Did you know that July is American Grown Flowers Month? If you’re wondering what American Grown Flowers Month is, it’s an entire month dedicated to “celebrate, recognize and appreciate the exceptional talents and efforts of our nation’s flower and foliage farmers.” This month was chosen in particular because it is when all 50 states are blooming at local flower farms! It’s the perfect time to grab a locally grown bouquet and enjoy all of the wonderful flowers that can be grown right in our own backyards! By treating yourself to some fresh flowers, you are supporting local farmers and their teams who work hard every day investing their time, energy and passion into our local economy and sustainable agriculture practices.

Would you like to learn more about growing cut flowers, or are you a cut flower grower already? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Did you know that Scotland County is a member of a large Cutflower Growers Group that includes Lee, Richmond, Moore, Cumberland, and Hoke counties as well? If you want to connect with others who share your passion, you may want to consider joining this group and attend some meetings this year!

Some of my favorite flowers to grow for cutting and filling vases around my house include:

Zinnias and sunflowers during the summer. I also like to plant coleus and potato vines to add colorful leaves to my arrangements. Plus, more often than not, when you put cuttings of potato vine and coleus in a vase of water they will grow new roots from the cutting and can then be replanted in other places around your landscape after the rest of the arrangement is gone!

In the fall I love to have celosia in shades of fiery red and orange marigolds mixed with dried corn and pumpkins.

Many of my early winter arrangements contain herbs like rosemary and sage mixed with holly and other evergreens.

And for spring it seems like the sky is the limit- we are so lucky here that we can grow so many beautiful spring flowers! I love poppies and tulips and big blue delphiniums!

Most of the flowers that I grow start from seeds that I collect from various hardware stores and garden centers throughout the year. I organize them by season and store them in my refrigerator until I’m ready to plant. It’s always so fun and rewarding to watch them grow and bloom! This week I’m checking my zinnias daily for signs of color on their tightly closed buds and have been enjoying some beautiful sunset colored sunflowers for a couple weeks already!

I hope that you’re feeling inspired to explore options for locally grown flowers or even try growing some yourself! Happy American Grown Flowers Month!