Bees N Blooms is ramping up the cut flower operation this spring. We spent January picking out the varieties we want to grow and are now planting seeds, potting plugs into pots, hardening off the plants for outdoor living, preparing the soil for planting, and keeping everything growing and healthy until transplant time. Our first flowers to be planted are Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), Lion’s Tail (Leonotis leonurus), and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
Tropical milkweed is known for its clusters of orange flowers and many stems that grow tall. They are beautiful as cut flowers and also serve as food for bees and especially for Monarch butterfly larvae in the fall. We will be planting about 100 linear bed-feet of the Butterfly Milkweed from transplants started from seed we saved from last year.
Bees N Blooms will also be planting about 100 linear bed feet of Purple Coneflower that will have showy pinkish-purple flowers. Pollinators love coneflowers because they open up to reveal the large flower head that has abundant pollen and nectar. We’re now potting up our plugs and getting them used to sunlight a few more hours each day. The bees and butterflies are going to love them!
We grew the Lion’s Tail plants from seed we saved from last fall. They germinated well and will be ready for transplant soon. This flower will grow multiple tall stems with whorls of orange flowers. These plants can grow to be 4 to 6 (or more) feet tall and they attract many pollinators, especially hummingbirds. We will be planting about 50 linear bed feet of Lion’s Tail.
We are currently starting many other flower varieties from seed, plus a few flower bulbs, including calla lilies, crocosmia, and Asian lilies, which are just starting to sprout. Check out our Cut Flowers page for some photos of the other flowers we are growing.
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