By Shannon Moreau
The rise of the cut flower garden has been a joy to witness, with local farms expanding beds for pick-your-own flowers and home gardeners dedicating space in their gardens to grow their own bouquets. While annual and perennial flowers are a staple in every “cutting garden,” there are several shrubs and trees that are frequently overlooked but make excellent additions.
Before diving into specific recommendations, we have to discuss spacing. Similar to perennials, trees and shrubs require committed space in your landscape to allow them to mature and fill out before they can be cut continually. Prior to planting, take the light needs, water requirements, and overall size of the tree or shrub into account. This ensures you have the right plant in the right place and you won’t run into issues in your landscape or garden later on down the road.
One easy way to incorporate woody material into your cut flower arrangements is to “force” flowers from your dormant early bloomers. This involves cutting stems in early spring that are laden with flower buds that haven’t opened yet. Bring them inside, place them in a vase with water, and the warm indoor temperatures will quickly invite the colors of the early spring into your home. The long branches and stems of early blooming shrubs like pussy willows, forsythias, and nanking cherries are a few of my go-tos. Trees like peaches, plums and dwarf cherry trees can also be used. My absolute favorite tree to use for forced branches is the redbud. The vivid pink flowers of the redbud contrast with the gray-brown branches. The zig-zagging branches add height and interesting texture to any arrangement.
Although there are still many trees that can be used in the late spring through the fall, I want to focus on shrubs for a moment. Depending on their size and general shape, the flowers can act as the focal flower of an arrangement, as additional filler flowers, or form a standalone bouquet of their own! Lilacs can be harvested April through May and are followed quickly by mockorange. Both are showy and fragrant options. Hardy shrub roses bloom multiple times throughout the summer with minimal care. Shrub rose varieties like Champagne Wishes, Ruby Voodoo, and Sweet Fragrance make great options with their semi double blooms and enchanting aroma. Hydrangeas are an excellent option for high-impact flowers in the late summer. The round, dome-shaped blooms of Hydrangea arborescens and Hydrangea macrophylla are commonly used by florists. For something a little different, the panicle hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata, is a fantastic alternative! Each variety blooms on old wood and will change color as they mature. Most varieties change from white to a shade of red or pink then keep the color as they dry.
Two key elements for any flower arrangement are texture and dimension, and can be easily achieved with filler flowers and foliage. Filler flowers are typically more slender or smaller in size in comparison to your larger focal flowers. The spike shaped flowers of butterfly bush, caryopteris, and fernbush are great for filling in gaps in a bouquet. The wide array of ninebark varieties makes them an excellent candidate for foliage. Pruning these flowers will also help keep your plants dense and encourages branching. Smokebush are another powerhouse plant whose wispy flowers can do just about anything in a bouquet, and the foliage makes an eye-catching addition.
It’s best to harvest your cut flowers at the coolest time of the day, ideally, in the morning. Bear in mind that cutting hard-wood stems is a bit different than snipping the soft stems of many annual and perennial flowers. You will need sharp clean pruners that can cut between ½” – 1 ½” to prevent any tearing or ripping. Just like dormant season pruning, cut your woody stems at an angle. Bring a bucket of clean water out with you to your garden and place your flowers in the water right after cutting them. Leave your cut branches for a few hours to hydrate before you start arranging. If you were not able to get your blooms into water right after cutting, give the stem a fresh cut before placing them into your bucket of clean water. Once it’s time to start arranging, your vase water should be either lukewarm or slightly hot to the touch (not boiling). If you are arranging any of these woody stems with annual or perennial cut flowers it is best to use warm water – if it is too hot it may damage the softer stemmed varieties!
While there is rigidity in how to cut and save your flowers, there is flexibility and imagination needed when designing your cutting garden. Go out into your garden and try mixing and matching.
For additional information and inspiration on other flowers, check out these resources:
- https://fortcollinsnursery.com/fcn-blog/cut-flower-gardens/
- https://fortcollinsnursery.com/fcn-blog/bouquet-in-a-garden-flowers-for-cutting/
- https://www.floretflowers.com/resource/
Originally published on February 28th, 2025.