How to Grow Orlaya for the Cutting Garden (and Floral Design)
Orlaya is the funny name for a beautiful flower that we weren’t growing.
I wasn’t convinced initially that we should grow it - it was an umbellifer much like Queen Anne’s Lace (Chocolate Lace Flower) and Ammi and fennel, all of which we were growing already and had good success with.
On the other hand, there were a couple things that (after discussing it with other growers - we’re the worst at enabling each other in growing too many varieties of flowers!) had me excited about orlaya:
Orlaya has an extremely unique appearance
Unlike the other umbellifers, orlaya has some extremely large and broad ray florets that are a lovely contrast to other flowers. Similar in appearance to a lacecap hydrangea bloom, it’s easy to imagine that a small fairy creature had knitted a fine lace cloth that covers the tall and slender stems of these plants, floating in the air, almost shimmering in the evening light and glowing brightly during the daytime.
Lacy and airy enough to act as a graceful and airy foil in comparison to broad-petaled flowers like sweet peas and ranunculus, it’s form and appearance is also strong and distinct enough to where it contrasts well with finer-textured materials like nigella and ammi visnaga.
The bright white flowers are of course the perfect flower material for wedding design, but also makes for a wonderfully airy and elegant addition for any bouquets, especially when combined with other “wildflowers” including bachelor buttons, sweet peas, and phlox.
Orlaya is an extremely tough plant
Despite its delicate appearance, orlaya is a really tough plant. Much like its distantly related cousin Daucus carota, it forms a strong taproot that allows it to be both drought tolerant and well rooted in even the poorest soils.
I believe that it’s this taproot that allows it to grow vigorously and survive both cold temperatures and hot temperatures equally.
In fact, orlaya is one of the most cold-hardy of the hardy annuals that we grow, being able to withstand temperatures down to below -5 F (-20 C) - one of the most cold-hardy of the hardy annuals (along with Icelandic poppies, snapdragons and dianthus).
This allows for us to be able to grow orlaya confidently without worrying that it will succumb to cold temperatures, allowing for us to grow it even in the open field without issue (although we do cover them with row cover to allow for an even more mild environment underneath and quicker, more vigorous plants come spring).
Especially if you’re growing in a cold zone (like 5a or colder) I would highly recommend ensuring that orlaya is included in your lineup for cut flowers. Proper filler flowers are hard to come by in the early spring, but properly overwintered orlaya will start blooming early and prolifically - invaluable as a filler flower!
How to Start Orlaya from Seed
Orlaya is best started from seed - and freshly harvested good quality seed is important for this flower. We purchased ours initially from Select Seeds and were very pleased by the germination - 100% germination rate - and have continued to save our seed and move volunteer seedlings as needed. It’s one of those that once you plant it, you won’t have to plant it again given how good it is at reseeding, which is a welcome addition to any cutting garden.
The best time to start orlaya
We start our orlaya in the fall around the end of October, when we start getting some colder temperatures. Being an umbellifer (similar to Queen Anne’s Lace) they benefit from temperatures alternating between below freezing and above freezing - this helps to break down the compounds that inhibit germination for the seed. If the seedlings don’t germinate right away, we’ll leave the flat outside to catch some colder, chillier temperatures and wait for the seeds to start sprouting.
Alternatively, some people will refrigerate their seeds (not freeze) for 1-2 weeks prior to sowing to give them that chilling period. You can try both and see how they work, but I’ve never tried the refrigerator method.
How to Direct Sow Orlaya
You can also direct sow orlaya out in the field if you want to. Orlaya will benefit from the outside environment - again, the alternating temperatures between freezing and not-freezing conditions will help to trigger germination. You can plant your seed at 6” intervals and then lightly press them into the soil to give them good contact.
Alternatively, you can also just let your previous sowing of orlaya reseed into the bed. Just chop the heads off and let the seed heads scatter themselves in the area you want them. We have a lot of volunteers from where we’ve grown orlaya in the past (and other places where we have not), and I must say I’m quite impressed at how effectively it reseeds itself since I’m always pulling out volunteers.
Now I personally don’t recommend direct sowing orlaya since I think the seed is a bit more expensive compared to ammi or daucus, but that’s just my personal perspective on the matter. Of course if you have oodles of orlaya seed that you’ve grown out from your own plants, that’s a different matter entirely.
Growing out orlaya
When your seeds have shown 50% germination in your flat, then move them out to where they can get good light. This is important to prevent leggy seedlings, and to encourage them to grow well. Even if its colder, your orlaya will continue to grow (albeit slowly) and maintain themselves over the winter.
We plant out our orlaya when they have around 2-3 sets of true leaves (not including the seed leaves) or alternatively when they’ve filled up their 72 cell tray and have a good root system. You don’t want them too big and lush because that means that they’ll be more vulnerable to cold damage out in the field - they are hardier as little seedlings than they are as big leafy plants.
We plant orlaya every 6” - it’s both the spacing we’ve found works best for the plants as well as the default spacing for our drip emitters, so it works pretty well for us! When planted this close, we find that there are less issues with weeds and it forces the orlaya to grow tall.
Since orlaya is pretty cold hardy, we technically don’t need to cover them in order to survive - but we generally do throw a row cover on top of a low tunnel, given that plants grown under row cover will be growing in a more protected environment and will establish itself earlier and bloom earlier and more productively as well.
When Does Orlaya Bloom?
Orlaya generally blooms around the end of spring or the beginning of summer. Technically they should bloom around 2 months after sowing if you were growing them in a mild environment like a zone 4a, but for those of us overwintering them they will bloom once the days start getting longer and the temperatures are getting hotter.
For us, they bloom at the end of May, with the first harvest of stems usually arriving the first week of June.
How to Harvest Orlaya as a Cut Flower
Orlaya is a bit tricky to harvest because it is very prone to being floppy or wilty. In fact, it is notorious for being floppy which means that some people have eliminated it as a cut flower.
I have found that the trick is to find a flower that is all the way open (or almost all the way open) and cut for the length of stem that you want. Ignore the side shoots for now, and get that stem into cold and clean water and into a cool and dark room ASAP. You’ll let it sit and hydrate for a good six to twelve hours, just letting it soak up all that water and drink drink drink.
After your orlaya is hydrated, you may still notice that some of the immature flowers and buds are floppy. That’s okay - unlike some filler flowers like daucus or ammi, you won’t be able to use orlaya as a spray, but you will at least have the mature flower available and well hydrated for use in your design.
Can You Use Orlaya as a Dried Floral Material?
You most certainly can! They get these really cool fuzzy structural seed heads that are in the traditional umbellifer (umbrella-like)shape that are a great textural addition in dried bouquets.
To harvest orlaya as a dried material, simply pick once the seed pods have formed, then hang them upside down to dry. Alternatively, you can wait until the seed pods have gone brown for a different look, but make sure you don’t wait too long because the seed pods can start falling off and it will ruin the effect.
How to Save Orlaya Seed
As I mentioned previously, you can save orlaya seed once the seedpods have formed and they turn brown.
Unlike some other plants, orlaya seed comes in a very large (and easy to handle) disc-like pod that is around 2mm x 2mm in size. It looks similar to a dill seed in my opinion (which again would totally make sense given its relation to the dill plant).
To harvest orlaya seed, wait until the seed pods have turned brown on the plant and then cut off the seed heads. You can either save the entire seed head or you can separate out the seeds for easier storage.
I recommend storing them in a cool and dry place - we store ours in a cabinet, or you can also store them in the freezer inside of a plastic seal-able bag or foil pouch. This will help to keep them fresh and give you the best germination rates.
How to Design with Orlaya
So as I mentioned previously, orlaya is best harvested as a single stem flower, so you’ll be using it more as a single stem than as a spray.
I personally like using it less as a traditional filler flower and more as this sort of screen or semi-opaque veil that adds another dimension and layer to my arrangement while still allowing you to take in some of the textures and colors beneath it.
And can I just say how much I love orlaya as a flower in an arrangement? It’s seriously so elegant and gorgeous - again, much like a lace cap hydrangea and giving me serious cottage garden vibes with its appearance. A perfect flower to pair with sweet peas and mint and phlox and nigella.
It’s also more diminutive compared to bigger umbellifers like ammi, dill, fennel and daucus, which makes it easier to incorporate into arrangements and bouquets. Unlike the gigantic flowers and seed heads of its counterparts, it is far better behaved - allowing you to tuck and weave it into centerpieces and bouquets.
If you do use it in a bridal bouquet, ensure that it stays well hydrated for the wedding. Again, see my previous comments regarding its droopiness if it’s not properly hydrated - otherwise it should hold up well.
I hope I’ve inspired you to grow some orlaya this next year
It’s really such a pretty plant and flower, and the fact that it’s not well known is a surprise to me. However given its absolute beauty and elegant form, its productivity as a cut and come again flower and its winter hardiness and ease of care it should be a staple for gardeners and flower farmers alike.
Have you grown orlaya? Are you planning on doing so? Let us know in the comments what your experience has been in growing orlaya.
