Dahlia Care
Plant dahlias 1-2 feet apart in full sun. Ensure the entire tuber is buried and the greenery is above the surface. Dahlias can benefit from pinching. Fertilizing throughout the flowering season will encourage more blooms, and staking can prevent the plant from falling over during rain or wind. Cutting the flowers will encourage new blooms. Before the frost, you can either dig up the tuber and store it over the winter, or apply a heavy mulch over the tubers to keep them from freezing. Read more about both techniques via the links! Flowers are edible but not particularly tasty.
Zinnia Care
Plant zinnias 9-12” apart in full sun. Zinnias benefit from pinching. They will flower more with fertilizer application. Make sure to cut the flowers to encourage the plant to bloom more. Flowers are ready to harvest when they pass the “wiggle test”. Zinnias last longer in the vase with a small dash of bleach in the water. Zinnias are annual plants and will die when the frost comes. You can save their seeds to grow them again next season! Flower are edible but bitter. Cat-safe flowers.
Cosmo Care
Plant cosmos 12-18” apart in full sun. Cosmos benefit from pinching. They are very low-maintenance flowers, but do require frequent cutting to ensure the plant continues to flower. Harvest when they first open up for the longest vase life. Cosmos are annual plants and will die when the frost comes. You can save their seeds to grow them again next season!
Strawberry Care
Plant strawberries 12” apart in full sun. Make sure you do not bury the crown too deep upon planting. Pinch off the first round of flowers to encourage the plant to focus on root development instead of fruit development. Fertilizing will encourage more fruiting. Plants will multiply on their own and each plant will bear fruit for a few years!
Nasturtium Care
Plant nasturtium in full sun. Nasturtium are vining plants and will either spread on the ground or climb up a trellis or fence. Vines can be cut for arrangements and the flowers are edible with a slightly peppery taste—great in salads. Nasturtium are annual plants and will die with the first frost, but you can save the seeds to grow them next season!
Calendula Care
Plant calendula 9” apart in full sun. These are excellent low-maintenance companion plants for a vegetable garden—we recommend planting them by your tomatoes or peppers. Calendula benefit from pinching. Cut the flowers frequently to encourage new blooms. The flowers are edible and medicinal. Calendula can tolerate light frost but will die under a prolonged freeze. Try saving the seeds to grow them next season!
Starflower Scabiosa Care
Plant scabiosa stellata 12” apart in full sun. These plants are grown for their seed heads—first a light blue flower forms, and after the flower dies, the strange and funky seed head will emerge! You can cut them fresh for bouquets or hang them to dry and use them in dried flower arrangements. Scabiosa stellata will die over the winter but tends to self-seed easily. Try saving the seeds to grow them again next season!
Marigold Care
Plant marigolds 12” apart in full sun. Marigolds benefit from pinching, and make sure to cut flowers frequently to encourage new blooms. The flowers are edible but not particularly tasty. You can also make natural dyes out of orange marigolds! Marigolds are annuals and will die with the frost, but try saving the seeds to grow them again next season!
Bunny Tail Grass Care
Plant bunny tail grass every 9” in part to full sun. The first few heads will be small—pick them to encourage the plant to send up taller, healthier heads. The grass can be harvested fresh for arrangements or hung to dry for dried flower crafting. We grow this as an annual flower but it might survive the winter in your garden!
Globe Gilia Care
Plant every 9-12” in full sun. A native flower, globe gilia is hardy under drought conditions and in rocky soils and does not need fertilization. It is an annual flower but should self-seed and return on its own.