The winner: Snapdragon, 96/100. Runner-up: Anthurium at 88. Lowest upkeep of the qualifiers: Marigolds at 81.
A cutting garden is a small farm, and this list hires accordingly: documented cut-flower pedigree, a published vase record, a long window to cut from, a palette for mixed bouquets and deer pressure all get their own lines in the score.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Cut-flower pedigree: sold by specialist growers · Vase life once cut: 12 · Length of the cutting window: 4 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)Not for cat households
85/ 100tap for the breakdown
Cut-flower pedigree16 / 20sold by specialist growers
Vase life once cut20 / 2012
Length of the cutting window15 / 204 months
Palette for mixed bouquets20 / 209 documented
Deer pressure on the cutting patch14 / 20B
The protocol
How the score is built
5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Cut-flower pedigree20 pointssold in most shops crop 20; sold by specialist growers 16; garden-cut tradition 10 Read from: whether it is grown as a cut flower.
Vase life once cut20 pointstypically ten days or more 20; a week 16; four days 10; less 6; no data 8 Read from: days it holds in plain water.
Length of the cutting window20 pointssix or more months to cut from 20; four to five 15; two to three 10; one 5 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Palette for mixed bouquets20 pointsfive or more documented colors 20; three to four 15; two 8; single color 4; no data 8 Read from: flower color.
Deer pressure on the cutting patch20 pointsRutgers A, rarely damaged 20; B 14; C 7; D, deer candy 1; not rated 8 Read from: the Rutgers deer rating.
Cut-flower pedigree16 / 20sold by specialist growers
Vase life once cut16 / 207 to 10
Length of the cutting window15 / 205 months
Palette for mixed bouquets20 / 209 documented
Deer pressure on the cutting patch14 / 20B
Considered, not chosen
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
not documented as a cut flowerBegonia, Canna Lily, Christmas Cactus and 16 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Snapdragon
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
