Well, New Hampshire, that was dramatic. After a spring that felt more like a marshland than a growing season, my garden has finally decided to show up to the party- fashionably late, but loud. Right now, it’s all zinnias showing off, strawflowers are getting taller by the minute, and gomphrena bouncing around in the breeze.
We’re at the halfway point of our “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” summer, and while I’m still side-eyeing my dahlias (any day now, guys) and waiting for the cosmos to stop being so coy, the garden’s current lineup is keeping me plenty entertained. Here’s what’s blooming, what’s testing my patience, and why I’m still out here with my shears every morning like a floral version of a kid in a candy store cutting fresh blooms.
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New Flowers That I’m Growing
One of my favorite garden traditions? Growing something new each season! It keeps things exciting—like a surprise party where I actually know the guest list. This year, I went all-in on flowers perfect for drying and pressing. Because let’s be real, if a bloom can’t pull double duty (look pretty now and preserve well), is it even trying?
New To Me Flowers I’m Growing
- Strawberry Fields Gomphrena
- Audray Mix Gomphrena
- Spencer Ripple Formula Mix Sweet Pea
- Pincushion Formula Mix Scabiosa
- Love-in-a-Mist ‘Albion Green Pod’
- Love-in-a-Mist ‘Albion Black Pod’
- Billy Buttons
- Bunny Tails
- Snapdragon ‘Bizarre Mix’
- Strawflower ‘Pierrot Red’
I purchase my seeds from Johnny’s Selected & Select Seeds
I’d like to note that I started all of those seeds indoors, except for the Love-in-a-Mist. If you are new to seed starting, save this beginner’s guide for next winter (it’s a fun way to beat the winter blues, too!)
What a Difference a Month Makes!
Gardening is basically nature’s version of a glow-up reel. Take these four raised beds in the middle of my garden: On July 1st it was just hopeful seedlings and a whole lot of dirt.
Fast-forward to today, and it’s a full-on zinnia fiesta. The tall celosia that I planted in the back of the beds, and also all of the cosmos, haven’t begun to flower yet.
Here’s how I plan my raised beds for maximum wow factor: Each one gets 2-3 different flower varieties to create delicious layers of color and texture. My planning process starts during those cozy winter months when my seed order arrives. You’ll find me sprawled on the living room floor like a gardening detective, sorting seed packets by height and playing floral matchmaker, honestly, it reminds me of when I would sit on the floor playing the matching game with my boys!
While plant height is crucial (no one wants their snapdragons playing hide-and-seek behind zinnias), I’m equally obsessed with creating color combos that make my heart sing. It’s part geometry, part art project-plus it keeps me busy during those cold winter days here in New Hampshire!
My Dried Flower Dream Team
While I grow plenty of flowers just for their fleeting summer beauty, these are the workhorses I plant specifically for their second act. The ones that look just as good dried as they do fresh. This year’s all-star cast includes:
- Strawflowers (the ultimate drama queens—they barely change when dried)
- Gomphrena (tiny pom-poms that refuse to fade, even after months in a wreath)
- Bunny Tails (because everything’s cuter with a little fuzzy texture)
- Billy Buttons (cheerful yellow globes)
Gomphrena
One of my metal raised beds in the cut flower garden is dedicated to two varieties of gomphrena (globe amaranth), those colorful little pom-poms that dry perfectly for wreaths. A pro tip: Start these seeds indoors for better results than direct sowing.
The birdbath in the center of this bed was made with an old bird bath stand that I had saved and a pretty glass dish that I found while thrifting. Check out all of the other garden goodies I created from my thrift store haul.
Bunny Tails
New to my cut flower garden this year: bunny tail grass! I’m obsessed with their adorable fuzziness. While I’ve used dried bunny tails for years in my fall wreaths (they’re the perfect neutral texture boost), this is my first time growing them myself, and they’re even more charming fresh from the garden!
Strawflowers
Every garden needs strawflowers – they’re the ultimate two-for-one bloom. Their paper-like texture makes them superstars in fresh arrangements (lasting weeks in a vase!), while drying them requires practically no effort – just hang them upside down and they’ll keep their cheerful colors for years.
They are also just plain fun to look at in the garden! The blooms close up tightly when they get wet and then open again
Pro tip: The more you cut them, the more they bloom, making them one of my most productive flowers.
Billy Buttons
Third time’s the charm with Billy Buttons (these are the seeds I used)! After two years of trial and error (all errors ’cause they never grew!), I finally cracked the code: starting them indoors gave me the jumpstart they needed. Now these cheerful yellow globes are thriving in my raised bed, adding quirky texture alongside my ‘Queeny’ zinnia mix. The contrast of their sunny pom-poms against those soft green-tinged blooms?
Chef’s kiss. Proof that sometimes the unusual flowers are worth the extra effort
Two Unusual (But Must-Grow!) Cut Flowers
A couple of other flowers that are fun to grow in a cut flower garden are Love-in-a-Mist and Bells of Ireland. They are not your average annual flowers to grow, but boy are they fun to look at!
Bells of Ireland – Tall, architectural, and that unreal lime-green color? Yes, please! Bells of Ireland are an excellent filler flower to grow. They’re my secret weapon for flower arrangements, especially paired with zinnias-the contrast is very eye-catching. And when summer’s over, they dry perfectly for wreaths, no fuss required.
Love-in-a-Mist – These aren’t just pretty faces with their delicate, feathery petals. I’m growing them for the drama—those interesting seed pods that look like something from a fairy tale.
Old Favorites, New Tricks
Some flowers feel like coming home! The sweet peas smell like Spring to me, the snapdragons that never fail to cheer and remind me of orchids, and all my zinnias that keep growing and flowering til the bitter end of the season and first frost.
This year, though, my old favorites taught me new lessons: sweet peas surprised me with their love of winter sowing, snapdragons weathered our miserable spring with stubborn grace, and the zinnias? Well, they’re proof that even in a chaotic growing season, some things just work. Let’s revisit these classics with a few fresh twists!
Sweet Peas: Winter Sowing Wins!
This year, I tried something new: winter-sown sweet peas—and oh, what a difference! My willow tower is now a riot of fragrant blooms, proof that sometimes the old favorites reward a little experimentation. (Note to self: Do this again next February!)
Winter sowing is my new favorite hack: I planted sweet pea seeds in vented containers (I used big salad containers, but milk jugs are commonly used; we just don’t have any!) during late winter and left them outside. The freeze-thaw cycle naturally stratifies the seeds, and they sprout when conditions are just right—no grow lights or fussy hardening off needed! It’s like letting Mother Nature do the babysitting.
Once the garden was cleaned up, I planted them around a willow teepee trellis early in the season. Sweet peas like the cooler weather.
Let’s talk about the real magic of sweet peas…their scent! One whiff of these blooms and I’m transported: part honey, part orange blossom, with a sprinkle of pure summer nostalgia. It’s amazing when I’m fiddling around in the garden and the scent is carried in a breeze.
Snapdragons: The Early Birds
These reliable showstoppers usually sync up with my first zinnias, but New England’s cold, soggy spring had other plans. Still, their spires in honeyed pinks and buttery yellows are keeping my vases full while we wait for summer’s main event.
For the best results in New England’s short growing season, I highly recommend starting snapdragon seeds indoors under grow lights rather than direct sowing. The extra head start makes all the difference
Zinnias: The Glory of Summer
Now, these are the flowers that make the wait worthwhile! I’m swooning over:
- New varieties: ‘Aurora’ is knocking it out of the park, ‘Ballerina’s’ pastel shades, and ‘Agave’s’ spiky silhouette.
- Tried-and-true stars: ‘Queenys’ with their lime-tinged blush, ‘Benary’s Giants’ is slowly opening, and the last-generation magic of saved Floret seeds (because why let perfection go to waste?).
A new variety of zinnia from Johnny’s Seeds is ‘Aurora’, and I have to say I think it is my favorite zinnia that I have ever grown! I am so impressed with the shades of pinks, corals, yellows, and oranges that the flowers are producing. Some of the flower heads are as big as the popular Benary’s giants. This one is a 10/10 for me and will definitely have a spot in next year’s cut flower garden!
Another new variety of zinnia I am growing is ‘Agave’. If you love sunset shades of oranges and yellows, this is one for you to try! The heavily quilled petals and double blooms are impressive. Personally, I do not love orange and yellow flowers that much, and not sure if these will be returning next year (I’m more of a pinky girl!)
‘Mazurkia’ is one zinnia that I have grown every season since I added my cutting garden. I love the pink and cream shades in the petals, and this zinnia stays pretty compact.
Another new variety that I planted was ‘Ballerina’. It is a mix of soft pastel and sherbet tones. It reminds me of a wedding bouquet.
Last year I splurged on Floret Farm’s gorgeous zinnia seeds—worth every penny, but too precious not to save! I carefully collected seeds from my favorite blooms (those perfect petals deserved a second act). Now this year’s garden is full of their ‘heirloom’ babies. They are just getting started, so some of the flower petals haven’t filled in yet.
Favorite Filler Flowers (purple edition)
This corner of the garden is serving serious purple vibes this year! Scabiosa’s pincushion blooms, moody amaranth (a happy volunteer from last year’s plants—I just couldn’t weed something so gorgeous), and velvety celosia are all mingling together. It’s proof that sometimes the best garden surprises come from doing… absolutely nothing. (Thanks, past-me, for letting those amaranth seeds do their thing!) Amaranth and celosia are both pretty filler flowers for your vases and look spectacular with zinnias.
They are also the 2 easiest varieties of flowers to save seeds from at the end of the season for blooms next year. Their seeds look like poppy seeds, and all you have to do is run your finger down the stem in early fall to release the seeds.
Wrapping Up This Summer’s Garden Story(so far!)
Okay, real talk: My cosmos and dahlias are taking their sweet time this year. The cosmos are finally getting taller, but still no flowers, and the dahlias? Plenty of leafy growth, but not a single bloom yet. I know they’ll get there eventually, they always do, but right now, I’m just impatiently watering and waiting!
What a season this has been so far! From a miserably cold start (I was wearing my winter coat Memorial Day weekend!!) to 95° days on end in July. Now, I’m trying to enjoy all of the flowers and love spending time out here in the garden.
This garden keeps teaching me the same lesson: beauty thrives on both planning and spontaneity (looking at you, self-sown amaranth!).
Now I’d love to hear, what’s shining in your garden this month? Any surprise successes or stubborn late bloomers? Share below, and let’s celebrate this messy, glorious season together!
xo, Jennifer
Cottage Garden
Favorite Products
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Check Out Some of My Flower Projects!
This is one of the wreaths I made using all flowers from my garden! It’s a perfect way to adorn your front door for Fall! No special skills needed, just clip the flowers and stick into a grapevine wreath form (sometimes you need a little floral wire).
Learn how to do lots of things with your flowers! I’ll teach you how to create art, decorate a pumpkin, flower pounding, and so many other fun ways to use flowers!
Jennifer I loved visiting your garden. I’m making a list of some of the flowers you mentioned to add to my garden. My garden started off in a blaze of glory but our southern summer are so cruel to these lovelies, but we never give up
We are just the opposite up here! It started out soggy and cold but from July on it’s been fantastic for my flowers.