20 Flowers That Make Beautiful Cut Arrangements
There’s nothing quite like a bright and beautiful bunch of cut flowers to lighten up any room and bring the outdoors indoors. If you’d like to create a stunning display of cut flowers, check out our list to find out which flowers make for the best cut arrangements.
The Barberton daisy produces bright, attractive flowers. It is native to Southeastern Africa and has become increasingly popular as a house plant far outside its home range. The South African province of Mpumalanga includes the Barberton daisy on its flag and coat of arms.
The Garden dahlia is a common spring flower that comes in a wide range of colors. The flowers themselves are unscented and attract pollinators (like bees) using only their bright coloration. Garden dahlia plants were grown by ancient Aztecs and it is now the official flower of Mexico. It is genetically related to garden plants like sunflowers and zinnias.
The Common sunflower is recognizable for its bright flower on a very tall stem. It is often grown in gardens. These flowers have been important in culture: they were worshipped by the ancient Inca people, and today, they represent eco-friendly movements. The artist Vincent Van Gogh made a famous series of paintings about Common sunflowers. Wild versions of the plant branch out to many flower heads, but domesticated plants typically only have one.
Chinese peony is a perennial herbaceous bushy plant native to central and eastern Asia. It is highly regarded for its lush, white, pink, or crimson rose-like flowers, with pronounced yellow stamens. White Chinese peony was first introduced to England in the mid-18th century, and today there are several hundred cultivars common in temperate gardens around the world.
The English lavender is a common flowering plant originally native to the Mediterranean region. Today, it is often used in scented products such as candles, oils, perfumes, soaps, and house sprays. The scent also has a deterrent effect against clothing moths.
Tenweeks stock (Matthiola incana) is a flowering annual plant native to southern Europe. The Tenweeks stock is commonly grown as an ornamental plant and as a component of cut floral bouquets.
Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) generates spectacular blossoms of deep red to crimson-purple in summer. Edible seeds follow in fall. Known for sweet and savory culinary applications, the seeds of the Love-lies-bleeding can be ground into a nutritious gluten-free flour while the leaves can be cooked like spinach. It was likely an important food crop for ancient South American peoples.
The Common corn-flag takes its Latin name, Gladiolus communis, from the way its sharply-pointed leaves resemble the old Roman sword known as a gladius. They are grown as ornamental plants that bloom tall spikes of magenta flowers from late summer to early autumn.
The China rose (Rosa chinensis) is a Southwest China native. The plant has been cultivated for so long that it has become hard to tell the difference between wild and cultivated varieties. With medium-sized clusters of flowers and a long blooming season, it is easy to see why the China rose was chosen as the basis for many rose hybrids.
Lilium longiflorum, commonly known as Easter lily is a perennial bulb, famous for the beautiful fragrance of its large, trumpet-shaped white flowers. It plays an important role in Christianity, as it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ celebrated during Easter (hence the common name). Easter lily is most often cultivated for cut flowers.
Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) is a flowering buttercup species native to the eastern Mediterranean region. It is known to tolerate lower temperatures than many buttercup species. The Persian buttercup is a popular ornamental plant for its attractive blossoms.
Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) is an evergreen flowering shrub that produces hundreds of rose-pink to purplish-pink, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in late summer. Relatively low maintenance, it is perfect in rock gardens or used as a border or ground cover. It prefers acidic soil and will grow from 1 to 2 feet in full sun to partial shade.
Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria aurea) is a tuberous perennial with stunning orchid-like flowers, most commonly cultivated as an ornamental. Flowers are usually yellow to orange, spotted or striped. They are often visited by bees, butterflies and other pollinators. A number of varieties have been selected over the years to create greater diversity of flower colors.
Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is a herbaceous ornamental perennial known for its fragrant, distinctive flowers. Wild varieties of this species can be found in the Mediterranean. Carnation has rich symbolism, both in the traditional and religious sense. Its symbolic representations can be found in numerous cultures, from North America to the far East.
The Delphinium elatum is a beautiful ornamental plant, which includes cultivars ‘Magic Fountains’, ‘Dwarf Pacific’, ‘New Millennium’, ‘Pacific giant’, and 6 varieties of ‘Aurora’. It was first referred to as its scientific name by the Greek botanist and physician Pedanius Dioscorides.
The Bird of paradise is a bright, flowering plant. It is native to South Africa, where it is important to national culture, even being featured on the country’s 50-cent coin. The Bird of paradise has also become the official flower of Los Angeles in spite of its non-native status. In the wild, these flowers attract sunbirds as pollinators.
Flame lily (Gloriosa superba) is a climbing flowering plant also known as the tiger claw, fire lily, and creeping lily. Flame lily attracts sunbirds and butterflies. This plant is extremely toxic when ingested.
Phalaenopsis aphrodite, colloquially known as Aphrodite’s phalaenopsis or goddess of fertility, is an orchid species native to southeast Asia. Aphrodite’s phalaenopsis is commonly mistaken for moon orchid (Phalaenopsis amabilis), as both have white flowers. However, Phalaenopsis aphrodite has smaller flowers and calyx with four horns compared to Phalaenopsis amabilis which has two-horned calyxes.
Love-in-a-mist is a member of the buttercup family with leaves that resemble those of the dill plant. The flowers, which bloom in early summer, sport tiny black seeds at their centers. Love-in-a-mist seeds get added to bread in some Middle-Eastern countries with a flavor like oregano or nutmeg. But note that it could be toxic if ingested in quantities.
The Calla lily is a well-known ornamental plant with several cultivars receiving the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The most common cultivars include ‘Crowborough’, ‘Green Goddess’, ‘Pink Mist’, and ‘Red Desire’. They are popular as a cut flower or a rhizomatous herb in the warm gardens.