The Bouquet Blueprint

When planning your cut flower garden, consider factors such as sunlight, soil quality, and climate, as these will influence which flowers you can successfully grow. Next, select flowers that bloom at different times of the year to keep the blooms going.  Design your garden layout by grouping plants by height, color, and blooming season.  If you want early blooms, you can grow some flowers under cover, as in a high tunnel.

Early Blooms

Snowdrop

Snowdrops are a welcome sight when spring seems like it’s a far-off dream. Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to flower, and will (as the name suggests) even flower in snow. Some plants you can combine with snowdrops are crocus, hyacinths, and evergreen cuttings. The giant snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) is a favorite for its large blooms.

Daffodil

Is there anything more uplifting than the sunshine of a yellow daffodil on a blustery spring day? Daffodils make an excellent cut flower.  Plant a row in the fall and await that first glorious bloom. Daffodils come in many sizes and variations of yellow, white, and orange.

Ranunculus

Ranunculus is known as “the rose of spring” since it resembles a rose. These flowers love cold weather and it will go dormant when the temperatures go above 80 degrees F/ 26 C. Flowers bloom in a rainbow of colors. After they have bloomed and died back, lift the corms (the thick underground stem), and let them cure in a dry place out of sunlight. When they have dried out, store them in a cool, dark, and dry place. You can start the corms indoors around 6-8 weeks before your last frost.

Spring Bloomers

Tulips

In the fall, plant a mass grouping of tulip bulbs to display in vases in the spring. There is such a wide variety to choose from, and some are early- to late-spring bloomers. Plant different varieties to maximize the tulip season.

Sweet Peas

Sweet peas are a classic flower that adds a vintage feel to bouquets.  Sweet pea flowers have a wonderful perfume, and the more often you pick, the more blooms you will get.  Sweet peas are climbers and need a trellis or some type of support to grow on. Sweet peas thrive in the cooler spring months, but some varieties are more tolerant of heat, such as ‘Old Spice.’  All parts of the sweet pea are poisonous, so use caution when it comes to kids and pets. Do not confuse the plants with edible peas; plant them away from these.

Summer Bouquets

Cosmos

Cosmos are the perfect flower for adding whimsy to bouquets. Cosmos come in shades of red, pink, orange, yellow, and white. Cosmos offer a long growing season, just make sure to dead-head spent blooms to keep them going. These flowers prefer hot, dry areas of the garden and don’t need much fertilizer.

Dahlia

Dahlias are an incredible addition to any flower garden due to their long blooming season (right until the first frost) and the selection; with thousands of cultivars, you’re sure to find a few dahlias to love. They come in all kinds of colors, sizes, and petal shapes. Some look like pinwheels, and some flowers are the size of dinner plates. It’s important to dig up tubers in the fall if you live in an area where the ground regularly freezes or where heavy rain can make the tubers waterlogged.

Sunflower

Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers to grow from seed. These familiar flowers can tolerate many types of soil and a great for pollinators, too. There are varieties that are single stem and pollenless so they won’t make a mess.

Zinnia

Zinnias are vigorous bloomers and keep blooming until frost. They do especially well in the heat.  They come in many vibrant and bright colors. They also come in softer colors and whites, too.  They are perfect for first-time flower growers because they are fuss-free as long as they have good drainage and soil rich in organic matter.  Don’t skip zinnias in your cut flower garden.

Foliage Filler

When designing your cut flower garden, it’s a good idea to think beyond the blooms.  It’s nice to add foliage as a bouquet filler.  Think airy additions like fennel or ferns.  Surprisingly, many flowers don’t have much scent, so herbs can be a great addition. Basil, mints, lemon balm, rosemary, and lavender can add delicate scents to bouquets.  Don’t be afraid to be unconventional and add some fruit and veggies to your bouquets!  Create a touch of surprise by incorporating blueberry plant clippings or cherry tomatoes still on the vine.

Dried Bouquets

Dried bouquets are lovely because they can be enjoyed for many months. But not every flower is a good drying candidate. Some turn brown and crumbly. Here are some flowers that are good for drying:

• Baby’s breath
• Calendula
• Echinacea
• Feverfew
• Hydrangea
• Lavender
• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Roses
• Sunflowers
• Yarrow
• Valerian

Start Planning

With summer quickly approaching, now is the best time to start creating the cut flower garden of your dreams. With the Planter App, you can visualize what your garden will look like and get expert growing tips right inside the app.

‘‘Nuchter’’

I grew up in a small village in the Netherlands, where we have a particular word to describe our outlook on life: ‘’nuchter’’. It roughly translates to “sober” in English, not in the sense of avoiding alcohol, but as a kind of no-nonsense attitude. We tend to see the world in a straightforward way. Things aren’t that deep. Or at least, we don’t talk about them like they are.

But gardening changed that for me. It cracked open that nuchtere view and let something softer in, more curious, more connected. I would now describe myself as a little bit spiritual or, as we say in Dutch, ‘‘zweverig’’. A word that’s hard to translate, but implies something like floating, dreaming, moving through the world with wonder.

Gardening opens your eyes to the life unfolding all around you. In my case, it opened my heart, too. To believe in something more than what’s just on the surface.

One of the things I’ve become more aware of is how a season turns. Not in big, dramatic gestures, but through a series of quiet, steady signals. August is that moment. The garden doesn’t shout about it, but if you pay attention, it tells you everything you need to know.

1. The moment between fullness and fade

The air feels warm and heavy in the mountains. It’s filled with the humming of bees, the buzz of flies, and the occasional rustle of dry leaves. The sun hangs lower now, but still burns hot. The soil is warm beneath my hands. Everything feels ripe, slightly overripe even. Many of my tomatoes split overnight, and the plants feel a little exhausted. My flowers are rich but dimming, like the fabric of my favourite sleeping shirt washed too many times. 

It’s in these days, when the heat has settled into the soil and the light has softened ever so slightly, that I notice the change. Not dramatic, but definite. A turning point.

Gardener’s Tip:

This is a great time to slow down your watering routine, but watch for signs of heat stress. Water early in the morning or late in the evening, and deeply rather than often. Shade sensitive crops with row cover or companion plants if needed. 

2. Signs of change

The first to go are the lettuces, their leaves stretching upwards in a final, bitter sprint to seed. The basil bolts in the same week, and seed heads form where bright petals once stood.

The fragrance of the garden deepens, less green now, more dry and mineral. If that makes sense. The first apples have fallen and their skins are turning into warm shades of red, gold and green. Pears, too, are firm but fragrant, promising sweetness soon. It’s no longer about growth, it’s about ripening.

Gardener’s Tip:

This is the ideal time to assess your garden: what thrived, what struggled. Take notes or photos. Harvest anything nearing its peak before it passes. Watch for self-seeding plants and decide if you want to let them spread.

3. The art of letting go

Seed-saving has become a quiet ritual for me. If you’re someone who enjoys ASMR videos, you’ll probably love this process too. There’s something almost sacred in plucking dried pods from spent pea plants, in gently cracking open calendula heads, and tucking their seeds into envelopes. I label each one, not just with the name and date, but often with a little note: ‘grew well near the tomatoes’ or ‘best bloom after early rain.’ Something personal. 

And then comes the clearing. The compost pile grows quickly now. 

Gardener’s Tip:

Start saving seeds from open-pollinated (non-hybrid) plants like beans, calendula, dill, or poppies. Let them dry fully before storing in paper envelopes. Compost what’s no longer producing, and refresh tired beds with compost or mulch.

Check-out our seed saving 101 guide!

4. Quiet Survivors and Lingering Life

Not everything fades. Some plants thrive in this in-between time. The thyme, the oregano, the sage, they’re just there: steady, fragrant and resilient. The sunflowers are wild and ragged now, their heads bent heavy with seed, but still they stand. The squash vines sprawl with full determination, claiming space wherever they can find it. 

Gardener’s Tip:

Keep harvesting herbs and tomatoes regularly to encourage further growth. Let sunflowers and some annuals dry out fully, they’ll feed the birds or provide seed. Cut back overgrown herbs lightly to prevent woodiness.

5. Looking Ahead 

Even as things wind down, there’s work to be done. I’ve started tucking in greens for fall like arugula, chard and kale. The garlic bed is ready, waiting for cloves that won’t show themselves until next spring. I scatter cover crops (phacelia, clover) to feed the soil through the cold.

Gardener’s Tip:

• Sow cool-season crops now: check out this guide for more depth on cool-season crops.
• Use covercrops like buckwheat or clover to suppress weeds and feed the soil.
• If you’re not planting, mulch your beds to retain moisture and prevent erosion!

6. A moment to be still

I know that in the depths of winter, I’ll be craving these summer nights. So, I try to be here for them now.

Sometimes I think this is the whole lesson: to notice. To not rush to fix things, or finish all the other stuff, just to be with it. I know there’s always a long list of things to do, but the garden also invites you to pause. You don’t have to be productive every second.

Take in the golden light at the end of the day. Listen to the humming. Breathe in the scent of sun-warmed soil and fading blooms. Enjoy this moment before the fall. Before the turning.

Gardener’s Tip:

Build in time to observe, journal, or sketch your garden. These quiet moments often offer the most insight, not just into your garden, but into your relationship with it.

Thank you for staying with me and reading all the way to the end.

Wishing you happy gardening,

and many small wonders along the way.

It also made me think more deeply about what nourishes me. And if there’s one nutrient the world seems fixated on right now, it’s protein. Every other product at the supermarket screams “high-protein” or “protein-packed”, gym culture has practically rebranded it as a religion, and new research keeps surfacing about how essential it is for our health.  

This blog isn’t here to shame your protein powders or tell you to ditch your favorite snack bars, do what feels right for your body. But if you have access to a garden and want to add something amazing to both your nutrition and your soil, keep reading. 

Firstly, What is Protein?  

Let’s break it down. Protein is one of the three macronutrients your body needs in large amounts (the others being carbs and fats). It’s made up of building blocks called amino acids and these little molecules are what your body uses to: 

• Build and repair muscle, tissue, and skin 
• Produce enzymes and hormones 
• Power your immune system 
• Keep every single cell functioning properly 

So yeah, kind of a big deal! No wonder it’s talked about so much lately.  

Your body needs 20 different amino acids to function properly. It can make most of them on its own, but 9 are “essential”, meaning you have to get them through food. Animal proteins (like meat, eggs, and dairy) contain all 9 in one go, which is why they’re called complete proteins. Most plant-based sources don’t have the full set on their own, but that’s not a problem. Your body can combine amino acids from different plant foods throughout the day to get everything it needs. By eating a variety of beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, you can meet your protein needs fully from plants. In doing so, you’re not just nourishing your body: you’re also being gentler on the earth, lighter on the soil, and kinder to animals along the way. 

Disclaimer: this is supported by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which confirms that well-planned plant-based diets provide all the protein your body needs, at every life stage. 

What Counts as Protein in the Garden? 

When we talk about protein, we’re usually thinking beans (and beans are stars) but they’re not alone. Protein in plants comes from a whole cast of characters: 

• Legumes like peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They are also nitrogen fixation plants!  
• Seeds & grains like quinoa, amaranth, and peanuts 
• Nuts (if you’ve got the space!) 
• Leafy greens that chip in smaller amounts 

Some have complete proteins, others don’t but together they build a well-rounded cast for your diet.  

What to Grow, Where: Protein Crops by Climate Zone 

Whether you’re gardening in chilly Maine or sunbaked Arizona, there’s a protein-rich plant waiting to thrive in your zone. 

Cooler climates (USDA Zones 3–5)  

• Lentils – Hardy, drought-tolerant, and nutrient-dense. A great early-season crop in northern zones. 
• Fava Beans – One of the most cold-hardy legumes, with a rich, meaty flavor. Best planted in early spring or fall. 
• Quinoa – A complete protein and gluten-free seed often treated like a grain. Grows well in cooler, drier climates. Short-season varieties like Cherry Vanilla are ideal for Zones 4–5. 
• Kale & Spinach – While not high-protein (about 3g per cooked cup), they add valuable nutrients and support overall protein intake. 
• Peas – Cool-weather champs. Snap, snow, or shelling varieties are easy to grow

Temperate climates (USDA Zones 6–8) 

• Soybeans (Edamame) – Thrive in warm summers and are rich in complete protein (~17g per cooked cup). Harvest young for edamame. 

• Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) – Prefer hot, dry summers and well-drained soil. Protein-rich (~15g per cooked cup) and good for small-scale growers. 

• Runner Beans – Heat-tolerant, vining, and beautiful. High yields and moderate protein (~13g per cooked cup). 

• Sunflower Seeds – Grown for seeds, not the flower! ~6g of protein per ¼ cup shelled seeds. Full sun and space to grow tall. 

• Amaranth – Both the leaves (protein-rich greens) and seeds (complete protein) are edible. Adaptable and ornamental. 

  

Warm climates (USDA Zones 9–11) 

• Pigeon Peas – Perennial in the tropics, annual in mild climates. Popular in Caribbean, African, and Indian cooking. Great nitrogen fixer. 
• Moringa – Fast-growing tree with edible leaves high in protein (~2–3g per 100g fresh). Also rich in vitamins and minerals. 
• Peanuts – Technically a legume, not a nut! Grows well in sandy, well-drained soil. ~25g protein per cup (roasted). 
• Sesame – Grown for its oil-rich, high-protein seeds (~5g per tablespoon). Needs a long, hot growing season. 
• Cowpeas (Black-eyed peas) – Extremely drought-tolerant and thrive in heat. ~13g protein per cooked cup. 

Backyard Protein Hacks 

• Go vertical: Beans and peas love to climb. Save space with trellises or garden arches. 
• Mix it up: Try the Three Sisters method. Corn, beans, and squash grown together to support each other. 
• Let it dry: For storage crops like lentils or chickpeas, leave pods to dry on the plant before harvesting. 
• Save seeds: Dry beans and grains store well all year and can be replanted. 

Bonus fact: Many legumes, including soybeans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, and fava beans, are nitrogen-fixers. That means they work with bacteria in the soil to pull nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form plants can use. This natural fertilization reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which are energy-intensive to produce and can pollute water systems!  

Start small, experiment wildly, and celebrate the fact that your dinner might start from a single sprout. 

And hey, if you name your soybean plant “Beanoncé,” we fully support that.

To put it very simply, Jerusalem artichoke is something like a combination between a potato and sunflower. Most varieties produce 10-foot-tall sturdy stalks much like a sunflower but under the soil produce knobby (some might say ugly) delicious little tubers. While Jerusalem artichoke is very popular in western Europe among vegetable gardeners it is actually indigenous to the central United States. It is also part of a very small handful of crops still around today that were originally domesticated by North American natives’ well before European settlers arrived in the Americas.

Tips on Finding Seed Tubers

The first step to growing Jerusalem artichoke begins by finding some of those sweet, sweet tubers. You can start your search by looking online at places like Etsy or even Amazon but you will soon find that these little tubers are not the cheapest especially when compared to seed. With that said, usually their cost is in line with most other live seed tubers and realistically they’re no more expensive than potato seed tubers. However, unlike potatoes once you’ve grown Jerusalem artichoke, you will likely never need to buy tubers again.

If buying tubers isn’t your bag there is another way to get them, its free, but you’ll need a bit of luck. Some folks view Jerusalem artichoke as something of a weed, so if you happen to come across other like-minded gardening folks and mention your interest in growing some, they may just point you in the direction of some tubers you can have for free. I procured some tubers this way last spring and the deal was what I dug up, I got to keep. So make sure to ask around because who doesn’t love free?

Where and When Jerusalem Artichoke Should Be Planted

While getting tubers is important, WHERE you plant them in the garden is equally as important. This is because most varieties of Jerusalem artichoke are usually between 10 and 12 feet tall. This is likely to be the tallest “annual” crop you will ever grow. It’s easy to make the mistake of planting this crop in the middle of your garden where it WILL shade out every other sun loving crop around it. For that reason, it’s best to plant it in a block at the north section of your garden where it’s out of the way. If full sun is not an issue but very hot summers are, you can get strategic and plant your tubers in the far west section of your garden where it can provide some much-needed shade to heat sensitive crops in the middle of summer.

Jerusalem artichoke is versatile in the sense that your tubers won’t come out of dormancy until the soil temperature increases in spring. This means that at any point in the fall, or even early winter, so long as the soil is workable you can plant them and they will lay dormant until the time is right. If this process sounds similar to garlic, it is! However, unlike garlic, Jerusalem artichoke does not begin growing its roots in the fall like garlic does, so the timing of its planting in the fall/winter has no consequence on its productivity for the following year. It can even be transplanted in the spring in case you forget to move those sleepy little tubers in time.

Pro Tip: If you live in a windy area, it’s best to put up large stakes that are at least 5 feet tall with rope or twine around the perimeter of the bed you’ve planted your tubers in. This of course can be done later in the spring after top growth has started but its best to put up stakes at the time of planting so your plants don’t get blind sided by abrupt and windy summer storms.

Seasonal Maintenance

Jerusalem artichoke isn’t bothered by much, but If you live anywhere where beetle larva or grubs are an issue, growing plants that produce tubers can be a real challenge because those little grubs love delicious tubers just as much as you do! These grubs would shake you down and take the food right out of your mouth if they could. The good news is that there’s an easy, organic, and natural fix for this: beneficial nematodes.

Beneficial nematodes are little soil bound predators that feed on specific insect eggs and grubs. This makes them a tuber’s best friend in the garden. Most companies that offer beneficial nematodes sell them as a powder and their application is almost always the same. The instructions on the package will provide you with the water to powder mixing ratio you will need to follow and simply spray or otherwise evenly apply that mixture to your garden beds where your tubers are growing. The mixture only needs to be applied when the plants begin to flower because shortly after this is when the plants begin to form tubers.

Harvesting Tips

You will know when it’s harvest time as you start to see the lower leaves on the plants begin to turn yellow and brown usually around late September or early October (depending on your location).

Getting those little tubers out of the ground is similar to digging up potatoes, with the exception of the large stalk that will need to be cut back to about 6 inches above the soil. This left over “stump” when pulled up is very useful in helping to collect the tubers that are connected to it. Once the stump is removed, continue to search the soil for more tubers about a foot or two in radius around where the stalk was. Harvest is best done carefully by hand or with a broad fork if you have it.

As you start to look over your gold and purple bounty, you may begin to notice that there are often small “baby tubers” that aren’t really worth saving for the dinner plate. These little nickel-sized-nuggets are the perfect seed tubers for next year. While larger tubers will produce larger plants earlier, it has been my observation that larger seed tubers have little to do with how productive that plant will be at the end of the next season.

As you start to look over your gold and purple bounty, you may begin to notice that there are often small “baby tubers” that aren’t really worth saving for the dinner plate. These little nickel-sized-nuggets are the perfect seed tubers for next year. While larger tubers will produce larger plants earlier, it has been my observation that larger seed tubers have little to do with how productive that plant will be at the end of the next season.

Once your seed tubers are identified, simply put them back into the ground where they will become next year’s bounty. It’s best to have already picked out their new home before digging your tubers up, because unlike potatoes, they do not store well out of soil for more than a week or so.

Preparing and Eating

While this guide could have ended at harvest, I think it’s really important to understand how Jerusalem artichoke is best cooked and what it tastes like because after all isn’t that what vegetable gardening is all about? For taste, most tubers I have tried don’t differ much from one variety to next and are usually nutty, sweet, and have a touch of earthy. Like most niche foods, it’s something you really have to try for yourself to gauge whether you will like them.

The best recipes I have tried involve sautéing or roasting the tubers and serving them as a side, but they also go well in soups. While fresh, the texture is similar to a water chestnut and when cooked/sautéed the tubers become softer like a potato. However, if your plan is to use them as a replacement for potatoes, sadly they don’t have that buttery smooth “meat” that readily takes on the flavor of any seasoning paired with it like potatoes do. Jerusalem artichoke has its own unique flavor and texture and stands out in recipes where it is the main event.

Jerusalem artichoke tubers also contain almost no starch and are packed with a type of fiber called inulin. While Jerusalem artichoke has various health advantages over potatoes, they do have one minor downside. Because the average person doesn’t consume much inulin through their regular diet, the first few times you have Jerusalem artichoke tubers in any sizable quantities, they may cause slight GI distress. It’s nothing to worry about and your gut will become accustomed to them over time, but they’ve earned the nickname “Fartichokes” for a reason. 😊 Jerusalem artichoke tubers also contain roughly half the calories per pound that potatoes do and are generally considered to be the healthier option of the two.

Final Thoughts

Jerusalem artichoke is an excellent crop if you want to grow something that is like a potato, but requires much less effort in terms of outside inputs and maintenance. In more ways than one, Jerusalem artichoke really is an incredible plant. So for those who would like to grow a very hardy and reliable crop for your kitchen garden, or you just want to try something new and interesting, Jerusalem artichoke is a great place to start. It’s amazing to watch it emerge from its slumber in the spring, beautiful to watch it flower in the Summer, and exciting to dig up its bounty in the fall. I hope that you will give it a grow this spring!

Why are pollinators important in the garden?

To understand why pollinators are important in the garden, we first need to understand which plants rely on them.

Self-pollinating plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, have complete flowers with both male and female parts. Pollen will fall from the male parts to the female parts with gravity and a breeze; they are not dependent on help from pollinators. Even though self-pollinating plants do not require pollinators to produce fruit, pollinators do help to ensure more complete pollination and better yields.

Wind pollinated plants, such as corn and wheat, do not need help from pollinators. Wind pollinated plants tend to be agricultural crops not as commonly grown in the home garden

Plants with incomplete flowers, such as cucumbers, squash, and melons, have separate male and female flowers. These plants depend entirely on pollinators to move the pollen from the male flowers onto the female flowers; they will not produce well if there are not sufficient pollinators around. Hand pollination is an option, and some gardeners will do this especially when saving seed, but it’s easiest to have pollinators take care of this job for you!

Some types of fruit trees and shrubs are ‘self-unfruitful’ which means they require another compatible plant of a different variety to cross-pollinate with. They cannot use their own pollen or pollen of any plant of the same variety to produce fruit and seeds. Others are ‘self-fruitful’ and can use their own pollen to produce fruit. Or, there are some that simply produce better with pollen from another variety. In all cases, pollinators play a key role in helping fruit trees and shrubs transfer pollen to produce fruit.

How to attract pollinators

Pollinators may not be there when we need them if we don’t make a safe and inviting space in the garden for them.

The first thing to consider is their habitat. Some types of bees need exposed soil to burrow in. Piles of logs, sticks, and leaves provide winter shelter, or you can buy or build “insect hotels” for this purpose. Pollinators also need a water source; ensure it is shallow with an area where they can walk up for a drink, and keep it sheltered from strong winds. Ideally avoid using pesticides, but if you are set on using them only do so when the plants are not in bloom to minimize the impact on pollinators.

Pollinators need flowers in the garden as a food source, but the types of flowers make a difference. Having a variety of native flowers with many different colors and petal shapes is very attractive to pollinators. Be aware that some ornamental flowering shrubs produce flowers that are sterile which do not provide any food for pollinators.

When planting flowers to attract pollinators, consider incorporating them directly in the veggie garden! Planting flowers amongst the vegetable plants offers many benefits. Not only can they attract pollinators, they can also attract other beneficial insects and ward off pests. Nasturtiums and borage are classic companion plants that attract pollinators, and they are also edible! Be careful not to plant invasive flowering plants such as mint in a space where you don’t want them to take over, though.

Planter has several types of flowers and flowering herbs listed and will tell you which vegetable plants pair well with them! If there is a type or variety missing, you can submit a request in Settings in Planter to have it added.

Attracting pollinators to your garden is a win-win. Help support pollinator populations and they will take care of the hard work of pollinating for you!