Plant these 17 Plants Now for Your Summer Bouquets

Summer is the time to head outside and collect your favorite blooms for bouquets and floral arrangements. Keep them in vases or give them away to friends and loved ones. 

To collect a diverse amount of healthy flowers for your bouquets, you’ll want to plant easy-to-grow plants that bloom around the same time. Aim for a mixture of annuals and perennials with diverse colors. Pick blossoms that provide texture as well as healthy-looking foliage. 

They come in an incredible variety of colors and sizes. Their only downside is that they don’t last for very long. If you make a bouquet with dahlias, you’ll want to refrigerate them immediately. However, remove all ripe fruit first. Fruit releases the compound ethylene as it ripens, which will trigger wilting. 

Plant dahlia bulbs in well-draining and fertile soil with full sun to partial shade. Plant them in your favorite containers about a month before your last frost date. Give them plenty of nutrients and care and they’ll be ready for transplanting in late spring or early summer. During mid-summer, you should have healthy flower buds and stems to add to your fresh flower arrangements. 

Gladiolus

	botanical name Gladiolus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-6’
	hardiness zones 7-10

Gladiolus are some of my favorite flowers to plant for summer bouquets. They become the stars of the show easily with their radiant colors and firm stems. Their blooms look like toy horns and their foliage creates great backdrops to many arrangements. 

Like sunflowers, they can grow to be super long. They’re incredibly easy to grow and require very little care once they mature. 

Plant their corms in spring, after the threat of frost has passed. Plant them in well-drained soil amended with plenty of compost. You can plant them at various times of the spring to harvest blooms throughout the summer. 

Ammi

	botanical name Ammi majus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 6’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Ammi is a wonderful flower to add to your arrangements. It’s a relative of the carrot and produces lacy white blossoms that add texture and background color. Its flowers and foliage work as backgrounds, highlighting your star species like dahlias and roses. 

Sow the seeds directly outdoors and practice succession planting. Plant one sowing of ammi seeds and continue sowing new patches every 2 to 4 weeks. This technique gives you harvestable blooms throughout the growing season. 

This flower can last in a vase for almost 2 weeks. It’s incredibly easy to grow in a variety of climates. The plant is also known as false Queen Anne’s lace. You can find seeds for multiple colored blooms, from purple to green. 

Blazing Star

	botanical name Liatris spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-5′
	hardiness zones 3-9

Blazing stars are easy-to-grow background blossoms that add texture and form to your floral arrangements. They produce long purple cones of flower clusters that will last up to 2 weeks when cut. 

They’re native to the Eastern U.S., where they grow wild in prairies and hillsides. As a garden plant, they’ll produce blooms for years after they germinate. 

Start your corms or seeds in early spring. Give them well-drained soil amended with organic compost. Plant them in an area with full sun to partial shade. 

Sunflower

	botanical name Helianthus annuus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 12’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Nothing screams summer more than a fresh-cut sunflower bouquet. These epic annual flowers grow massive blooms that contain edible seeds. Besides being delicious, they bring fantastic yellow colors to floral arrangements. 

They’ll grow fast and give you tons of blooms within 90 days. Plant them indoors ahead of your last frost or outside after the last frost date. Grow them in full sun and companion plant them with shade-loving flowers, squash, and cucumbers. 

They’re incredibly easy to grow and maintain. After harvesting, their blooms will last for several days to a week if they’re stored properly. 

Calla Lily

	botanical name Zantedeschia aethiopica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 8-10

With their elegant petal shapes and appearance, calla lilies almost look like porcelain tea cups. They grow on long, upright stems and keep their shape and color for over a week when cut. Use them for special bouquets and formal occasions or for the perfect vase arrangement in your home. 

Try growing them as perennials in zones 8 through 10 so you can enjoy multiple flower harvests. If you grow them as annuals, they’ll also produce enough flowers for incredible summer bouquets. 

Start them in indoor pots now if you live in colder climates. If you live in warmer regions, plant their rhizomes when the soil temperature goes above 65°F (18°C). Keep their soil moist but not waterlogged, and apply organic compost shortly before and after planting. 

Zinnia

	botanical name Zinnia elegans
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 3’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Zinnias are some of the easiest species to grow in your garden. Plant them in full sun, and watch them take off with upright stems and beautiful blooms. 

Start zinnia seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your expected last frost date. Once the weather is warm and the threat of frost has passed, transplant them outdoors in a sunny location. You can also directly sow them in your garden one to two weeks after your last frost date. 

They love heavy feeding throughout their growing period. Deadhead them regularly and use as many as possible for your summer flower arrangements. Let them open fully before harvesting. Wait until the stem and flower feel sturdy. 

Cosmos

	botanical name Cosmos spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-6’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Cosmos are some of my favorite flowers to grow for summer bouquets and decorate borders. They’re also stunning in floral bouquets, with their adorable and delicate blooms and upright growth. They can be the stars of your arrangement or its colorful background. 

Start cosmos as seeds in indoor containers. Plant them around 1/4 inch deep and keep the soil moist. Once your last threat of frost has passed and the seedlings are over a few inches tall, transplant them outdoors. 

These plants need very little maintenance. They’ll attract tons of beneficial insects to your garden. And when you cut them for your bouquets, they’ll keep producing more blooms throughout the season. 

Yarrow

	botanical name Achillea millefolium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Yarrow has fern-like leaves and lacy clusters of flowers that work as centerpieces or background flowers. Whatever you use its summer blooms for, it’s one of the easiest flowers you can grow. 

It grows quickly and needs very little maintenance throughout the growing season. It comes in several colors, including the classic white, red, pink, and yellow. Once you cut the flowers, they’ll last in a vase for almost 2 weeks. 

Start seeds indoors if you live in a cold region. Sow them directly in the soil a month after your last frost date, when the soil temperature is warm. 

Freesia

	botanical name Freesia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 1.5’
	hardiness zones 9-10

Freesias are gorgeous South African flowers that bloom in multiple colors. They produce aromatic funnel-shaped flowers that smell like sweet citrus or strawberry, perfect for fragrant summer bouquets. 

They’re tender perennials in zones 9 to 10. In colder climates, you’ll have to grow them as annuals. They’re easy to grow and maintain. 

When you’re making your summer floral arrangements, cut your freesia stems when they’re still budding. They’ll slowly open over 3 weeks. They’ll be some of the longest-lasting bloomers in your bouquet. 

Scabiosa ‘Starflower’

	botanical name Lomelosia stellata ‘Starflower’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up top 24”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Scabiosa ‘Starflower’ is a great garden annual that produces alien-like seed pods. When you add them to arrangements, they bring a texture unlike any other plant. It produces strong stems and soft foliage that bring out your star bloomers. 

Sow them indoors up to 8 weeks before your expected last frost date. They love full sun or partial shade and require very little maintenance. 

Once the seed pods mature, you’ll see star-shaped centers in the middle. When you group them, they resemble tiny spherical ornaments that look adorable. 

Black-Eyed Susan

	botanical name Rudbeckia hirta
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Black-eyed susans are some of the most prolific summer bloomers. They produce long stems with bright yellow petals and dark centers. They’ll dramatically steal the spotlight in your bouquet. 

Besides being perfect-cut flowers, they’re magnificent pollinator attractors. They produce so many flowers during the growing season that your garden will be full of beneficial insects and birds. 

Start stratifying your seeds now if you live in colder climates. Arrange your seeds on a moist paper towel and stick them in the fridge. After 3 months weeks at 40°F (4°C), your seeds should be ready for planting. Alternatively, You can sow them in the ground in the fall to cold stratify naturally. 

Strawflower

	botanical name Xerochrysum bracteatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 5’
	hardiness zones 8-10

Strawflowers are gorgeous herbaceous perennials in tropical climates. However, you can grow them as annuals if you live in temperate regions. They produce colorful bracts that fold over yellow flowers on the inside. 

These flowers are incredibly easy to dry after harvesting. They’re also striking as fresh-cut flowers. They’ll last almost 2 weeks in fresh-cut arrangements. 

Wait until all danger of frost has passed to start sowing them outdoors. Choose a spot with good sun and well-drained soil. You can start them indoors now and transplant them once they’re a few inches tall. Harden them off before moving them outside and enjoy multiple flowers through the summer. 

Rose

	botanical name Rosa spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 20’
	hardiness zones 3-11

It’s hard to Imagine a flower arrangement without roses. These fragrant flowers are some of the world’s most popular blooms. They’re quintessential in bouquets made for lovers, couples, or family members. 

Plant these incredible flowers when the temperatures are consistently between 40 to 60°F (4-16°C). Find a location with plenty of sunlight. Plant the bare-root plants and give them plenty of moisture. Cover them with mulch and fertilize your young plants when they start producing leaves. 

Once they’re in the ground, your roses will grow as perennials. You’ll be able to harvest multiple flowers each season. Just be careful of their thorns when harvesting them. 

China Aster

	botanical name Callistephus chinensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 2-11

China asters are cold-hardy and beautiful, with radiant and daisy-like blooms that appear throughout the growing season. They come in multiple colors, including white, red, pink, blue, purple, and yellow. 

Start your seeds indoors before the last frost is expected in your region. Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, harden them off and transplant them outdoors. 

These adorable flowers prefer sunny areas or spaces with partial shade. Plant them in well-drained soil amended with organic compost. Try succession planting your China asters for multiple harvests throughout the year. 

Globe Thistle

	botanical name Echinops bannaticus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Globe thistles are incredibly easy to grow and maintain in a variety of climates. They prefer colder regions below zone 9 to thrive. Give them full sun and consistent water and they’ll thrive for years as a perennial flower in your garden. 

These flowers make excellent additions to a cut flower garden. When cut, their globe-like thistles add texture, color, and shape to a bouquet. They’ll also last longer than most flowers in an arrangement. You can dry them and incorporate them in your favorite dried arrangement as well. 

Cut them once their purple thistles open up. Use them as centerpieces or to frame your other colorful bloomers. I love pairing them with pines and cedars for an outdoor-looking bouquet. 

Shasta Daisy

	botanical name Leucanthemum x superbum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Shasta daisies produce tons of gorgeous white and yellow flowers. When you add them to bouquets, they’ll completely transform your arrangement into an instant classic. It’s hard to beat these perennials for their soft timelessness and simple beauty. 

Plant them in spring after the frost danger has passed. Plant them in an area with full sun or partial shade. Make sure they have well-drained soil amended with organic compost. Once they’re established, they’ll need little care or maintenance.