Beyond their economic value in the garden and the large ecosystem , many native plants make fantabulous additions to cut flowered arrangements . And many have vase life that match those of greenhouse - grown cuttings .
During a recent quick walk through my garden , for instance , I grab a few instance : false sunflower ( Heliopsis helianthoides ) , bugbane ( Actea racemosa ) , purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea ) , black - eyed susan ( Rudbeckia hirta ) and fiddlehead fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris ) .
Note : Bugbane is an example of a plant life that look great but has a strong scent many would consider unpleasant . For this reason , I lean to apply it for outside arrangements , or I look until it forms seedheads and use them for indoor displays .
When you ’re play with fresh fragrance , it help to know which flowers have staying power in a vase .
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center bid specificrecommendations for Minnesota native speciesrecommended for cut arrangements . Using this resource , you cannarrowyour search to match your growing condition and requirements , orexpandit to include border states with alike conditions . Treehugger takes it a stride further and recommends the “ Twenty Best Native Flowers for a Cut Garden . ”
Of course , flowered arranging and horticulture are somewhat immanent , so your choices might change . And time and experiment will reveal your best-loved works and best options for this purpose .
Every time of year has element to offer — even wintertime , when dried seedheads , berries and evergreen elements can be integrate . In addition to the plants I note earlier , just a few of my go - to aboriginal choices for vessel include :
These are just a few — there are so many options ! The same principles apply forfloral arranging , no matter what plants you utilise — aboriginal , non - native , garden - grown or from a florist . Using a compounding of native flora and other constituent can knuckle under beautiful bouquets , too .
Take a walk around your garden and clean a few native plants for display . Experiment with combining , and consider planting more natives you like and that you ’d like to admit in your bouquets . In plus to access enceinte cut flowers , you ’ll be serve pollinators and your local ecosystem , too . proficient luck !
Beth Stetenfeldis an organic gardener , native works enthusiast and garden blogger and writer . She ’s also a master natural scientist Tennessean and teacher .
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