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The Gardener's Workshop

Easy Cut-Flower Gardening from Seed

Cool Flowers

It’s All About Timing

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Direct seeded fall planted bupleurum pictured in February with raindrops.

Returning home from travel to my Cool Flowers garden is almost as good as reuniting with Stevie and Tuc.  The bupleurum plants pictured are just one of many cool-season hardy annuals that are patiently sitting and waiting for their time to shine in my spring garden. Since they were planted at the optimal time for my farm this is pretty much what I expected. 

I believe that timing is so underestimated in gardening, farming, and business. Timing is perhaps that “priceless” factor that cannot be overcome when not followed. For me, Cool Flowers has become the perfect example of how great or horribly bad things can go just based on the one simple step of timing. 

These days with spring just around the corner I’m seeing the same questions in our email inboxes and all over social media: is it OK to plant cool-season hardy annuals weeks or even months later than recommended? The short  answer is of course you can plant anytime you choose—but proceed forewarned.

The warning: it may not be worth the effort because of the puny performance of these cool-season lovers planted at the wrong time. This defeats the whole concept of my book Cool Flowers which is planting hardy annuals at the best time for your winter hardiness zone. Following the Cool Flowers practice grows plants that perform like gold medal winners with little intervention, improved disease and pests resistance, and with abundance and quality like no other planting time. 

“I can’t grow Bells of Ireland” is the #1 struggle I hear that is most often resolved with the timing of planting.

Perhaps the worst and unexpected part of planting at the wrong time: the discouragement and failure it heaps on your shoulders. I’ve heard from thousands saying things like “ I can’t grow those” , “they don’t grow where I am”, and the two most common “ I live in this south, our spring is too hot” or “ I live to far north to plant Cool Flowers”. Correct timing can change all of these experiences.

To all those that are sharing how they missed their window of planting Cool Flowers— that’s ok, move on. Paperclip the cool season seeds to the next season‘s calendar at the proper planting time and get down to the business at hand: those seeds that NOW is the right time to get started. For my farm in winter hardiness zone 7 with the last expected frost date of April 15, this means focusing on starting warm-season tender annual seeds. 

These warm-season tender annuals are the workhorses of our summer cutting gardens.

The best step you can take towards being a successful gardener, farmer, and business owner is to ditch the thoughts on what you think you’ve missed and move on to what you should be doing now. Just my two cents…

Fondly,

Lisa Z

Lisa Mason Ziegler is a cut-flower farmer, author, online course producer, and nationally recognized speaker on organic cut-flower farming and gardening.

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers & Cool Flowers. Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram.

The Secret Sauce of Growing Cool-Season Flowers

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A gorgeous armload of larkspur heading to a commercial customer.

I stumbled into learning about cool-season hardy annual flowers a couple of decades ago. My interest had been sparked by flower farming and I wanted to jump in with both feet, but we were heading into winter, what now?

While I knew practically nothing about farming at this point, I did know this: I didn’t have funding to start purchasing quantities of bulbs and perennials, the classic fall plantings. Then I read about a group of flowers that could be started from seed and preferred cold weather. I learned these cool-season hardy annuals didn’t just survive cold weather, but in fact, it is their secret sauce!

There are so many misconceptions about cool-season hardy annuals and much of it is rooted in the word “annual”. The most well-known and popular annuals are warm-season tender annuals like tomatoes, basil, zinnias, and others. Folks instantly think of this group and their needs when they hear that word “annual”.

Buckets of cool-season hardy annuals are blooming when it is barely warm enough to plant warm-season tender annuals.

But, oh boy, have we been missing out on some of the best flowers to grow! There is a whole pack of cool-season hardy annuals to include in the cash crop lineup: bells of Ireland, snapdragons, sweet William, poppies, sweet peas, and others. Some of the most beloved spring flowers and those in high demand in the commercial floral trade.

These cool-season annuals follow the same life cycle as warm-season annuals but have a very different planting timeline and few of us get it right. The secret ingredient that determines success and longevity of harvest is when they are planted.

Optimal Planting Times 

Fall Planting:

6-8 weeks before the first fall frost for those hardy annuals

that are winter hardy in your growing zone. There are several for even the coldest zones.

Very Early Spring Planting:

6-8 weeks before the last spring frost for those hardy annuals not winter hardy in your growing zone.  Plus a repeat planting of some of the fall plantings to extend the bloom season.

Suzanne with a armload of ‘Amazon’ Sweet William.

Tips for success:

  • Fall planting should be done in a timely manner for the best success. Transplants need time to become established and direct sown seeds need time to germinate into a small plant before below freezing weather sets in.
  • Early spring planting beds must be prepared in fall and held over until early spring. Soil is typically frozen, wet, and or covered in snow that prevents preparing beds at the proper planting time.
  • All hardy annuals appreciate excellent drainage as moisture lingers in cold soil.
  • The wind protection of lightweight row covered low tunnels gives significant benefits beyond temperature control.
  • Whenever a plant is winter hardy in your growing zone, it is beneficial to fall plant it. These well-established plants bloom earlier, have better disease and pest resistance, produce more abundance and stem length, and produce quality longer into the heat and humidity of summer.
My book Cool Flowers shares the details of growing these flowers as well as figuring out when you plant them.

This group of hardy annual flowers has become known as Cool Flowers in the flower farming industry. They are named for my book Cool Flowers on this subject that has rekindled the practice of cool-season hardy annuals playing a major role in fields and gardens worldwide.

Do a little digging and you’ll find that this practice of planting cool-season hardy annuals on the brink of cold weather beginning or ending was practiced in days gone by our grandparents and beyond. I contend that as folks became disconnected from gardening and home seed starting in the past decades, this group of plants and their awkward planting times plants fell to the wayside.

Once I learned the needs of these cool-season hardy annuals and found their best planting times for my farm, they have become the most carefree crops I grow. The bonus, they typically produce in spring which is the highest demand season of all.

It is so special to me that cool-season hardy annuals are affectionately known as Cool Flowers…

Lisa

P.S. Don’t miss the Cool Flowers Book & Seed Collection and Cool Flowers, Beyond the Book for Flower Farming online course!

Lisa Mason Ziegler is a cut-flower farmer, author and nationally recognized speaker on organic cut-flower farming.

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Award- winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers & Cool Flowers. Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram .

Cool Flowers and Row Cover

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Floating row covers in action in winter. We have whipping wind for most of
the winter and spring. Just imagine if the plants had to take that wind.

Using row cover on Cool Flowers plantings can help more seeds sprout when planted in the garden, bring spring blooms a little earlier, protect seedlings from hungry rabbits and deer, and offers the plants excellent protection from cold wind damage. Cool Flowers don’t necessarily need cold protection because they are after all, cool-season annuals (see page 138 for listing of hardiness zones for specific flowers) however, they definitely benefit from the perks row cover offers.

Covering fall, winter and early spring plantings of flowers, herbs, and vegetables using hoops and floating row cover (no plastic) are super easy to install and maintain. I steer away from plastic because it needs far more attention than a simple row cover does. I find row cover when properly installed does the job for hardy annuals and it allows rain to penetrate that eliminates the need for winter irrigation. 85% of air, water, and light penetrate the lightweight row cover–so no need to remove during the day. When I feel the need for extra protection I just double this lightweight cover.

Wire hoops every 10-12 feet with a sandbag full of soil at each hoop on both sides. The ends have 3 bags to secure center and both sides. Babs watching for Steve to come home…

I put the covers on when nighttime temperatures begin dropping below 32 degrees. If a run of several warm days comes during winter that go above 55 degree, temporarily uncover to prevent encouraging plants to grow to big before their time. Recover when freezing weather returns.

Uncover in early spring when the threat of hard freezes has passed. Pull covers off and leave in garden for just in case until only above freezing is expected.

 

Floating row covers are great for protection from birds, rabbits, squirrels, deer, and pests. Covering plantings like strawberries, seedlings, and others immediately protect from damage. The creatures literally don’t even realize they are under there.

Row covers prevent so many problems in the garden that I’m not sure I would even be farming if it wasn’t for them! Checkout our Row Cover Kit here.

Lisa Mason Ziegler is a cut-flower farmer, author and nationally recognized speaker on organic gardening and farming.

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Author of Vegetables Love Flowers, Cool Flowers, and The Easy Cut-Flower Garden  . Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram !

 

Cool Flowers: Sowing Seeds in the Garden

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There is no better group of flower seeds to try your hand at sowing in the garden than those cool-season hardy annuals that we call Cool Flowers . Many of them are really easy to get started when planted outdoors into the cool and moist conditions of fall. 

First, not all seeds like to be planted out in the garden, some prefer to be started indoors. The Cool Flower seeds I have the most success planting directly in the garden are:

I sow 3 to 4 times the volume of seeds in the garden then plants I need. Better to thin seedlings then to have bare spots. I am planting Bells of Ireland seeds that had been soaked overnight.

Check the listings in my book Cool Flowers for which flowers survive your winter conditions. For those flowers that will survive your winter plant the seeds 6-8 weeks before your first expected fall frost. (See Cool Flowers page 138 for my quick reference list of winter survival zones and page 137 to find your winter hardiness zone.)

Seeds germinate best when the days are still warm–not hot, and nighttime temperatures are cooling off. If planted too early into the heat, germination will be delayed. This delay allows weeds to outgrow potential flower seedlings and other troubles can occur like birds eating the seed.

Prepare or disturb the soil immediately before planting seed. This disrupts the developing–yet unseen weed seeds that are also trying to sprout. This levels the playing field between the flower and weed seeds.

I am using the hoe head to pat the seeds firmly into the soil. I plant into little trenches I make with my hoe.

Follow directions whether the seed should be covered with soil or not (listed for each featured flower on their profile page in Cool Flowers.) Covering means the seed needs darkness to sprout. Not covering means it needs light to sprout.

Seeds need moisture to be able to sprout and break through the shell of the seed. Consistent moisture leads to more and quicker germination. Row cover will help to retain moisture and decrease the number of watering needed and protect seeds from birds.

Keep the seedbed free from weeds with weekly hoeing until the seedlings are large enough to be mulched. I keep my fall planted beds covered through winter to give added protection from cold wind, deer and rabbits.

Timing, moisture, and protecting the seeds are the keys to easy seed sowing in the garden. Enjoy!

 

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Author of Vegetables Love Flowers, Cool Flowers, and The Easy Cut-Flower Garden  . Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram !

My Favorite Self-Sowing Plants

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White Lace Flower and Bachelor Buttons are always a bright spot in our spring gardens. Also a favorite of pollinators and other beneficial insects. (And golden retrievers!)

Who are these flowers? The cool-season hardy annuals that light spring on fire and are some of my favorites. I’m talking about some of the better known flowers like bachelor buttons, poppies, and larkspur along with some unknowns like bupleurum and the famous but what seems unattainable bells of Ireland.

What is a self sower? Plants that flower, make seed, and drop that seed in the garden that goes onto sprout right in the garden.

In a home garden, I would plant this group of seeds directly in the garden in the same area. I deem this the self-appointed garden. This group will replant themselves for years to come if they are happy with the spot I’ve chosen and I tend to their few needs.

Larkspur has been a favorite for decades as a cut flowers pictured, but also gorgeous in the landscape.

You can explore my list below and pick out your favorites and start your own self-appointed garden. You can view all of our cool-season hardy annual seeds here including those we start indoors and plant transplants in the garden.

My favorites:

This list above are those seeds I plant straight in the garden in my zone 7 garden in fall with great success. They have a strong reseeding habit.


My reseeding tips:

  • Go light on mulch. The seeds the flowers make and drop need to make contact with some soil to produce a seedling next season.
  • After the initial planting don’t work the soil much in this area. This may cover the seeds dropped by the flowers with to much soil to allow sprouting.
  • The first year of planting seeds, plant in rows and mark with name tags. Take photos of what seedlings look like as they sprout to use for identifying next year when scouting for reseeded seedlings.
  • Stay on top of weeding this area or you’ll lose your flower seedlings in the weeds.
  • Thin seedlings in very early spring.

If you want to learn more about cool-season hardy annuals and when and how you should plant them read my book Cool Flowers. It also includes how to prevent weeds and to harvest as cut flowers.

Happy fall!

Lisa Z

Lisa Mason Ziegler is the founder of  The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers, Cool Flowers, and The Easy Cut-Flower Garden  Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram!

Cool Flowers: Troubles of Planting too Early

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Snapdragons that had to be cut back because they grew to much before heading into winter. A task normally not needed.

I am suffering the consequences this fall of planting my Cool Flower seeds and transplants in the garden too early. It doesn’t really matter what drove me to break my own rules— and by the way, breaking the rules totally backfired, as rule breaking generally goes.

What troubles you may be asking? Let me count the ways as I am currently recovering from one of the most frustrating! For easy finger pointing I’m going to just list them below as I have lived them out. My correct planting time for fall hardy annuals is early October. I planted in early September and have suffered because of it. Early October is the recommended 6-8 weeks before the first expected hard frost here in my zone 7 garden.

One of the benefits and key ingredients of fall planting is the cooler temperatures, especially at night. This is not happening in early September here in southeastern Virginia. Hot days with warm nights does not make for happy cool-season hardy annuals. Read on for their revenge.

The Troubles:

A bed of Bells of Ireland that seeds were planted directly in the garden. There are many different stages of growth because the seeds struggled to sprout in the warm temperatures.
  1. Slow and spotty germination of the direct seeded flowers I planted. Guess what wasn’t slow and spotty to germinate? The weeds. So, while my flower seeds sat there and waited for “their” preferred cool conditions the weeds well, flourished.
  2. The Bells of Ireland began slowly sprouting a couple of weeks ago, but oh so poorly. However, the past few days temps dipped at night and we had rain and guess what? The Bells are popping; however, they are so many different sizes from tiny to big which makes hoeing those early weeds difficult at best. I just finished hand weeding three 80-foot rows. Something I haven’t done in years.
  3. We plant transplants into biodegradable film for many reasons. For fall plantings we use the black film because it helps to warm the soil through winter and spring. Well, when you plant too early and the daytimes temperatures are still occasionally heating up, it can toast transplants in one afternoon. It was to warm one afternoon and I toasted about half of our transplants. We have had a whole second round of seed starting to produce plugs to plant into the burnt-up transplants holes. A very sad state of affairs for the seed starter and the planter around here.
  4. Those transplants that survived the heat in the film are now growing way too big to go into winter. So, I just spent time cutting back all those plants. The stems now all lay in a pile.

To seal this whole ‘I will never plant early again’ deal; we are nowhere near having leaves to mulch the pathways, so I am having to keep the pathways weed free while we wait for fall to really start…

LZ’s old farmer rule: stick with the rules to succeed with the least amount of work.

Learn more about when you should plant hardy annuals and more—All Things Cool Flowers.

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Author of Vegetables Love Flowers, Cool Flowers, and The Easy Cut-Flower Garden  . Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram !