Hopefully we all remember to get flowers for our wonderful moms this Mother’s Day. What better way to treat her to something special than by giving her homegrown flowers? Today, I want to shine a spotlight on a few plants that can supply you with cut flowers to make your mom feel even more special on her day.
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are the queen of Mother’s Day bouquets. Few, if any, flowers are more stunning than these large puffballs. Most varieties sport pink, blue, and white flowers. A word to the wise – hydrangeas must be grown in the shade. Afternoon sun will burn them up. My personal favorite variety is called “Endless Summer.” Of all the hydrangea varieties that I’ve grown, “Endless Summer” blooms most often. The flowers bloom a blue shade in acid soil and a more pink hue in alkaline soil. Oakleaf hydrangeas are also great. They have really neat leaves that resemble oak foliage and blooms that are white, cone shapes. A bonus of this variety is that the leaves turn a brilliant red color in the fall!
Oriental Lilies
There are many different varieties of oriental lilies that do well in the North Texas area. All of them produce large, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Oriental lilies start blooming in late spring and continue into early summer, so their bloom time is perfect for Mother’s Day. They also make great cut flowers. These plants like to be grown in spots with full sun exposure in the morning and just a little bit of shade or filtered sunlight in the afternoon. Some of my favorite varieties are Star Gazer, Black Beauty, and Casablanca. Although not classified as a true oriental lily, orange-flowered Tiger lilies are a traditional favorite as well. The smell of any of these flowers is truly intoxicating!
Hollyhocks
Hollyhocks
Hollyhocks are some of my all-time favorite flowers! They are part of the Hibiscus family and have large cup-shaped flowers in nearly every color you can imagine. Hollyhocks bloom late spring through early summer and prefer full sun. You can cut them when the buds are still closed, and they will open a few days later in a vase. These plants are biennial, meaning they grow a year before they flower, so be patient if you want to grow these from seeds.
Annuals for Cut Flowers
Annuals are plants that need to be planted every season. Many of them are great for cut flowers and bloom at the right time for a Mother’s Day bouquet. A few of my favorites are:
Pentas: I have these growing in one of the pollinator attraction rows at the Big Tex Urban Farms. Pentas make great cut flowers and come in shades of pink, red, white, and lavender. They bloom nearly nonstop from spring to frost, and they love full sun. Use the Butterfly variety for cut flowers as they have longer stems, which is better for fitting into vases.
Cosmos: This is another flower that is good for both cut flowers and pollinator attraction, and they also like full sun. Cosmos get between three-feet and four-feet tall and bloom up a storm in summer. They primarily come in pink, purple, and white. For something different, try Ladybird Johnson cosmos, which stay a bit more compact and have bright orange flowers.
Daisies
Gerbera daisies: One can expect beautiful, ray-shaped flowers on their Gerberas. They come in red, orange, yellow, white, and pink. Most varieties start to fade a bit by mid-summer but are always sharp around Mother’s Day! Some Garvinia varieties are more heat tolerant than others. For instance, Drakensburg Gerbera daisies are heat tolerant and are perennial as well. All Gerberas appreciate a little shade in the afternoon.
There are many other varieties of annuals that are great for this purpose – those are just a few of my favorites. For more info about cut flowers, check out this article.
While we are discussing mothers and Mother’s Day, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my own mother, Becky Demler. She instilled in me my work ethic and showed me the importance of giving to others. She taught me all about my Cajun heritage and passed down a million and one life lessons along the way.
Let’s all remember to take care of our mom’s this Mother’s Day! Until next time, happy gardening.