We didn't really mean to start flowers this year.
And by that I mean, we *did*, they all failed, then mid season I threw seeds in the bed out of frustration and what do you know, they grew. Here's what happened:
Dahlias
I bought a surprise pack of Dahlia tubers off of Etsy. There was 5 tubers and I successfully started 4, 2 of which got ate by something once they were transplanted into the raised bed. Now, we're down to 2.
These 2 varieties were vastly different. The red dahlias ended up being Red Runners (pictured bottom of the bouquet). The other variety is Gloriosa (pictured below). The Gloriosa we got 2 blooms the whole season. I'm hoping next year it comes back stronger. The Red Runners we got plenty of blooms all season long!
Zinnias
These and the sunflowers are what I just threw in. Zinnias are honestly so simple and so pretty. No wonder every flower farmer grows them. They will definitely be a simple staple in next years bouquets. Zinnias are the coral, purple, and yellow smaller florals in the bouquet pictured above.
Sunflowers
Another one I was surprised with. The raised bed where all of these grew is located in front of our coops. Pulling into our driveway everyday and seeing these tall, bright yellow and orange beauties put a smile on my face everyday. They are worth growing, just for that. We had two or three white ones, classic yellow, maroon/purple, and autumn colors.
These I planned on saving the seeds and I did. However, after pulling out every little seed and putting them into pots, I stuck the pots on our back deck and a storm blew them all over. They got scattered all over the yard and the birds got a nice treat.
LOOKING AHEAD
We do plan on growing all of these again. I'll add more dahlia varieties and a mammoth variety of sunflower. Some new florals I'll try are:
- Ranunculus
- Peonies
- Eucalyptus
- Celosia
- Snapdragons
- Cosmos
- Lisianthus
- Gladiolus
There's more but that list will do for now. I'll have to dig up, separate, and store the Dahlia tubers here this week or next. I'll make sure to make a video and post on that when I do. We're looking forward to the 2023 flower season!