Cut and Come Again Zinnias- The free flower garden you have to pick!

Cut and Come Again Zinnias

It’s been too long since I did  proper gardening post.   I have  been keeping an eye on my garden and taking pics as it progresses, there just hasn’t been anything of note to write about.  That changed last night.

I LOVE to grow flowers.  There are two basic kinds of flowers you can grow.  Ones that if you cut them they are done, no more flowers are coming. Think most spring and fall bulbs, things like tulips, and hyacinth and allium,  etc..  Or  ones that if you cut or deadhead, more flowers will come.   Things like mums, and roses and one of my favorites.

Zinnias

They come in all different varieties, I have at least 3 kinds in my yard right now.  The background image of this blog is a Zinnia I  grew in a past year.   These are called Cut and Come again Zinnias’ They are perfect for an all summer long flower arrangement in your house.  You plant the seeds, wait for them to grow and then as soon as they get pretty you cut them off and enjoy them inside, or give them to friends.

I have ordered and planted this kind of Zinnia for a few years.  Every year I’d imagine  a vase filled with pretty flowers in my entry way or kitchen or office.  I’d imagine myself out puttering in the yard cutting my garden and making the arrangements. It was all very Martha Stewart meets Chelsea Handler in my head.   Last year they didn’t get into the ground and in years past I’d get them in later than I’d like and then basically neglect to cut them.   Or get one or two cuts of the season. In short , this little cutting garden fantasy of mine has never quite come to full fruition.   Still every year I keep trying.  It didn’t matter how badly I’d done with them the year prior, every spring I’d order more Zinnia seeds.   Every spring I try to get them in before it gets too late in the season and every summer as they start to grow in I VOW to myself that I will cut these zinnias.   I always want more flowers in my yard, I have plan for at least 3 new beds to be constructed this fall.   I like the idea of having more types like this that I should and can cut and i like the idea of paying attention this year to see how many harvests I can get out of these flowers.  I need to leave the last harvest on the stalks, so the flowers will make seeds out of them, and then I can get free more zinnias next year in the same garden spot.   This is part of my how to get more  years than one out of supposedly annual flowers.

So THIS YEAR I swore I was going to be a better flower cutter.  You have to cut them to get them to come again so when the bed looked ready for a first cut. I  made one and arranged my harvest in a small vase.  I was quite proud and took these pics.

Cut and Come Again Bed Round 1

Ready and waiting

Vase from First Cut

Then this week I noticed the bed was ready again. But I kept forgetting to go out there and cut the darn things. Last night I finally set  what I thought would be just a few minutes aside to go out and cut the 2nd harvest.  I knew I would have more flowers this time because we got rain in between cuts and more of the bed was maturing for it’s first cut.  What I didn’t expect was to have 3+ handfuls of flowers to arrange.    Cutting flowers is kind of a zen like business for me, but by the end I was like man how many more of these  must I cut?    But then I saw how BIG my pile of flowers was. I got all excited because I had enough to get out one of my favorite Fenton Milk Glass vases.   Here are the pictures from the 2nd harvest.  I can’t wait for harvest 3.

Cut and Come Again bed before 2nd cut

Ready for their vase

Second cut yield