants, they like full sun and cool nights.
I can’t forget the giant marigold. Its bright sunny face cheers any bouquet, but I have been in a room with marigold bouquets and choked on the odor – not fragrance, odor. My last idea is an unusual bright orange bloom. I can’t say flower, because they sometimes have three or more staggered head clusters on the same slender stalk 6-8 feet tall, in the mint family, called lion’s ear. It also, is listed in Australia as a pest plant. We aren’t too concerned here because it doesn’t seem to displace native species. It can take intermittent shade. Grown best at the back of your garden, it fits in nicely with other butterfly attracting shrubs. Heavy pruning helps it to have more flowering stems. Under favorable conditions, it will self seed. With flowers up high over other perennials and annuals, it attracts hummingbirds. With such easy to identify seedlings, it isn’t hard to keep this semi-invasive weed under control.
In anticipation of happy cutting.
Find a tree, relax and enjoy the calm and clear fresh air thank it.
-Joyce Comingore is a Master Gardener, hibiscus enthusiast and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.