How to Grow Strawflower From Seed

Strawflower is a warm-season annual that needs settled, frost-free weather to thrive. In most gardens, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost to get a jump on the long bloom season, then transplant out once the danger of frost has passed. In warmer regions you can also direct sow once the soil has warmed. Because strawflower blooms best in the heat of summer, an early indoor start gives you the fullest, longest display of papery flowers.

Give strawflower a spot in full sun with light, well-drained soil; it dislikes heavy, wet ground more than almost anything. Like many everlasting flowers, strawflower seed needs light to germinate, so surface sow it and press it gently into the soil without covering it, or barely dust it over. Keep the surface lightly moist and warm, and expect seedlings in 7 to 14 days. Thin or transplant to stand 9 to 12 inches apart. Pinching out the growing tip when plants are young encourages branching and many more flowering stems.

Strawflower is a tough, low-fuss plant once it is up and growing. Water moderately and let the soil dry between waterings, since these plants prefer things on the drier side and rot in soggy ground. Feed lightly if at all; lean conditions produce sturdy stems and plentiful blooms. Taller varieties benefit from a little support or close spacing to keep them upright. Deadheading spent flowers keeps new buds coming, though you will want to leave plenty of blooms to cut and dry at their peak.

Strawflower loves the company of other sun-loving, heat-tough annuals that make great cut and dried flowers. Pair it with these non-GMO favorites:

Strawflower is the everlasting flower, grown above all for drying. For the best dried blooms, cut the stems when the flowers are only just beginning to open, showing two or three rows of petals, because the papery bracts continue to open as they dry. Cut long stems in the morning, strip the leaves, and hang small bundles upside down in a warm, dark, airy spot for a week or two. The dried flowers hold their brilliant color for months, making everlasting bouquets, wreaths, and arrangements that last through winter.

Strawflower earns its keep as the premier everlasting flower, its crisp, papery blooms holding vivid color long after cutting and drying for wreaths, bouquets, and crafts. In the living garden the flowers are also a welcome nectar source for bees and butterflies, and the plants bloom tirelessly through the summer heat. Grow strawflower in the cutting garden, in sunny borders, or in containers, and enjoy it twice: once fresh in the bed and again as a dried bouquet indoors.

• Seeds not sprouting: strawflower needs light to germinate. Surface sow and press the seed in rather than burying it, and keep the surface consistently warm and moist.
• Root rot or wilting in wet soil: strawflower hates soggy ground. Plant in well-drained soil, water moderately, and let the soil dry between waterings.
• Powdery mildew on leaves: a white film in humid, crowded conditions. Improve spacing and airflow and water at the base rather than overhead.
• Leggy, floppy plants: too little sun or no pinching. Grow in full sun and pinch young plants to encourage bushy, well-branched, self-supporting growth.
• Dried flowers wilting or drooping: usually harvested too late or dried too slowly. Cut before blooms fully open and hang them in a warm, dark, airy place to dry quickly.