10 Best One-and-Done Cut Flowers

As a farmer florist, one-and-done flowers offer an element of exclusivity to your floral arrangements. They have a shorter growing period than cut-and-come-again flowers, but they provide a special touch and add a sense of seasonality to bouquets.

One-and-done cut flowers come in many varieties, but often end up being the hero flowers of a flower farmer’s arrangements. In this post, I’ll let you know my favourite one-and-done flowers for any cut flower garden!

If you want even more cut flower varieties to grow in your cutting garden this year, check out this post’s companion, 10 Best Cut and Come Again Flowers, or watch the video below:

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10 Best One-and-Done Cut Flowers

1. Daffodils

Daffodils are naturalizing, meaning they will multiply over time. Make sure to look for cream, butter, peach, and pink shades, not just the highlighter yellow everyone’s used to seeing.

2. Gladiolus

Glads are making a comeback! These are not just your grandma’s flowers anymore. Be careful with these classic beauties though, as they are susceptible to thrips. Make sure to have some blue sticky paper on hand!

3. Lilies

Asiatic Lilies are the easiest to grow, and they will multiply over time. They come in many colours and add beauty to any cutting garden. Ornamental lilies smell amazing and are even fancier, but are harder to grow in Zone 3. Bury them 8 inches for the best chance at surviving the winter!

4. Lupin

Lupin comes in many beautiful colours. My favourites are from the Russell series.

5. Peonies

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you’ll know I love peonies! They come in shades of pink, white, coral, yellow, and red. Know that you will have to wait 3-5 years for blooms… But it is so worth it!

6. Poppies

Poppies reseed themselves easily, so they feel like perennials. I personally don’t love them as cut flowers because their vase life isn’t the greatest, but they still have a place in my garden because they are so beautiful! Try varieties like Hungarian Blue and Black Swan so you can actually eat the poppy seeds.

7. Stock

If you want to start a conversation with your neighbours, grow Stock in your front yard. The year I grew stock in my front yard raised beds, I had so many people stop their walks to ask me about them. I like them because they’re both pretty and cold-tolerant. Flea beetles love them, so prepare to cover them with bug cloth or sprinkle regularly with diatomaceous earth.

Related: How to Grow Stock in a Cold Climate

8. Sunflowers

There are two types of sunflowers: branching and single. The single varieties are what you want for cut flowers, like the ProCut and Sunrich series. They’re worth it because they’re specifically designed for florists, so they’re pollen-less and come in a wide range of beautiful colours.

9. Tulips

While a Tulip will come back every year, as a cut flower, you’ll need to pull the bulb and throw it in the compost. You’ll also have to water consistently if you’re in a drought-prone region, as you won’t get the stem length you need without it.

10. Veronica

You may get a second flush with some varieties, but most will be one-and-done. I like to pair veronicas with peonies, as they tend to bloom at the same time.

There you have it! My ten favourite one-and-done flowers for any cut flower garden. Do you have any cut flower varieties you’d add to this list? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for everything cold-climate gardening!

READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN, WITHOUT THE HASSLE?

With my book, Cut Flowers Made Simple, I’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating a cut flower garden. It’s the perfect way for beginner and intermediate gardeners to start their own cut flower garden with or without seed.