Mother’s Day bouquets are often a mix of classic and fragrant flowers, with popular choices being hybrid roses, hydrangeas, carnations, orchids, peonies, tulips, daisies and lilies. Most of these exotic flowers come from as far away as Colombia, Ecuador and the Netherlands. Many would not survive, much less bloom, in a Texas garden!
Why let the out-of-towners rule the day? Your very own garden can have the makings of a beautiful bouquet, whether it is to be a Mother’s Day present, a hostess gift or simply an arrangement to beautify your own home. By May, the garden is alive with color as spring bloomers reach their peak and early summer flowers emerge. With thoughtful plant selection, you can harvest plenty of fresh-cut flowers.
Many of the best choices for cut flowers are perennials that return year after year and often bloom right on schedule. Others are annuals or perennials grown as annuals in Texas. Delphiniums, for example, are striking bloomers with tall spires of blue, purple, pink or white. They can be finicky in hot sun, but they reward gardeners who provide them with afternoon shade and rich, consistently moist well-drained soil. The flower stalks may require staking.
In May, bearded and other forms of iris are blooming. Their tall stems and intricate, colorful flowers add elegance and fragrance to a bouquet. Enjoy iris in solid and multi-hued colors such as lavender, purple, white, pink, yellow, gold and salmon.
Shasta daisies and purple coneflowers begin their bloom in late April and continue to produce until summer heat sets in. Classic Shasta daisies sport white flowers with yellow centers. However, many cultivars now come in several colors including yellow and pink hues. Classic native purple coneflowers have single flowers in varying shades of purple, while cultivars may have double flowers and come in in colors such as pink, lavender, white, orange or red. Their spiky cone-shaped centers are bronze-orange.
Salvias, particularly autumn sage varieties, are indispensable in hot, dry Texas gardens. Their spiky blooms work well in bouquets alongside flowers as varied as daylilies, coreopsis and black-eyed Susans. Salvias bloom in shades of red, pink, purple and blue. Plant them in full sun for best bloom. Daylily flowers appear in late spring. The trumpet-shaped blooms are predominantly yellow and gold, but colors such as red, pink and purple are available.
Coreopsis produces small, yellow-daisy-like blooms. Black-eyed Susan flowers are shades of yellow, gold, magenta and red with dark cone-shaped centers.
Cool season annuals that bloom in May include geraniums and petunias, both available in myriad colors such as pink, red, white and salmon. Harvest blooming pansies since they due for replacement. Sweet alyssum, a low grower, has petite white flowers that act as “filler” for bouquets. If in bloom, you may also add colorful zinnias and cosmos to your arrangement.
To gather a floral bouquet, cut flowers early in the morning. Bring them inside, rise off any dirt or debris and use sharp shears to trim the bottom of the flower stems at a 45-degree angle. The diagonal cut increases water absorption and prevents stems from sitting flat on the vase bottom. Remove lower foliage and immediately place the stems in water. Cut the stems again to adjust to the height of your vase. To prevent bacteria growth, do not submerge any foliage. Arrange the flowers by combining a mix of heights, colors and textures. If desired, add foliage to fill empty spaces. Enjoy giving a gift from your garden!
Written and Photographed by LGMG Phyllis Webster
