The 15 Best Blooms for a Cut-Flower Garden (So You Can Create Your Own Bouquets at Home)

Daffodils are some of the earliest flowers of spring with their golden nodding heads—a welcome sight when you just can’t stand one more gray winter’s day. Some types are fragrant, too. Bonus: Rodents tend to leave these bulbs alone. Plant in the fall for blooms the following spring.

Lavender is stunning when planted en masse and also makes for a long-lasting cut flower. It dries well, so you can display for months or dry the flower buds to use in drawer sachets or to mix into scones.

Few things signal summer quite like the bright faces of sunflowers. They’re available in many different sizes and make excellent cut flowers that last more than a week in a vase.

This shrubby perennial has glossy dark green foliage and stunning, fragrant blooms that appear in late spring. Make sure not to plant too deep or they won’t bloom. Harvest the blooms when they’re only slightly open (still somewhat in bud) for the longest vase life. Don’t worry about ants crawling on them; they’re not pests but are just sipping the nectar. Simply shake them off before you bring your peonies indoors.

Dahlias make exquisite bouquets, and they’re available in every color and size, from tiny pom poms to giant dinner plate-sized blooms. Plant the tubers in spring after all danger of frost is past for summer blooms. Or plant seeds, though it will take longer for plants to mature. In cold climates, you’ll need to lift the tubers out after a frost and save them for replanting next year.

Anemones have papery petals that come in colors ranging from pale blues to amethyst to deepest pink. Pollinators love them, and they have sturdy stems that make them excellent cut flowers which last more than a week in a vase. There are several different types that bloom in either spring or fall. Read the label so you’ll know what you’re buying and when to plant.

Ranunculus are gorgeous flowers that resemble roses with full, lush blooms in saturated colors on long, graceful stems. Different varieties may be planted in spring (for summer blooms) or fall (for blooms the next year). Double check the label so you know what you’re buying.

Vibrantly colored coneflowers come in every shade of the rainbow, from lemony yellow to hot pink and bright orange. These sturdy flowers range in height from 12 to 36 inches. Plant a mix of colors for the prettiest bouquet.

Tulips are a welcome sight after a long winter. These beautiful flowers bloom in early, mid or late spring, depending on the variety. Plant them in pots if you have problems with digging rodents, such as chipmunks. Most tulips are treated as annuals because they lose bloom power after the first season. Cut them when in bud for longest vase life. And no, you’re not imagining it: Tulips are one of the few flowers that keep growing in the vase!

Bishop’s flower is a native wildflower that looks like Queen Anne’s Lace, the roadside weed. (Bees and other pollinators adore this annual, BTW.) It’s a great filler for bouquets or looks lovely on its own in a country-style vase, such as a ceramic jug.

The frilly blue blooms of the pincushion flower, also called scabiosa, are loved by pollinators. This perennial blooms from spring to frost, so you’ll get to enjoy them for a very long season. It’s absolutely delightful in small vases tucked here and there throughout your home.

Lady’s mantle has pretty scalloped leaves and pale green flowers in late spring. The long stems of this perennial make great cutting flowers for mixed bouquets. Deer generally leave it alone.

These sturdy perennials look like happy smiling faces. They’ll bloom from mid-summer to fall, and they make cheerful bouquets alone or mixed with other cottage-style flowers. Read the plant tag because some are perennial, and some last only two years (biennial) so they’re treated as annuals and replanted every year.

This iconic fall flower comes in every shade of the rainbow. They’re hardy and cold-tolerant so they’ll bloom a long time and make great cut flowers that last for a week or more indoors. They’re perennial if you get them in the ground in the spring. But fall-planted mums generally are considered annuals because their roots don’t have time to establish before winter.

These charming annuals are easy to grow from seed, and they come in tons of colors. Their lacey foliage is another plus. There are many different types, so mix it up and plant a bunch of different kinds for a vibrant, charming cutting garden.