Examples for a Cut-Flower Garden for Wisconsin

Yarrow

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) offers flat clusters of many flowers atop tall stems. They retain their color when they dry, adding an extra benefit to cut arrangements. Several varieties of yarrow flower in shades from baby pink to dark, vivid violet, including the pinkish-white "Appleblossom" (Achillea millefolium "Appleblossom") and the 12-inch tall "Oertel's Rose" (Achillea millefolium "Oertel's Rose"). "Terra Cotta" (Achillea millefolium "Terra Cotta") offers bloom shades of yellow and orange while the related "Gypsy White" (Achillea ptarmica "Gypsy White") offers shorter clumps of pure-white flowers. "Appleblossom," "Oertel's Rose" and "Terra Cotta" are hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9; "Gypsy White" is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9.

Dianthus

• Dianthus (Dianthus spp.) is also commonly called pink and sweet William. Most varieties are varying shades of pink and purple and grow anywhere from a few inches to 2 feet tall. The clumping, 6- to 12-inch tall, light-pink variety called cheddar pink (Dianthus "Bath's Pink") and 1- to 3-feet tall, red, purple and pink sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) are hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, though sweet William is a biennial or short-lived perennial. "Arctic Fire" maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides "Arctic Fire"), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 10, has light-pink flowers with red centers.

Hydrangea

• Flowers of different kinds of hydrangeas are commonly used for vase and other arrangements. Those flowers include the large, mophead blooms of bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), such as Endless Summer hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla "Bailmer"), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, and the pyramidal flower clusters of panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata), which is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8. Other species and numerous cultivars exist, ranging in flower color from white to deep red. Bigleaf hydrangea blooms can change from blue to pink and every color between, depending on the pH level of their soil.

Gayfeather

• Native gayfeather plants (Liatrus spp.) are also commonly referred to as simply liatrius and blazing star. These plants produce tall spikes of soft, feathery-looking flowers that tower above the green foliage. The flowers are most often light purple and add texture and shape to an arrangement. The plants grow to 3 feet tall and bloom during summer and fall. They are hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, depending on species and cultivar.

Other Notable Specimens

• Roses (Rosa spp.) are hardy in USDA zones 2 through 11, depending on the cultivar, and offer such a variety in color, size, shape and flower type. White, yellow, red, pink, purple, blue and nearly any other color under the sun is possible in roses. Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, provide spherical flowers that measure 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Feathery grasses can add texture to a cut-flower arrangement while long, tubular flower clusters of lilacs (Syringa spp.), hardy in USDA zones 2 through 7, offer fragrance and delicate colors.