Well, New Hampshire, that was quite the spectacle. After a spring that seemed more like a swamp than a growing season, my garden has finally decided to join the celebration—fashionably behind schedule, butdramatic. At the moment, the zinnias are stealing the spotlight, the strawflowers are stretching taller by the day, and the gomphrena are swaying happily in the breeze.
We’ve reached the midpoint of our“blink-and-you’ll-miss-it”summer, and although I’m still giving my dahlias suspicious looks (any day now, friends) and waiting for the cosmos to quit acting so bashful, the garden’s present cast is keeping me thoroughly amused. Here’s what’s flowering, what’s challenging my patience, and why I’m still outside every morning with my shears, like a floral version of a child in a candy shop gathering fresh blossoms.
New Blooms I’m Raising
One of my most-loved garden customs? Trying something different every season! It keeps everything fresh—like a surprise celebration where I already know who’s attending. This year, I committed to flowers that are ideal for drying and pressing. Because honestly, if a bloom can’t serve two purposes (look lovely nowanddry beautifully), is it really making an effort?
Flowers I’m Growing for the First Time
- Strawberry Fields Gomphrena
- Audray Mix Gomphrena
- Spencer Ripple Formula Mix Sweet Pea
- Pincushion Formula Mix Scabiosa
- Love-in-a-Mist ‘Albion Green Pod’
- Love-in-a-Mist ‘Albion Black Pod’
- Billy Buttons
- Bunny Tails
- Snapdragon ‘Bizarre Mix’
- Strawflower ‘Pierrot Red’
I order my seeds through Johnny’s Selected & Select Seeds
I should mention that I sowed every one of those seeds indoors, with the exception of the Love-in-a-Mist. If you’re just beginning with seed starting, bookmark this beginner’s guide for next winter (it’s also a cheerful way to get through the winter doldrums!)
How Much Can Change in a Month!
Gardening is essentially nature’s take on a transformation reel. Consider these four raised beds in the center of my garden: On July 1st, they held nothing but promising seedlings and plenty of soil.
Jump ahead to today, and it has become a full-scale zinnia celebration. The tall celosia planted toward the back of the beds, along with all the cosmos, still hasn’t started blooming.
Here’s my strategy for arranging raised beds with maximum visual impact: I give each one 2-3 different flower varieties to build rich layers of color and texture. I begin planning during the snug winter months, once my seed order arrives. You’ll spot me stretched across the living-room floor like a gardening investigator, organizing seed packets by height and pairing flowers together—truthfully, it takes me back to sitting on the floor and playing matching games with my boys!
Although plant height matters enormously (nobody wants their snapdragons disappearing behind zinnias), I’m just as passionate about combining colors that make me happy. It’s partly geometry, partly an art project—and it gives me something to do during those chilly winter days here in New Hampshire!
My Dried Bloom Dream Team
Although I grow many flowers simply for their short-lived summer charm, these are the dependable varieties I plant with theirsecond act in mind. They look nearly as lovely dried as they do fresh. This year’s standout lineup features:
- Strawflowers(the ultimate attention-seekers—they hardly change once dried)
- Gomphrena(little pom-poms that stubbornly hold their color, even after months in a wreath)
- Bunny Tails(because a touch of soft texture makes everything more charming)
- Billy Buttons(bright yellow orbs)
Gomphrena
One of the metal raised beds in my cut flower garden is reserved for two gomphrena varieties
(globe amaranth), those vibrant little pom-poms that dry beautifully for wreath-making. Here’s a helpful tip: For stronger results than direct sowing, begin these seeds indoors.
The birdbath positioned in the middle of this bed came together using an old birdbath stand I had kept and an attractive glass dish I discovered while thrifting. Take a look at the rest of the lovely garden projects I made from my thrift-store haul.
Bunny Tails
This year, bunny tail grass is making its debut in my cut flower garden! I can’t get enough of its irresistibly soft, fuzzy appearance. I’ve incorporated dried bunny tails into my fall wreaths for years because they add the ideal neutral texture, but this is my first attempt at growing them, and they’re even more delightful when freshly picked from the garden!
Strawflowers
Strawflowers belong in every garden because they offer the best of both worlds. Their papery texture makes them standouts in fresh arrangements, where they can last for weeks in a vase, and preserving them is nearly effortless – simply suspend them upside down and their bright hues will remain for years.
They’re also simply delightful to watch growing in the garden! When the blooms become wet, they fold tightly closed before opening once more
Helpful tip: Harvest them regularly, and they’ll reward you with even more flowers, making them among the most prolific plants in my garden.
Billy Buttons
With Billy Buttons, the third attempt proved successful (these are the seeds I planted)! After two seasons of experimenting and failing (mostly failing because they never sprouted!), I eventually figured it out: giving them an indoor start provided the early boost they required. These bright yellow spheres are now flourishing in my raised bed, bringing playful texture beside my ‘Queeny’ zinnia blend. The way their golden pom-poms stand out against those delicate green-tinted flowers?
Absolutely perfect.It goes to show that sometimes the more unusual blooms deserve the additional effort
Two Unusual (But Must-Grow!) Cut Flowers
Love-in-a-Mist and Bells of Ireland are two more enjoyable options for a cut flower garden. They’re far from ordinary annuals, but they’re incredibly entertaining to see growing!
Bells of Ireland– Upright, dramatic, and dressed in that extraordinary lime-green shade? Absolutely! Bells of Ireland make wonderful filler flowers. They’re my go-to secret for arrangements, especially when combined with zinnias-the difference is incredibly striking. Once summer ends, they preserve wonderfully for wreaths with virtually no effort.
Love-in-a-Mist–These are more than simply lovely faces with their soft, wispy petals. I’m raising themfor the spectacle—the intriguing seed pods that seem plucked from a storybook.
Beloved Classics, Fresh Lessons
Certain flowers feel wonderfully familiar! To me, sweet peas carry the scent of Spring, snapdragons never fail to brighten my spirits and bring orchids to mind, and my zinnias continue growing and blooming right through the season’s bitter end and the first frost.
This season, however, my longtime favorites revealed new insights: sweet peas amazed me with their enthusiasm for winter sowing, snapdragons endured our dreadful spring with quiet determination, and the zinnias? Well, they demonstrate that even during a disorderly growing season, some things simply work. Let’s take another look at these classics with a handful of new ideas!
Sweet Peas: Winter-Sown Success!
This season, I tested a fresh approach:winter-sown sweet peas—and wow, what an impact! My willow tower is overflowing with wonderfully scented blossoms, showing that familiar favorites sometimes thrive with a bit of trial and error. (Reminder to myself: Repeat this next February!)
Winter sowing has become my favorite shortcut: I placed sweet pea seeds in vented containers (I used large salad containers, though milk jugs are a popular choice; unfortunately, we don’t have any!) toward the end of winter and kept them outdoors. The repeated freezing and thawing naturally prepares the seeds, and they germinate when the timing is right—without grow lights or tedious hardening off! It’s as if Mother Nature is handling the childcare.
After tidying the garden, I planted them around a willow teepee trellis at the beginning of the season. Sweet peas prefer cooler temperatures.
We have to mention sweet peas’ true enchantment…theirfragrance! A single breath of these flowers carries me away: a little honey, a touch of orange blossom, and a generous dose of summer memories. I love when I’m busy working in the garden and a breeze brings their perfume along.
Snapdragons: The Season’s Headliners
These dependable stars typically appear alongside my first zinnias, but New England’s chilly, waterlogged spring had a different agenda. Even so, their tall stems in warm pinks and soft yellows are filling my vases as we wait for summer’s big display.
To get the strongest results during New England’s brief growing season, I strongly suggest beginning snapdragon seeds indoors beneath grow lights instead of sowing them directly. That additional head start changes everything
Zinnias: Summer’s Splendor
These are the blooms that make the wait completely worthwhile! I can’t get enough of:
- Fresh varieties: ‘Aurora’ is absolutely outstanding, ‘Ballerina’ offers delicate pastel tones, and ‘Agave’ has a striking spiky form.
- Dependable favorites: ‘Queenys’ display a lime-washed blush, ‘Benary’s Giants’ are gradually beginning to open, and the timeless charm of saved Floret seeds (because perfection deserves to be preserved).
‘Aurora’, a newer zinnia variety from Johnny’s Seeds, has quickly become my favorite zinnia I have ever cultivated. I’m amazed by the pink, coral, yellow, and orange hues appearing across its blossoms. Several flower heads have grown as large as the well-known Benary’s Giants. For me, this variety earns a 10/10 and will certainly return to next year’s cut flower garden!
‘Agave’ is another recently introduced zinnia variety I’m growing. If warm sunset colors like orange and yellow appeal to you, this one is worth trying! Its densely quilled petals and double blossoms are particularly striking. Since orange and yellow blooms aren’t really my favorite, I’m still undecided about growing it again next year (I’m definitely more of a pink girl!).
‘Mazurkia’ is a zinnia I have cultivated every year since starting my cutting garden. Its pink-and-cream petals are beautiful, and the plant remains fairly compact.
‘Ballerina’ was another new variety I added to the garden. With its blend of gentle pastel and sherbet colors, it looks like something straight from a wedding bouquet.
Last year, I treated myself to Floret Farm’s beautiful zinnia seeds—and they were worth every penny, yet far too special to let go to waste! I thoughtfully gathered seeds from my favorite blossoms, knowing those flawless petals deserved another season. As a result, this year’s garden is filled with their ‘heirloom’ offspring. They are only beginning to bloom, so several flower petals have not fully developed yet.
Favorite Purple Filler Flowers
This section of the garden is radiating rich purple energy this year! Scabiosa’s pincushion blossoms, dusky amaranth (a cheerful volunteer from last year’s plants—I simply couldn’t remove something so beautiful), and soft celosia are growing side by side. Sometimes, the loveliest garden surprises happen when you do… absolutely nothing. (Thank you, past-me, for allowing those amaranth seeds to grow!) Both amaranth and celosia make lovely filler flowers for vases and pair beautifully with zinnias.
These are also the two simplest flower varieties from which to collect seeds at season’s end for next year’s blooms. The seeds resemble poppy seeds, and releasing them is as easy as sliding your finger down the stem in early fall.
Bringing This Summer’s Garden Story to a Close(for now!)
Honestly, my cosmos and dahlias are moving at their own pace this year. The cosmos have finally begun growing taller, yet they still have no flowers, while the dahlias have produced plenty of foliage but not one blossom. I know they’ll bloom eventually—they always do—but for now, I’m watering and waiting with very little patience!
What an unusual season it has been so far! It began with a painfully cold start (I wore my winter coat over Memorial Day weekend!!) and then brought one 95° day after another in July. Now, I’m doing my best to appreciate every flower and enjoy the time I spend out in the garden.
This garden continues to remind me of one truth: beauty flourishes through both planningandspontaneity (I’m looking at you, self-sown amaranth!).
I’d love to know what’s standing out in your garden this month. Have you experienced any unexpected successes or persistent late bloomers? Tell me below, and let’s enjoy this wonderfully untidy season together!
xo, Jennifer
Cottage-Style Garden
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