Welcome to the annual flower inspiration post. Photo after photo of flowers to get you out of winter mode and into more of a spring has sprung mindset.
I live in a small brick century cottage with an English cottage garden out front. That’s not enough space, so I also have a 40' x 40' community garden plot five minutes from home where I grow all my vegetables — and use as an overflow zone for my flower seedlings.
This post? It’s not a tutorial. It’s not a deep dive. It’s just pretty pictures of flowers I arranged (or dropped in a mason jar) from flowers I grew in my garden. This is your official invitation to scroll, get inspired, and possibly feel attacked by zinnias.
You can read about every flower and vegetable I grew last year in this post and soon I'll bring you a list of what I'm growing this year.
Table of Contents
Dahlias – Too Much, Always
And that's what we like about them. The flower below with the little ant having a walkabout is a dahlia that I grew from seed. Of the 10 dahlias I started from seed, this was the only one worth saving.
I'll grow it again and compare to see how it looks compared to last year's bloom. If it looks good, I'll save the tubers once more and grow it again next year until I have a stable version of it.
Cut them
The more you cut dahlias, the more they bloom. They enjoy being decapitated. Nature’s little overachievers. They're the WOW flowers of the garden. They're also the biggest pain if you want to save the tubers and regrow them every. year.
There’s no such thing as a low-key dahlia. Once they start blooming you just need to keep cutting them. The more you cut the more they come. Dahlias will bloom right up until frost.
TIP: Pinch the tip of the dahlia seedling when it's about 8" high to create branching, which creates MORE flowers instead of one thick stem and a few big flowers.
Keep cutting the blooms and you'll have endless bouquets. If you don't cut the blooms they'll start shutting down production like an understaffed factory.
Hack it Back
You'll see a few photos of rose branches. When you're trimming or cutting back shrubs, bring the branches inside. The rose branches all bloomed indoors once they were cut.
Dahlia Fun Fact
Before people decided dahlias were decorative, they ate the tubers like potatoes. The flavour? Somewhere between a carrot and dirt I imagine. Stick to the flowers.
The zinnia I’m holding (top right) is from Floret seed I saved. Zinnias cross-pollinate, so if you want to save seed from a specific one, you’ll need to net it — before a bee impregnates it from the zinnia next door.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Hydrangeas
The name “hydrangea” means “water vessel.” Which is accurate. They drink like a sponge and wilt like it’s their job.
If hydrangeas wilt after a day or two in the vase use one of these two tricks.
The green vase holds Soloman's Seal, a perennial that pops up and flowers early. A handful of stems with just 3 tulips is all I needed for the first arrangement of last spring.
It's not going to win me an award at a fall fair or anything (obviously to win at a fall fair you need a whimsical vase like a boot or a Costco sized bean can) but the first flower arrangement is always a favourite.
Zinnias
Zinnias were once considered too loud for proper Victorian gardens. Too bright, too bold, too Vegas.
Fast forward 150 years to these new, Victorian garden worthy zinnias; pale champagne, blush, butter, peach and lavender blooms from Floret's Victorian Wedding variety. These would have had the Victorians falling all over their fainting couches.
This is also one of my favourite vases from Oh Flora. Their site also has beautiful arrangements for flower inspiration.
Sometimes a person has time to make a beautiful arrangement. Other times you just stick them in a jar or a vase and walk away.
Perennials doing the job before the annuals have really come in. Peonies, rose cuttings, catmint and flowering sage. I couldn't have made a big tall arrangement with these garden bits but they make a nice low arrangement.
You don't always need huge, long stems to make a flower arrangement. Silly.
The first flowers have bloomed this week. The snowdrops.
They're this year's first arrangement. Again - it's not going to win a fall fair, but nicer than a vase of nothing.
Kat
Okay first year with Dahlia's from seed so no giggling. What do you mean they have to eye up or was it head up before you plant them? There was some tip but may have been in the last post I read. Yes Binging at work on my lunch break. Can you explain that>
Karen
Hi Kat. If you're growing dahlia from seed for the first time (yay) then you just have to plant the seed and then once the weather is nice enough, plant it outside. In the fall that plant will have developed it's very first tubers. You'll dig it up the tuber and store them according to the directions in my post on what to do with dahlias in the fall. Next spring you will look at any tubers you saved to make sure they're still good, then you'll bring them to a warm room to warm up - that will trigger eyes to sprout and then you can put them in a pot of soil until they're ready to plant out. ~ karen!
Deb from Maryland
You do good work. And I appreciate it!
Karen
Thanks Deb I know you do. I appreciate the appreciation. :) ~ karen
Lez
Those white Poppies! OMW, they are beautiful! I've never seen white ones before! The photo is 'Frame worthy'! :)
Karen
You made me go back and look at them again, lol. I'm hoping to grow them again this year. ~ karen!
Leslie
What kind of dahlia is the beautiful large orange one? (Three in a vase next to Philip?) All so pretty
Karen
Hi Leslie! Those are JS Jenny. I don't have those tubers, I bought the flowers at the end of our Hamilton dahlia society show. At the end of the show they auction off all the competition blooms. Aren't they GREAT? ~ karen
Leslie
Thanks! they are stunning. Looks to be sold out everywhere, of course!
Karen
Uch. For something like that you'd probably have to get it as soon as the tubers went on sale or even in the fall. ~ karen!
Roz
Feels like I should be turning pages in a gardening book to view these beautiful, gorgeous display of floral arrangements and colors.
Love them!
Karen
Thanks Roz! I'm just learning but arranging flowers is very relaxing. Also enraging at times. ;) But mostly relaxing. ~. karen!
Sue
Thanks, I needed that.
Karen
Everybody needed that. :) Myself included. I'm ready for flowers. ~ karen!
Theda
Lovely post, Karen.
Karen
Thanks Theda! I'm ready for more blooms to start. ~ karen!
Jan in Waterdown
The photo with the white milk (hobnail?) glass vase brought back many memories. That was such a popular style way back sometime last century. I still see them occasionally in Value Village and smile. I’m from way back sometime last century too so I hope folks smile when they see me in VV too. 😉
Karen
Ha! ~ karen
Karen
Hi Jan i see you post here alot . I also am addicted to VV and every other thrift store . Nostalgia for our past when all our dreams were about to come true 😻
Elaine
Lovely Karen. A nice pick me up on a cold snowy day. I grow a ton of flowers but don't really pick many until frost threatens then the place looks like a florists. The house gets so hot most flowers are gone within a day or two.
Karen
Hi Elaine! The flowers you're bringing inside during the fall are probably just past their prime for cutting. That's why they die after a day or two. Once all their petals are open and they've been pollinated by bees their vase life becomes much shorter. Your short vase life could be that! ~ karen
Kelsey
Your seasonal arrangements are lovely, and your writing style is delightful. Thanks for sharing the pictures, I did not suffer any ill effects from the zinnia attacks— my zinnias are only little seedlings now, and these pics only increase my anticipation for their blooms! -Kelsey (TX, zone 8b)
Karen
I seeded all of my zinnia varieties last night! ~ karen
Babs
Karen, thank you for such a beautiful post. I grew dahlias years ago and cherished every bloom. Question though, do you dig them up every year? I know someone who leaves them in the ground and her location is northern Indiana. They seem to do fine. My all time favorite though are zinnias. That old stand by which my grandmother grew.
Karen
Hi Babs! I do dig them up. I've experimented with leaving them and they turn to mush. It's just too cold here. I love zinnias too, they're SO prolific. ~ karen!
Gretchen
Love, Love, LOVE!
Keep up the great postings.
(And gorgeous gardening--Yes, even all the mud and mess that comes with it.)
Carswell
One can never have too many dahlias or peonies.
Cara
What a wonderful post. It's great to see the results of all your hard work and to hear your comments on specific varieties. It's also nice to see Philip in all his beauty and majestic presence. Happy Spring.
Nancy Solak
Oh, this was lovely, especially during these gray (grey to you, K) days. Real, bloomin' spring is like waiting for Christmas when you're a kid. It seems to take forever to arrive. Thank you for this!
Randy P
I grew up in a funeral home. My association with flowers is a tad different than most folks. Throughout my youth and some of my adulthood they were simply a ponderous and messy disposal chore. Can't say I've become a fan in my dotage. I can however appreciate the real creative artistry of people like you who can work visual magic in their arrangement. So... kudos.