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!

Grow lilies in Saskatchewan zones 2 and 3

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 poppyseeds.

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.

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 region, as you won’t get the stem length you need if you don’t give them consistent water.

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!

LOOKING TO START A CUT FLOWER BUSINESS?

Have you been researching all over the internet and in free Facebook groups about starting a cut flower business and are feeling more confused than ever? Don’t believe you can make a profit from a cut flower garden on modest terms? Check out this video for how I went from wannabe flower farmer to resilient backyard business owner!

And, if you’re still feeling frustrated, if you’re worried about spending too much money and not making your money back, or if you just want to learn more about profitable small-scale flower farming, you can enroll in Backyard Business, my program for aspiring flower farmers. Some of my students were already making money (enough to pay the cost of the course!!) in the middle of winter by getting creative and trying new things. I hope to see you there!

Learn more here!