Gardening Flowers Perennials The 10 Prettiest Cut Flowers You Can Grow By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on July 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos One of the most rewarding things about growing flowers is creating bouquets, of course. Nearly any flower works as a cut flower, but some are better than others. These 10 blooms, from our 2016 issue of Green Side Up, are guaranteed to stun both in the garden and in your home. 01 of 10 Purple Coneflower Ever heard of echinacea? It's purple coneflower, and its cheery daisy-like flowers bloom in July abd August. There are other color varieties, but purple is the most popular. They love sun, and they'll survive if there's a dry spell. Bonus: They're loved by bees and butterflies. Learn more about coneflowers. 02 of 10 Dahlia Take a close look at a dahlia, and you might recognize its cheery face—it's a relative of the sunflower, but actually a member of the aster family. Dahlias are super cool when it comes to variety. There are teensy ones. There are giant ones, called dinner plate, because they are literally as big as one. Get them short or get them tall, and get them in an amazing range of colors. If they're not hardy in your Zone, you can dig up the tubers (which look kind of like a very small potato) and store them over the winter. Learn more about dahlias. 03 of 10 Zinnia They're old school but still awesome. Your parents and your grandparents probably grew zinnias, and for good reason. They're tough, can grow in a snap from seed, and like dahlias, come in a range of colors and types. They're an annual, except in the warmest climates, but they're such quick growers that they make up for it. They don't need much—other than lots of sun. Learn more about zinnias. 04 of 10 Phlox Phlox puts on a show with clusters of petite flowers in a range of colors that grow up a taller stem. They're great for bouquet height or to fill in the big holes. The variety determines the bloom time—some are active in spring, some in summer. However, never buy one that isn't labeled disease-resistant, because it will be vulnerable to powdery mildew. Learn more about phlox. 05 of 10 Gomphrena You also can call it globe amaranth, but whatever you call it, just plant it. It's an annual and has great circular flower heads (they also dry well). They love sun and come in lots of shades—orange, yellow, pink, white, and purple. Bonus: Just toss a handful of seeds into your garden—that's it. Learn more about globe amaranth. 06 of 10 Sunflower Like coneflower, sunflowers are natives—great for all those funky bugs, bees, and birds you want in your garden. Some are short, some are tall (up to 16 feet), some are classic yellow, while others tend toward orangey-red hues. They're all simply stunning, though, and if you save the flower heads you can harvest the seeds for planting the next year. Plus they're tough and love the heat and sun. Learn more about sunflowers. 07 of 10 Black-Eyed Susan Black-eyed Susan and sunflowers have a lot in common, since they're from the same family. The blooms on the black-eyed Susan tend to be smaller, as are the plants. They're a native wildflower (hello birds, bees, and butterflies) and bloom a staggeringly long time—summer through early fall, if the weather is right. Learn more about black-eyed Susan. See classic flower arrangement ideas for your home. 08 of 10 Peony Peonies often get hit with disease. If they are showing brown spots, throw away the cuttings. There are tree peonies, herbacious peonies, and itoh peonies (which are actually a cross between the first two). The type doesn't matter—you'll know the many petaled and distinctly lush blooms of the peony when you see them. The standard color is a pastel pink, but red, yellow, and white have all made inroads in popularity. Peonies finish blooming once the weather turns hot. Learn more about peonies. 09 of 10 Yarrow Yarrow is like phlox—it's great for those fill-in spots in bouquets, especially with the cluster blooms that span out over a flat top. These perennials are tough growers that don't mind the heat or dry spells. They're long bloomers, too, from midsummer until early fall. Learn more about yarrow. 10 of 10 Rose Don't be scared—growing roses doesn't have to be hard, and nothing beats a bouquet of rose blooms. There are literally thousands of rose types, and some are fussier about their care than others. Go for a hardy variety (we like David Austin, shrub, or hybrids) that's also resistant to many of the diseases and pests that bug the more delicate types. Learn more about roses Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit