Lori Hernandez 1/13/25 Lori Hernandez 1/13/25

How to Grow Stock

How to Grow: Stock (Matthiola incana)

Once you smell the intoxicating aroma of Stock, you’ll know EXACTLY why they are loved and adored! The smell is hard to describe… sweet… peppery… clove-like… However you choose to describe it, it's memorable and delightful!

It’s hard to believe that this beautiful flower is actually in the Brassica family, related to broccoli, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower.

Stock can be a bit tricky to grow, as it generally grows best in cold temperatures… and let’s face it, most growers are not thinking about planting flowers in late winter/early spring when they need to go in the ground. If planted too late in the season as temperatures are rising, the plants will fail to thrive.

Thankfully, there has been a recent introduction of a variety called “Anytime” Stock that has much more heat tolerance and can be planted later in the season.

It’s important to note that most Stock seeds will produce about 50% “Double” flowers and 50% “Single” flowers. Some growers will start 2x as many seedlings as they need and rogue out/eliminate the single flowering seedlings (there are very slight differences at the cotyledon stage. It requires years of experience to be able to tell the difference). Others just grow all of the seedlings and simply discard the stems with singles.

On our farm, we just grow them all and tuck the singles into bouquets. While they don’t look as pretty as the doubles, they still have a lovely scent.

PROS

They have a wonderful strong scent. Very few cut flowers have a scent, so this makes Stock especially valuable in bouquets.
They are beautiful in mixed bouquets or in vase by themselves.
They have a good vase life of 7-10 days
They are easy to grow IF you start them at the right time (very early in the season).
They are the perfect spring bouquet flower!

CONS

They are a one-and-done plant. They will not rebloom.
They need to be grown and planted early in the season, which can be hard for some people.
They do not tolerate heat. Once it gets warm, the plants decline rapidly (except the “Anytime Stock”, which has better tolerance).
Some plants will produce single flowers, which are not as desirable as the double flowers.

CHOOSING SEEDS

The following Stock series are a great choice for cut flower use:

Cheerful
Iron
Katz
StoX

Here are a few of my favorite Stock to grow for cut flower use:

“Anytime Mix” (bred to have better heat tolerance, which allows a wider range of planting time. Ideal for home growers)
“Iron Mix”
“Iron Rose Pink”
“Iron Pink”
“Iron White”
“Stox Champagne”
“StoX Rose”…

HOW TO SOW

Stock is easy to start from seed. The trick is to remember to start the seeds early enough in the season!

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Start seeds as transplants about 8-10 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost. Do not direct sow.

Sow 2 seeds per cell. Stock doesn’t mind growing with a buddy. Germination should take about 10-14 days.

Plant out the seedlings when they are about 4-6 weeks old. It should be cool (about a month before your Average Last Spring Frost), as they require about 2-3 weeks of temperatures between 40-55F to promote flowering. They are frost tolerant, but if it gets well below freezing the plants may need to be covered with a sheet at night.

Since Stock is a one-and-done plant, you may want to plant 2-3 successions about 2 weeks apart. However, remember that planting them too late in the season will often fail because of excessive heat.

If you have a long, cool spring, you may be able to squeeze in 3 successions. But if your weather goes from freezing to broiling (like ours does in Michigan!), you may only get one planting.

PLANT SPACING

Stock can (and should!) be spaced close together. We plant 2 seedings in the same planting hole, every 6 inches. This year, I’m going to try 4 inches because even at 6 inches, there is wasted space.

GROWING ON

Stock likes to grow in well-composted, fertile growing beds. Fertilizing is minimal since it’s a one-and-done plant.

Netting or support can be helpful but not completely necessary.

Pinching is NOT recommended for Stock, unless you are growing a variety that is listed as “branching” or “spray-type”, such as “Quartet”.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest the stems when about ⅓ of the blooms are open. The other blooms will open up slowly in the vase. Strip the leaves from the stem to make sure there are no leaves in the bucket or vase that could rot (remember that they are related to broccoli and cabbage… and you know what rotting broccoli and cabbage smell like!)

Stock "Anytime Mix" (Unheated hoophouse grown on the left, field grown on the right)

POST-HARVEST CARE

Besides frequent water changes, Stock requires no other special post-harvest care.

QUESTIONS?

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Lori Hernandez 1/13/25 Lori Hernandez 1/13/25

How to Grow Salpiglossis

How to Grow: Salpiglossis (Salpiglossis sinuata)

Pronunciation: sal-pi-gloss-us

INTRODUCTION

Never heard of Salpiglossis before? Join the club!

It goes by many names, including “Painted Tongue Flower”, “Velvet Trumpet Flower” and even “Stained Glass Flower”.

Salpiglossis is an unusual flower with an unusual name… and it’s perfect for people who like to grow things that are a bit, well… unusual!

I’ve grown hundreds of different types of flowers on my farm, but Salpiglossis wins the award for the most people saying “Oh my gosh, WHAT IS THAT?!? It’s STUNNING!!!”

Yes, indeed, they ARE stunning. There’s no other flower quite like them! Each bloom looks like it was hand-painted with the utmost care and precision.

Salpiglossis is native to South America (Chile and Argentina) and it’s actually related to Petunias. Once you grow it, you’ll notice it has slightly sticky stems and the flowers are similar to Petunias. But unlike Petunias, Salpiglossis grows tall, long stems that work in cut flower arrangements.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Salpiglossis for cut flower use.

PROS

They are unique and delightful.
They add a special touch to bouquets.
They are a wonderful addition to the cutting garden or flower garden
They are easy to grow.

CONS

They have slightly sticky stems, which can be a turn-off to some people.
They are not particularly long-lasting in the vase.
They don’t handle heat well. On our farm, they bloom in early summer, then fade during the heat of summer (however, if cut back in mid-summer, they may rebloom in the fall!)

CHOOSING SEEDS

Here is my favorite Salpiglossis to grow for cut flower use:

“Royale Mix”
“Superbissima” (this color combination was my favorite for cut flower use)

I’ve tried other varieties but found the colors too difficult to incorporate into bouquets. However, they would be lovely in a display garden!

HOW TO SOW

How to grow Salpiglossis seems to be a bit of a mystery! Every source I’ve combed over seems to offer contradictory information. To me, that simply indicates there are LOTS of different ways to grow it ;) So be willing to experiment!

Over the years, I’ve noticed that Salpiglossis tends to act like a Hardy Annual in my growing climate, and shows some frost-tolerant qualities. In the future, I may experiment with Winter Sowing the seeds or overwintering them in our unheated hoophouse.

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Salpiglossis seeds are tiny (like dust!), so I don’t recommend direct sowing.

Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost. Sow the seeds on the surface of the seed-starting mix, 1-2 seeds per cell, and press them down to make sure they are in contact with the mix. Cover very lightly with a scattering of vermiculite or seed-starting mix.

Many sources suggest that the seeds germinate best in darkness. This is easy to achieve by simply covering the tray with another tray.

Seeds take about 7-14 days to germinate. Once they germinate, move the tray under lights or into a sunny space.

Transplant after the threat of frost.

PLANT SPACING

Plants grow best at 6-9 spacing. Closer spacing will encourage longer stems.

GROWING ON

Salpiglossis grows best in fertile soils with average watering.

I have not experimented with pinching them, so I can’t offer any feedback at this time.

Salpiglossis will need netting or support to keep the plants upright. This does make harvesting a bit cumbersome, but you’ll be glad you did it.

It’s important to harvest stems each week to keep the plants productive longer over the growing season. Salpiglossis can handle some heat but thrives in the cooler temperatures of late spring/early summer and early fall.

STAGE OF HARVEST

When the top few blooms on the spray/stem are open. The other blooms will open up in the vase. Salpiglossis is very popular with pollinators, but unfortunately, once a bloom has been pollinated, it will decline rapidly. This is why I suggest harvesting the stems when only 1-2 blooms have opened.

POST-HARVEST CARE

Salpigloss requires no special post-harvest care. If the stem is harvested before most of the blooms are pollinated, you can expect a vase life of about 5-7 days. If the blooms were open when harvested, expect a vase life of about 3 days.

QUESTIONS?

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Lori Hernandez 1/13/25 Lori Hernandez 1/13/25

How to Grow Statice

Statice (Limonium sinuatum)

Pronunciation: stat-us

INTRODUCTION

Before you think to yourself “This plant is boring!” and click away…

Hold up, friend.

While at first glance Statice may look boring, unimpressive and downright old-fashioned (and to be honest, some of it is), I urge you to give it a try!

On our farm, we consider Statice our bouquet-making MVP (most valuable player). During the growing season, we harvest bucket loads of it every single week and we use every single stem in our bouquets.

I find Statice to be one of the most useful “Filler” type flowers you can grow. The role of Filler flowers is to complement and enhance the “Focal” flowers (the big flashy flowers that get all the attention). Statice doesn’t mind playing a supporting role.

Statice also is a dual-purpose flower. Not only does it look great in fresh flower bouquets, but it also dried beautifully for dried flower arrangements. The papery-looking clusters will last for years.

I sure hope you try Statice and learn to love it as much as I do. We use it nearly every summer and fall bouquet we make on the farm!

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Statice for cut flower use.

PROS

They are very long-lasting in the vase. Once all the other flowers have died, Statice is still standing. You can pluck out the stems, hang them to dry and keep them for years as an “Everlasting Flower”.
They are a perfect filler flower to enhance and “fill out” a bouquet that is looking a bit sparse.
They are versatile and look good with almost any other flower.
They are easy to grow.
They are productive over a long period of time. While many sources say they are NOT “cut-and-come-again”, we find that plants will continue blooming for 2-3 months if harvested/deadheaded on a regular basis. This is likely climate-dependent and your experience may be different.
They come in a wide range of colors (although I do find some of the colors garish, so I stick to just a few super versatile colors).

CONS

They can be susceptible to Aster Yellows disease. Botrytis (fungal infection) can also be a problem.
They do not like overhead watering. This, along with wet poorly draining soil, can cause them to rot.
They don’t produce a lot of stems at the same time (so you’ll need to plant a decent amount of them to harvest from).

CHOOSING SEEDS

When choosing seeds, decide if you want to grow a mix of colors or stick with just a few colors. It’s really about personal preference.

Personally, I dislike most of the colors in the mixes and I now only grow 3 different varieties:

A white variety (goes with EVERYTHING),
an apricot variety (goes with all our warm-toned bouquets),
and a rose pink/violet variety (goes with all our cool-toned bouquets).

The following Statice series are a great choice for cut flower use:

“QIS” series (wide variety of colors)
“Seeker” series (wide variety of colors)

Here are the 3 Statice varieties I grow:

HOW TO SOW

Statice is a summer-blooming Annual flower. However, it does like a cool start to establish, so try to get the plants out into the garden before the heat of summer

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Direct sowing is not recommended. Instead, start seeds in trays about 6 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost Date. Transplant outdoors into well-composted beds after your Average Last Spring Frost Date.

Plants have a tap root, so take care to nestle them in the ground carefully when transplanting.

We usually plant 3-4 successions of Statice, about 2-3 weeks apart to make sure we have an abundant supply of Statice in bloom from June - October.

Statice seedlings a few weeks after transplanting

Statice about a month after transplanting

PLANT SPACING

9-12 inch spacing is recommended.

GROWING ON

Once the seedlings are well established, reduce the amount of watering, if possible.

Overwatering and overhead watering (sprinkler, hose, etc) can cause the plants to rot. Watering with drip irrigation or soaker hoses is best.

Netting or support is not necessary for Statice.

Pinching is not required. Most plants that have a “rosette” type growth habit (low-growing leaves radiating from the center of the plant, like Foxglove and Statice) do not require pinching.

QIS Apricot, ready for warm bouquet making

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest when most of the papery blooms on the stem are open, but before they begin to turn brown and look “tired”.

QIS Apricot in warm bouquets, Seeker Rose in cool bouquets

POST-HARVEST CARE

Like most cut flowers, always harvest in the cool of the day and allow the flowers to rehydrate in water in a cool location overnight before arranging.

Statice requires no other special care.

For dried flower use, hang small bundles of Statice upside down in a warm, dry location out of direct sun for about 2 weeks until they are fully dry. Dried flowers will last for years if kept out of direct sunlight.

QUESTIONS?

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Lori Hernandez 1/13/25 Lori Hernandez 1/13/25

How to Grow Phlox

How to Grow: Phlox (Phlox drummondii)

Pronunciation: flaaks

INTRODUCTION

Many people are familiar with the Perennial “Garden Phlox” (Phlox paniculata), but in this blog post, we’ll be discussing Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii). Both can be used as a cut flower, but I find the Annual Phlox to be much more useful in bouquets (especially as Garden Phlox can be susceptible to Powdery Mildew).

Annual Phlox can be a lovely addition to the cutting garden. Personally, I find harvesting them to be a bit cumbersome and I often mutter and complain the whole time… but once I weave the stems into mixed bouquets, I remember why I love them.

As a bonus, most Annual Phlox varieties have a delightful, delicate scent. Many cut flowers do not have a scent, so I’m always looking for beautiful sweetly scented flowers to mix into my bouquets.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Phlox for cut flower use.

PROS

They come in a wide variety of colors, from muted tones to bright hues.
They have a sweet scent.
They fill out a bouquet beautifully.
They are quick to flower, taking only 60-65 days.
They are very productive and abundant.
They have a good vase life of 7 days when harvested at the proper stage.

CONS

They tend to bloom early on stems that are too short for bouquets. The plants may require multiple “pinches” (pruning) before they begin blooming on longer stems. Pinching is not difficult, however, you have to remember to do it! I often pinch them 3x before they finally begin sending up 18-inch stems.
The stems can become tangled and difficult to harvest.

CHOOSING SEEDS

When choosing seeds, the most important consideration is height. Look for varieties that will reach 18 inches.

Here are a few of my favorite Phlox to grow for cut flower use:

“Blushing Bride”
“Cherry Carmel”
“Creme Brulee”
“Grandiflora Tapestry Mix”
“Sugar Stars”

HOW TO SOW

Phlox can be a little fussy to start from seed. The trick is darkness - once sown, the seeds need to be kept in the dark until they germinate.

You’ve got a few options:

Sow seeds in trays and stick the trays somewhere dark and warm.
Cover the seeds completely with soil or vermiculite.
Cover the seed tray with another tray on top of it.

Once the seeds have germinated, you can move them into a bright location (under grow lights or a greenhouse). Seeds should germinate in about 5-10 days.

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Phlox can be direct sown or transplanted. I recommend transplanting since germination can be a bit tricky.

Start Phlox from seed indoors about 6 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost.

Seedlings can be transplanted after the frost date. If the seedlings are starting to bloom in the trays, simply pinch off the blooms.

If you want blooms all summer, consider planting 2-3 successions of Phlox, about 3 weeks apart.

Phlox is considered an Annual, but I consider them a “Hardy Annual” since they can tolerate frost when the plants are mature. Annual Phlox is often one of the last flowers standing in the field after frost arrives.

Speaking of frost…

Side note: My neighbor hired a photographer to take photos of her beloved dog on our flower farm in early October. The night before the photo shoot, our farm was hit by a killing frost and all the flowers turned brown and dead… except for the Phlox! The Phlox was unscathed by the frost and the photographer managed to capture some beautiful images of the dog surrounded by the Phlox!

PLANT SPACING

Plants can be spaced 6-9 inches apart. I recommend close spacing to encourage the plants to grow taller.

GROWING ON

Phlox has average water and fertilizer requirements. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses are recommended as too much water on the plants can cause disease issues.

Now let's talk about pinching (pruning or cutting back the plant).

Phlox has a very odd, rambling growth habit and without some pinching, the plants be quite unruly.

They often try to start blooming when they are only 2-3 inches tall. While these are cute, they are not usable in bouquets, where I need 18” stems.

The solution? I simply go in with a pair of snips, cut off the blooms and tell the plant “Nice try, but I know you can do better. Let’s try again.”

After 2-3 rounds of this treatment, the plants start sending up lovely 18” long stems.

I don’t recommend netting Phlox, because the stems would be a tangled mess in the netting.

Blushing Bride - Long stems after being pinched a few times!

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest the stems when about ½ of the blooms on the stem are open. The remaining blooms will slowly open up in the vase. If all of the blooms are fully open (fully ripe or over ripe), the flowers will not last as long in the vase.

POST-HARVEST CARE

Phlox requires no special post-harvest care.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

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Lori Hernandez 1/13/25 Lori Hernandez 1/13/25

How to Grow Peppergrass

How to Grow: Peppergrass (Lepidium ruderale)

INTRODUCTION

Of all the plants we grow on the farm, Peppergrass might be my absolute favorite.

Just a few stems in a bouquet add sparkle, texture and delight.

The emerald-colored “beads” (seed pods) work in a wide variety of arrangements, from fun and playful to elegant and sophisticated.

Peppergrass is the common name for this lovely plant in the Cress (Lepidium) family.

Several similar-looking plants are useful for floral design, including:

Persian Cress (Lepidium sativum),
Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) and
Peppergrass (Lepidium rulerale).

I find Peppergrass to be the most versatile of these three plants.

Peppergrass is useful at 3 different stages:

Fresh, bright green
Fresh, ripened to rose gold
Dried

Peppergrass performs best as a Hardy Annual, planted in the cool weather of spring. We’ve experimented with succession planting it every 2-3 weeks to have a continuous supply, but it does not grow well in the heat of summer (plants grow short and stunted).

This year, we experimented with direct sowing seeds in July for a fall harvest (October). It was somewhat successful, but we need to do more trials before I can recommend it.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Peppergrass for cut flower use.

PROS

It’s one of the best textural filler/foliage you can grow. We use every stem we can grow.
The plants have a long harvest window, which means you have a 7-14 day opportunity to harvest them (unlike some flowers that have a harvest window of a few hours!).
They are tough and durable.
They are long-lasting in the vase.
They have a sturdy stem with a branching habit. One stem can have up to 12-15 branches.
Did I mention that texture?!? They make your bouquets absolutely sparkle!

CONS

They are a “one and done” crop. Once the stem has been harvested, it’s done.
They don’t grow well in hot summer weather. Oh, how I wish I could get Peppergrass to grow all season long!
They can be a bit tedious to harvest. I recommend removing as many of the leaves as possible, as they expire quickly. The stems and “beads” will stay good for weeks.

HOW TO SOW

Some types of plants respond best to the S.T.U.N. growing technique. Peppergrass, along with many Hardy Annual plants, is one of them.

S.T.U.N. is a method I read about in the book “Restoration Agriculture” by Mark Shepherd.

It stands for:
S - Sheer

T - Total

U - Utter

N - Neglect

Ha! Isn’t that the BEST growing technique you’ve ever heard of?

Yup. Some plants THRIVE on neglect. The harder you TRY to grow them, the more they die. These plants do not like to be fussed over.

So here is how I grow Peppergrass.

I fill a seed tray with moist seed starting mix. I casually drop 1-2 seeds per cell, then casually sprinkle a bit of vermiculite on top. It’s important to do this casually - if you’re too careful, the plants will sense it and not grow. Ok, I’m kind of joking… but kind of not ;)

Give the seed trays a quick sprinkle of water to help activate the germination process and then (this is important!), tuck the seed tray in a cool dark place for a week and COMPLETELY IGNORE IT.

No heat mat, no grow lights, no fussing. Just leave it alone.

Set a note on your phone or calendar to check on the tray in about a week.

If they haven’t germinated yet, sprinkle again and check back in a few days.

Once they have germinated, you can remove the trays from the cool dark place and put them in a bright location. Grow the seedlings for about 4-6 weeks before hardening them off and transplanting.

Transplants or Direct Sow?

Peppergrass can be transplanted or directly sown. I recommend transplants since the Peppergrass seedlings resemble weeds and it may be difficult to distinguish them from weed seedlings.

As mentioned earlier, we’ve experimented with succession planting Peppergrass 2-3 times in the spring, as well as direct sowing in mid-summer for a fall harvest. The earliest sown succession always performs best. Subsequent successions are shorter and stunted.

Depending on where you live, you may have the best success sowing the seeds in the fall, 4-6 weeks before your Average First Fall Frost Date. The plants are tough and will “overwinter” in the garden, then bloom the following spring. This option may be best for people growing in hot climates.

P.S. If you have a hoophouse or caterpillar tunnel, you can plant Peppergrass in the fall and overwinter it for an early spring harvest. Don’t forget to also plant seeds in early spring too. This will give you a second succession after the hoophouse crop is finished.

PLANT SPACING

3-6 inch spacing is best. This will encourage the plants to grow taller, longer, straighter stems.

GROWING ON

Peppergrass has average fertility and water needs. Avoid overhead watering as it can cause mildew on the leaves.

Plants naturally branch and do not need to be pinched.

Netting or support is recommended but not completely necessary.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Harvest when the small white flowers have completely shed. Peppergrass is grown for its seed pods, not its flowers. You can harvest the stems when they are bright green or you can wait for them to fade to rose gold.

Harvest the entire stem at the base of the plant. You can use the entire stem in a bouquet or break the branches off from the main stem.

POST-HARVEST CARE

Remove as many leaves from the stem as possible. The leaves expire and rot quickly, but the stems and beads will last for weeks.

Peppergrass is a wonderful dried flower as well. Simply hang bunches upside down in a warm dry place for about 3 weeks until brown and dry.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

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