The Best Flowers for Beginners & First Time Flower Growers

If you’re wanting to start a cut flower garden for the first time, then check out what I think are the best flowers for beginners & 1st time flower growers. With just a handful of easy to grow flowers, you can create a beautiful cut flower garden that blooms all summer long.

My goal with today’s post is to make selecting what to plant in your first cut flower garden easy. There are so many different options for cut flower gardens that deciding what to plant can oftentimes become confusing.

Just step into any garden center or take a peek at a seed catalog and it’s easy to become a bit overwhelmed by all of the different seed choices. But it doesn’t have to be that hard.

With the 3 favorite flowers for beginners, I’m sharing today (plus one surprise), you can grow an abundance of flowers your first year. You’ll be cutting homegrown flowers and creating beautiful bouquets for your home before you know it.

My First Cut Flower Garden

When I retired in 2021, I decided to plant my first cut flower garden. I was a little reluctant and not sure that I would actually enjoy flower gardening or have any success. After doing a ton of reading and searching for ideas, I created a wish list of flowers for beginners.

I ordered so many different packets of seeds for my first cut flower garden. The best kind of happy mail soon began arriving…lots of seed packets.

After thoroughly reading the instructions that came with each package of seeds, I began planting. Then the weeding and watering commenced.

Before I knew it, my garden was filled with so many plants. It was exciting to see all of my planning and work in the garden begin to pay off.

At Bill’s insistence (aka my husband and our in-house gardening expert), I began thinning the plants. Now that the seedlings had a bit more room, the plants got bigger and bigger.

Little buds began appearing and eventually big, beautiful blooms. I had officially created my first cut flower garden.

Picking the Best Flowers for Beginners

I also took lots of notes during my first year of flower gardening. My gardening journal included notes about when I planted and what I planted. As well as, what bloomed and faded or kept blooming. And which plants didn’t hold up to the Oklahoma heat and/or wind. Etcetera.

I used my notes to plan my garden for the next season. Rather than planting more varieties the following year, I planted less. I decided to focus on the best flowers for my garden, flowers that were easy to grow and reliably produced lots of blooms.

It was then that I began creating a short list of what I experienced as the best flowers for beginners.

My Top Three Flowers for Beginners

I am in my 4th growing season and have narrowed my list of flowers for beginners down to three cut flowers: 1. Zinnias, 2. Cosmos, and 3. Sunflowers. Each can be started from seed and directly sowed outside after our last frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed.

Note: I am in gardening zone 7a. You can learn more about your gardening zone here.

1. Zinnias-My Favorite Cut Flower

Let’s start with my favorite flower for beginners, zinnias. Zinnias are easy growers and produce flowers all summer long. Plus, there are so many available varieties that you’re sure to find a zinnia that makes your heart sing.

Did you know that zinnias come in every color except blue? You can also find varieties that produce large blooms, some as big as 4″ across.

For big blooms, I ordered State Fair Mix this year. I’m also partial to Queen Lime Mix and Zinderella Lilac Zinnias. And I ordered Exquisite and Tequilia Lime Zinnias. There are so many beautiful choices.

One of the primary reasons I love Zinnias is they can withstand our Oklahoma heat. They also have sturdy stems that don’t require staking and they have good vase life.

Plus, each plant produces a ton of flowers. The best thing you can do for mature zinnias is cut the flowers and take them inside. Each time you harvest your zinnia flowers, your plant will focus on producing new flowers.

Basic Growing and Ordering Information for Zinnias

• Plant zinnias in full sun.
• Seeds can be sowed directly into the ground after your last frost.
• Sow seeds 1/4″ deep.
• Zinnias are deer and rabbit resistant.
• Available online and in stores. Recommended online vendors: Eden Brothers and Swallowtail offer the largest selections.

2. Cosmos-Perfect for Country Gardens

Cosmos are light and airy and whimsical. I think of them as the perfect flower for both country gardens and cottage gardens. They come in lots of beautiful colors, and some have double petals.

And they’re easy to grow! Like Zinnias, Cosmos can withstand our Oklahoma heat. They’re one of my favorite cut flowers for beginners and experts alike.

My favorite Cosmos variety is Rubenza. I love the deep burgandy color and shades of pink. And, the bloom is big.

This year, I also ordered Psyche White and Sensation Mix Cosmos. And, I ordered Apricot Lemonade, Lemonade, and Apricotta Cosmos.

Basic Growing and Ordering Information for Cosmos

• Plant Cosmos in full sun to part shade.
• Cosmos should be in area protected from wind or you will need to create a support system for the plants.
• Sow seeds directly into the ground after your last frost.
• Sow seeds 1/4″ deep.
• Deadheading Cosmos encourages continuous blooms.
• Available online and in stores. Recommended online vendors: Baker Creek Rare Seeds or Burpee Seeds and Plants.

3. Sunflowers-The Happiest Flower in the Garden

I would love an entire field of beautiful sunflowers. They make me smile. But, since the deer love sunflowers, a field of sunflowers isn’t an option for us. So, I add them in the back of my cut flower garden near a fence where the deer typically don’t bother them. I also like to sneak a few into Bill’s veggie garden.

I have tried several dozen varieties of sunflowers and I have decided I prefer the look of single stem varieties as opposed to branching varieties. I also prefer varieties that are pollenless especially because I like to cut sunflowers for bouquets and pollen creates a mess inside our home.

This year I ordered six different varieties of sunflowers. Three I have planted for several years now and really enjoy: Italian White, Procut White Lite and Procut White Nite. And I’ll be trying three new-to-me varieites, as well: Honey Bear, Sun-fill Green Hybrid (I have a thing for green flowers), and Sunforest Mix (so tall).

Basic Growing and Ordering Information for Sunflowers

• Plant sunflowers in full sun.
• Seeds can be sowed directly into the ground after your last frost.
• Sow seeds 1/2″ deep.
• Sunflowers are great for succession planting.
• A range of mature plant heights is available, check heights when ordering seeds.
• Seeds are available online and in stores. Favorite online vendor for sunflowers: Johnny’s Selected Seeds for selection and quantity options.

Flowers for Beginners: A Surprise

Dahlias

Dahlias are one of the most popular cut flowers and a great addition to any cut flower garden for hobby gardeners. But it may be surprising to see it on a list of favorite flowers for beginners.

Dahlias may not be as care-free as my 3 favorite flowers for beginners shared earlier: zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers. However, from my experience, every healthy dahlia tuber produces a beautiful plant.

And each plant produces a ton of gorgeous flowers. It seems like as soon as I cut one for a bouquet, another one appears the next day.

So, I’m adding this amazing flower to my list of flowers for beginners. For me, the key has been starting with healthy tubers and following sound planting methods.

When planting dahlias in my first cut flower garden, I relied heavily on the growing guide created by Floret Farms: Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias. I highly recommend ordering a copy of the book for yourself if you plan on adding dahlias to your garden.

Basic Growing and Ordering Information for Dahlia Tubers

• Plant Dahlias in full sun.
• Tubers can be planted after your last frost.
• Give each dahlia plant plenty of room, space at least 12″ apart with at least 18″ between rows.
• Plant tubers 4-6″ deep.
• Dahlia plants typically require staking.
• Dahlia tubers are available in garden centers and online. My favorite online vendor for dahlia tubers is Burpee Seeds and Plants.
• Depending upon your planting zone, at the end of each growing season you will dig your tubers up and store them or overwinter them in your garden.

A Final Note

Have fun! I continue to garden because it’s fun. My best advice for new gardeners is try a few different things and see what works for you. Grow flowers that love your location and that you love growing.

And once you’ve decided what to plant, read, read and read some more. Today’s post has briefly introduced growing instructions for my favorite flowers for beginners. I can’t wait to share more with you about each of my favorite flowers!

Cheers to retired life, and as always, happy gardening!

x Penny Pennington Weeks

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