Favorite Herbs to Grow as a Flower Farmer
When it comes to species we’ll always be in our growing lineup, herbs are always on our list.
Really, herbs change the game when it comes to floral design - as designers as well as growers, we’re always looking for things materials that fulfill certain requirements:
Productivity and vigor
Longevity in the vase
Have something unique when it comes to design or form
Take for example basil. One of my favorite materials to grow, basil fills up every single arrangement, mason jar, centerpiece, and mixed bouquet during our growing season.
It’s definitely productive - pumping out buckets of stems all season long. It’s easy to grow from seed and grows very quickly into a forest of foliage.
It’s long lasting in the vase - sometimes even rooting in it - and with both the foliage and the flowers mixing in well with just about any material it gets a thumbs up from us.
Most of all, basil really adds charm to any arrangement it is part of with its unique properties. For example scent is one of those unique properties - the spicy-sweet scent can fill an entire room, drawing people in like a lure to try and discover the source of that wonderful smell.
The fact that herbs are also very hardy, tough, and in some cases perennial plants that are grown for harvesting makes them even more invaluable as a crop. And because they are familiar to people - most people can pick out basil, mint, sage and rosemary in an arrangement - makes for a great conversation starter and holds the interest of the viewer and makes for even more delight in the experience.
Let’s look at these properties a little more in depth
PRODUCTIVITY
Herbs are hands-down some of our most productive materials we grow. Granted, we plant a lot of them because we use them so much but even still, it’ s not unheard of for us to harvest dozens of stems off a single basil plant or as much as forty stems off a single two-year-old apple mint plant!
Because we’re using them mostly as foliage and filler plants, we don’t necessarily have to wait for a large flower head to form on them. The flowers on many of these species are mostly small and diminutive, allowing for the plant to put more energy and effort into throwing out more stems and more leaves.
The best part is that some herbs will perennialize, such as mint and oregano and sage and rosemary, allowing us to continue to harvest from them year after year without having to replant. It’s in fact necessary to harvest from these plants in order to keep them as herbaceous plants with a nice shape (if not pruned back hard, they will start to form ugly woody tree-like forms and slow in productivity, whereas the more that you cut from them, the more they will produce).
Perennial herbs are a fantastic investment as a flower farmer because they come back bigger and better and more productive every year with minimal maintenance - a light weeding and a top dressing of compost every year and you’re good to go (with some more aggressive species like mint requiring no weeding due to their vigor and outcompeting any weeds that pop up).
SCENT
Herbs are of course picked for their edible or medicinal qualities first, and many times that comes from the essential oils and other compounds present in their leaves and flowers. As I mentioned with the basil, this adds an extra dimension to the experience of the arrangement, adding in the sense of scent to delight and amaze the viewer.
Many of the focal flowers that we use such as dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, ranunculus and anemones have no scent aside from the herby-green freshness that most plant material has already. And while scent is not a necessary component of an arrangement, it is a very welcomed addition.
Even if you don’t appreciate the visual effect of flowers or are interested in them, one can appreciate a good smell. It’s somehow much more primal and visceral than vision, and is one that can immediately transfix people.
By lending that scent, herbs can immediately take your floral designs from great to amazing, to the point where people start to rave and make all sorts of kind comments about your design. Even if you’re just selling mixed bouquets at a farmer’s market or pop-up shop, scented herbs will allow you to draw in people as they walk by with the power of scent.
And as a flower farmer selling to florists, they will also remark on the scent of herbs too. When you bring in buckets of rosemary and sage and basil and the room starts filling up with the scent of the freshly-picked herbs, your florist is going to love you that much more (and be more inclined to buy from you!)
ease of propagation
Herbs are mostly in the Lamiaceae family (with a few exceptions) that include mint, sage, thyme, lavender, oregano, marjoram, basil, hyssop, perilla, coleus, plectranthus and agastache - all species that grow easily from either cuttings or seeds, and grow very vigorously too.
Sage, marjoram, oregano, basil, perilla and coleus all grow well from seed for example, while rosemary, lavender and mint all grow well from cuttings. It is possible to establish a large plant from seed (in the case of basil or perilla) in one year, while in the case of mint or sage or rosemary it’s possible establish a large plant from a plug in just a season or two.
We’ve started a giant row of apple mint from just one plant. First year we took sixteen cuttings off one little quart-sized plant, and then the next year we took a hundred cuttings off those plants, and now we have several hundred plants that will grow and produce for us year after year. Granted mint is so easy to propagate, but sage, oregano and other herbs will also propagate very easily.
Design Esthetic
It’s funny, because although herbs have their origin in culinary purposes and are somewhat basic when it comes to the edible gardening world, in the floral design world they are cast in a very different light.
The addition of these herbs to arrangements are stunning - a refreshing break from salal or eucalyptus or ruscus that are so commonly used and seen in floral design. They lend a romantic, pastoral esthetic to arrangements that is so elegant and fits so well.
If you’re looking to give a “fresh from the garden” esthetic to your arrangements, herbs are an easy way to add that into your design. A couple sprigs of flowering basil, a stem of sage, or a bundle of rosemary can just bring so much to an arrangement.
Our Favorite Herbs
Basil
Our favorite and most used filler and foliage material, we grow basil all season long and cut from it all season long. We grow rows and rows of it, cutting buckets from it all summer and fall, tucking it into everything from mixed bouquets to centerpieces to bridal bouquets, and we never grow tired of it.
The spicy-sweet scent, the delicate lavender flowers that form, the glossy sturdy leaves, the long and delicate stems with incredible vase life, the incredible productivity and vigor - what’s not to love?
There are so many varieties of basil to grow as well. Surprisingly, the usual ‘Genovese’ basil holds up well as a cut flower - you have to let it flower, which reduces the flavor profile for the herb, but the white flowers and bright green foliage is a perfect foliage to use in summer. My favorite is ‘Cinnamon’, a Thai-type basil with dark purple and green leaves and dark purple calyxes and light-lilac blooms that gets very tall and has the most amazing heady scent. We also use ‘Lemon’ with light chartreuse-colored leaves and elegant white and lime-colored flowers, as well as ‘Dark Opal’ with its larger leaf size and dark purple - almost black- coloration.
I already talk about basil too much in regards to flower farming, but if you’re interested in learning more of the details check out this guide to growing basil for floral design.
Mint
One of the first herbs I grew, mint has always had a very special place in my heart as a gardener. And as a flower farmer, it has continued to earn its place in my heart as a very productive crop and beautiful foliage and filler.
Needing no maintenance at all, mint continues to grow happily and readily from April all the way through December for us. It’s only when we get a few hard freezes that it dies back, but I can continue to cut for nine months - not bad at all for a humble little herb!
The reported “invasiveness” of mint is a desired quality in this case - its vigor and vitality is a much desired quality for a flower farmer. And thank goodness for it too - we use it in countless arrangements and it is in high demand with our floral designers as well.
Our favorite variety is ‘Apple mint’ (Mentha suaveolens) due to its long and straight and thick stems, wooly leaves and delicate silvery-green appearance. It pairs well with the usual suspects for wedding design - roses, peonies, ranunculus, dahlias as well as the silvery foliages like the eucalyptus that seems so ubiquitous right now.
On the other hand, we also love the regular old spearmint too - Mentha spicata with glossy, strong leaves and well structured stems. Although not quite as romantic as apple mint, spearmint is sturdy, even more vigorous, and offers a bit of structural presence in an arrangement with its sharp angular leaves.
If you’re interested, we wrote a guide on growing mint for flower farmers here
Oregano
We grew oregano originally for its culinary purposes, but found it very quickly to be an excellent filler and foliage material in bouquets and centerpieces. Hardy, drought tolerant, vigorous and surviving winter so long as it has some good drainage, oregano doesn’t need too much to thrive and provide you with bunches of sweetly-scented stems.
We find that oregano takes a couple seasons to gain enough mass to harvest regularly from - flowering in its second year, but really getting to become a large shrubby perennial in its third. It’s this mass that will allow it to send up beautiful flowering woody stalks covered in purple, lilac and white flowers (depending on the variety) which are our favorite to use in bridal bouquets and centerpieces.
Although you can grow the typical Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare) that will send up green and white masses of cloud-shaped flowers, we discovered a beautiful variety of oregano called ‘Hopley’s Purple’. Growing up to three feet tall with strong wiry stems, fine silvery-green foliage and delicate sprays of green and purple flowers, it’s an absolute delight for any arrangement it is a part of, lasting up to two weeks in the vase for us. It also works great as a dried material too, holding its shape and form (and scent!) very well.
Sage
One of the hardiest, drought tolerant and hardest working herbs in our garden, broadleaf or culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) is a surprising addition to our lineup as far as cut flower material goes.
We initially grew it for culinary purposes, but found that in its second year it would flower for us - big great purple spikes with lavender blossoms that were wonderful for use in arrangements, even drying well for use later on.
And the silvery-green foliage was fantastic too, the soft and furry leaves lending a lot to the floral arrangements we used them in, pairing well with other silvery-grey foliage like brunerra and eucalyptus that are beloved by floral designers and their clients. It holds up admirably in the vase and is a great textural and color foil for the more colorful, fluffier flowers like dahlias and zinnias.
Easily started from seed, sage will be best harvested in its second year, but you can make a couple cuts the first year so long as you don’t mind that the stems will be a bit shorter. Make sure to harvest when the plant is well hydrated and in the cool of day, stripping off the bottom leaves and allowing them to rest in deep cold water for a while before using them in arrangements.
Rosemary
An elegant herb that doubles as a landscape shrub here in New Mexico, rosemary is practically endemic to the area and is planted everywhere from the botanic gardens to parking lots.
It’s a great herb to use as well in arrangements - the vertical shape of the rosemary as well as its very distinct scent and serrated texture are a great addition to any bouquet or arrangement. The small succulent leaves are wonderful for using in bridal bouquets because they don’t get floppy like other foliage can - the leaf size being so small that there’s not a lot of surface area that can cause wilting, so they are admirably tough in all sorts of conditions. They have an amazing vase life - sometimes even rooting in the vase - and are very sturdy.
One note about rosemary is that it does need good drainage and a relatively mild winter. Sopping wet cold soil will cause the root system to rot, while really cold winds and freezing temperatures will cause winter die-back or even death of the plant if severe enough. We could never get them to survive in a Midwestern Zone 5b growing zone, but have no issues with growing them here in a Southwestern 7b growing zone. If you are in a more coastal area like the Pacific Northwest or east coast or in the bay area for example, you’ll find that the coastal buffering of your weather will keep them from freezing as well.
Rosemary is best started from plugs or plants - plugs for large numbers of rosemary plants, potted plants for smaller numbers - as they are very unreliable and difficult when starting from seed - but once they are established they require very little maintenance, surviving even the worst of the summer heat and sun without a bother.
Horehound
Marrubium vulgare is a little known herb, best known for its use as a flavor in hard candies for its medicinal properties (with records showing its use as a medicinal herb dating back to the 1st century BC). A drought tolerant perennial herb that is practically bulletproof (surviving on little to no water in scorching hot summers, surviving freezing winters and coming out fresh as a daisy).
Even better than its resilience and medicinal use is its use as a foliage. One of the first perennials for us to grow in the spring (which is a bit of a misnomer, since it has remained evergreen for us here all winter) it’s one of the few herbs that we can cut from as soon as we have flowers ready to pair with it - usually ranunculus, anemones and poppies (which goes to show how early in the season it can be ready) which makes it invaluable since few other foliages are ready to harvest at that time.
It’s silver-brushed, glaucous coloration makes it look like a mint that was touched by hoarfrost (thus its name). It is a perfect companion for white and pale colored flowers as well as a great contrasting element with bolder colors like bright pink and orange and yellow. It gets along well with more fine-leafed foliage and is a nice textural contrast to the lanceolate shapes of irises and daffodil and tulip foliage.
Horehound is one of the sturdiest foliages we grow - I left a bunch sitting in a bucket outside that lasted for a full 31 days and looked just as fresh as if I had cut it from the field, and has a vase life that is two weeks or for however long you want to keep it. Just make sure to harvest in the cool of morning and let it hydrate fully before arranging with it.
Artemisia
Known by its common name as mugwort or wormwood (which is a specific species known as Artemisia absinthium) artemisia is a silvery foliage plant that is a beautiful addition to bouquets and arrangements, tucked in between other broad-leafed and many-petaled flowers as a delicate little bit of lacey foliage.
Wormwood is a hardy perennial here for us, growing straight through winter and staying evergreen for us. While you can grow some from seed such as Artemisia ludoviciana and Artemisia annua (Sweet Annie) we prefer the cultivared variety ‘Powis Castle’ for its long stems, fine fern-like foliage and silvery-grey color. ‘Silver King’ and ‘Valerie Finnis’ are also great for the silver coloration (although they have broader leaves)
Artemisia will grow quickly in the heat of summer, growing from a relatively small plant into a huge shrub in just one growing season. We keep ours harvested fairly regularly which causes the plants to churn out long stems of silvery foliage for use in bouquets and arrangements. You can even let it flower - the wild varieties will flower very readily, of which I am violently allergic to so we ensure to keep them clipped short to prevent the pollen from forming.
Artemisia can be tricky to harvest, having a propensity to wilt very easily. We find that harvesting during the cool of morning works the best, as well as ensuring the stems are very woody and stiff before harvesting. You’ll also get to experience the wonderful mugwort scent when you harvest, which is very pleasant and deliciously herbal and green. Strip the lower leaves and let it rest in cool water for several hours for best results.
Dill
Dill is one of our favorite herbs to grow, being easy to grow from seed and serving culinary purposes as well as a floral material. Easy to direct sow and easy to grow on, I love everything about dill from its fine feathery foliage, its sharp and delicious scent, and the tall thick umbellifer stems that bear the large golden head of flowers that are perfect for arranging with.
We grow dill in successions, starting in late winter and seeding all the way through June, harvesting the plants completely roots and all to make room for the next succession of flowers that will go in. We sow thickly, scattering the seeds in a solid line down a shallow trench, allowing for the plants to self-thin themselves as needed.
Dill will start blossoming in the summer, sending up tall thick stems that unfurl upwards to reveal the firework-shaped flowers that explode outwards into its golden blooms. We wait until the individual florets bloom before harvesting (it will have a high chance of wilting if you cut it prematurely) after which it will hold up splendidly.
As a word of warning, ensure that if you’re harvesting the dill for use in arrangements that the recipients and viewers will be OK with the scent of dill - if used in a setting that people will be eating at, such as a wedding reception or a restaurant table, it may spoil the experience!
Fennel
Unlike dill (which is a one-and-done plant) fennel is a cut-and-come again plant, which allows you to harvest from a single planting over an entire season, making it infinitely more useful than dill.
We also love the cultivar ‘Bronze Fennel’ - more similar to the wild fennel that you’ll find out in nature - that is a true perennial, coming back year after year with its green-bronze stems, soft mustard-gold flowers and great big smoky-brown foliage that appears to be like a giant brown cloud that has come to hover on the ground in and amongst the other flowers.
The flowers hold up well when harvested like dill (after the individual florets have all bloomed) and are equally nice when harvested in the green seedhead form (which I think looks a bit like the texture of seeded eucalyptus) or even in the dried seedhead form for winter bouquets and arrangements. The scent is less sharp than dill, and is more agreeable to most noses.
Start your fennel early and keep them well watered and fed. They’ll produce a bulb first with lots of ferny foliage before sending up their giant flower stalks in the middle of summer. Keep them deadheaded and they will continue to produce for you all season long.
I hope this inspires you to grow some herbs this year
Whether for foliage or blooms, for your designs or for your clients, herbs deserve a spot in any grower’s lineup for their versatility and the unique texture and scent they can bring to arrangements. What herbs are you growing?
If you’re interested in learning more how to grow herbs, check out the growing guides below:
Also this post on perennial propagation including mint and artemisia and catmint
If you’re interested in learning how to grow for a farmer’s market, selling herbs wholesale to florists or even how to grow herbs and flowers for weddings, check out our flower farmer eBook bundle below - the ultimate bundle for anyone wanting to start a flower farm.
