Hello all! Kathryn the Flower Gardener here!
Today I wanted to chat about the 5 best seasonal flowers that we grow here at Beautifully Bloomed. And guess what… you can grow them as well!

Peonies. These are some of the easily (in my opinion) flowers to grow. They LOVE the cold so Iowa is the perfect place. Typically you buy the root and actually plant them in the fall. Peonies like to have a cooler period before they bloom so our winters are perfect! They come in a variety of colors and “bloom time.” I personally stick with the traditional wedding colors (whites, blushes, pinks, and a handful of reds). Then you also want to stagger their bloom time, aka buy varieties that bloom “early spring,” “spring,” and “late spring.”

Tulips/ Daffodils. These two “perennials” also also very easy to grow. Just like peonies, plant these suckers in the fall to ensure they will get enough cooling time. My biggest advice when it comes to these guys it to get the longest stem length that your bulb company offers. Most flower farmers will actually pull the bulb to ensure a longer stem length, but I prefer to use them year after year, so I have to sacrifice some stem length.

Sweet Peas. I will admit these are hard for me to grow. They are cold tolerant so I plant them as soon as March in the gardens. They are a vine which requires a trellis. There is limited amount of weeding needed but they need a lot of water. You might be kicking yourself trying to get them to grow, but when you breathe them in…. you will be hooked.

Stock. Stock is also a very sweet smelling flower. One reason I love stock so much is that they can be very full. Some people might recommend snap dragons, but they are not as “girthy” as stock. They can come in a variety of colors as well. I traditionally only grow the whites.

Larkspur. Larkspur is a flower that I did not initially like actually. Unlike Stock, they are very thin. I know a lot of flower farmers like to dry it and use it later. I prefer it fresh, but I really like it’s wispiness. They can come in purples, pinks, and whites. You can plant them in the fall or in the spring.
We probably grow over 30 different flowers in the spring but these are our favorites.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Kathryn