The Conservational Gardener

By Nanny Fontanella

Cuts and (oh Lord) Comes

	Drawing by Nanny Fontanella

My sister Susan and I had many battles. I was a puncher and she was a pincher.

Being a Cancer, she’d grab your skin between thumb and forefinger and twist, and she had nails. Tweaking the ends of the main spikes of plants creates side shoots and more flowers, but I often wonder if they feel like I did when Susan pinched me.

I also must confess, as the season progresses, overgrown perennials are pruned back to prevent the “stragglies.” Deadheading to promote new flower production is my least favorite gardening pastime. The semi-bent position called for in the endeavor is hard on the back, and the tedium numbs the brain, unlike weeding, which is a great outlet for pent up aggression.

I am ambivalent about cutting flowers; they’re grand au natural and the image of an individual in a wide brimmed hat and white gloves daintily laying flowers in a basket under his or her arm is just not me.

In my view, gardeners of both sexes should sweat it out in dirty clothes with a soil mustache. Don’t get me wrong, a beautiful bouquet positioned gracefully in front of a mirror is great art, and giving away bunches of flowers is a joy. But (whine) I just don’t have the time to do it.

Nonetheless, the best flowers for cutting are annuals and tender perennials. An annual is sown directly into the garden, used one year and then discarded. (Oh how sad.)

Tender and half-hardy annuals are started indoors and then transplanted outdoors (I start everything indoors), used one year and then also discarded. (How doubly sad.)

Tender perennials grow like weeds in warmer climes but are treated like annuals here. The more annuals and tender perennials that are cut, the more flowers they produce.

Thus, cut and come. Oh goody, a list of the best flowers for cutting:

Agrostemna gilbago (corn cockle), godetia, armaranthus caudatus (love lies bleeding), gypsophilia elegans (baby’s breath), anitirrhinum  majus (snapdragon), helianthus annuis (sunflower), brachycome iberidifolia (Swan River daisy), lavatera trimestris (tree mallow) lathyrus odorata (sweet pea), limonium sinuatum, campanula officianalis (pot marigold), matthiola (stock), callistephus chinesis (China aster), moluccella laevis (bells of Ireland), campanula medium (canterbury bells), nicotiana (tobacco), centaurea moschata (sweet sultan), nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist), chrysanthemum coronarium, reseda odorata (mignonette), consolida ambigua (larkspur), rudbeckia hirta (coneflower), coreoposis (tickseed), salvia farinacea, dianthus barbartus (sweet william), Salpiglossis, dianthus chinesis (China pink), scabiosa atropurpurea, digitalis purpurea (foxglove), tagetes erecta (African marigold), gaillardia pulchella (blanket flower), tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower), gilia capitata and zinnia elegans.

Some hardy perennials used as cut flowers are allium, anthemis, campanula, chelone, crambe, dahlia, daffodil, daisy, daylily, echinacea, eupatorium, helianthus, helianthium, lupine, malva, meadowsweet, poppy, rose, swan-neck-loosestrife and tulip.

Flowering shrubs such as magnolia, smoke bush, viburnum, pussy willow, mock orange etc. can be added to flower arrangements along with ferns and conifer sprigs.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, write to asknanny@riverreporter.com.