WOODY ORNAMENTALS FOR CUT FLOWER GROWERS

CURRENT TOPIC
By Janet Bachmann NCAT Agriculture Specialist July 2002
Special thanks to Lane Greer, former NCAT/ATTRA technical specialist, who reviewed this publication and contributed information and photos.

INTRODUCTION
Woody cuts or woodies come from perennial shrubs, trees, or woody vines. Flowering branches, foliage, fruits, pods, and stems are gaining wide use in creative floral design. If you are a cut-flower grower, woody ornamentals can be some of the best plants for extending your season and filling out your bouquets. In addition to season extension, woody ornamentals have a number of other advantages. They generally have few pest problems and can be grown on land unsuited for other crops. Once established, these perennials generally dont require as much care as annuals. They can serve as attractive landscape plants, as habitat for beneficial insects and birds, and as windbreaks. Disadvantages include higher establishment costs and a wait of a year or more for the first harvest. In addition, although many cut-flower growers are already growing woodies, there is little information about the best cultivars, harvest times, postharvest treatment, pricing, and markets.

From top to bottom: Nandina domestica; Magnolia stellata chrysanthemif l o r a ; Prunus mume rose bud.

GETTINGSTARTED
Because you will be establishing perennials, weed management will be a special concern. You can decrease weed problems by covering the planting bed with landscape fabric, and then covering the fabric with an organic mulch such as wood chips. Fertilizers and soil amendments should be worked into the soil before planting. This is especially true for phosphorus, which is not very mobile in the soil. Fertility requirements for most woodies are similar to those for orchard trees and shrubs, but additional phosphorus helps to produce longer shoots.
ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702), Butte, Montana, and Davis, California.

Irrigation is especially important at planting time and when the plants are small. As plants become established, irrigation may no longer be necessary. If you want your woody ornamentals to serve as a windbreak or as part of your landscape design, space them according to recommendations for those purposes. However, if you are planting them only to make cuttings, tight spacing is better. This causes stems to grow long and straight. For most woody cuts, plants are set 26 feet apart within rows. But be sure to leave enough space between rows for field operations, such as mowing a walkway cover-crop or harvesting branches. Grower Elizabeth Dean found that double rows of plants staggered on 4- to 6Field planting of hollies foot beds with 6- to 8foot sod paths between the beds accommodate her mowing equipment (1). Pruning to encourage growth of many long stems differs from pruning for a landscape specimen. In a typical plant, the dominant apical or tip bud prevents the development of the dormant buds or side shoots. If you remove the tip bud by pruning or pinching, other buds on the stem will develop. If you prune the apical bud from the plant when it is small, it will branch low to the ground and produce long, usable stems. If you prune a larger plant, you must cut it back hard to get a flush of long stems. A general rule when harvesting woody ornamentals is to leave at least a third of the foliage on the plant when you cut. Once the plants have gone dormant, however, some species, such as Buddleia and Caryopteris, can be cut to the ground (2).

WHAT TO PLANT
When selecting plants to grow for woody cuts, look for species that:

Have the ability to grow well in your climate, and regrow rapidly after severe and frequent pruning. Produce numerous stems borne over a long period of time. Produce stems at least 18" long (upscale florists like long stems). Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia) Retain flowers, berries, or foliage well Photo by Janet Bachmann Have a long vase life. Produce harvestable branches early in the plants life. Extend your season from forced flowers (forsythia, fruit trees) in the spring; to berries (beautyberry, bittersweet) or bright foliage (oak) in the fall; to red berries and/or green foliage (hollies, pine, juniper, magnolia) for Christmas.

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Boxwood, dogwood, forsythia, holly, hydrangea, jasmine, lilac, pussy willow, and corkscrew willow have long been popular in the floral trade. The table Woody Ornamentals Suitable for Cutting (p. 58) lists other possible choices. Consider growing a mix of best-sellers and unusual cuts.

HARVEST AND POSTHARVEST

The proper time of harvest for flowering branches varies. Forsythia, quince, and fruit blossoms are best cut when the buds are very tight; color need not be showing. Lilac, rhododendron, Kalmia, deutzia, camellia, witch hazel, hibiscus, Mahonia, spirea, Pieris, and viburnum are among those that should be cut just as they are starting to open. The suggested time to cut butterfly bush is when half the flowers on the inflorescence are open but before the open flowers have started to fade. Acacia, hydrangea, leonotis, Hypericum , Cornus, and Erica species should be cut when nearly or fully open (3). Forcing blossoms is a way to have an early supply of flowers that would normally bloom later in the season. It also allows you to have flowers available on specific dates for special events. Cut pussy willow, forced Many ornamental trees and shrubs set their flower buds during the summer for bloom the following spring, go dormant in winter, and come out of dormancy when exposed to warmth and moisture. Late winter, the best time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs, is also the best time to cut branches for forcing. Cut branches for forcing when the outside temperature is above freezing they will be more pliable and make a better transition from cold outdoor temperatures to warmer indoor temperatures. Set the branches in buckets of warm (100 to 110F) water with a floral preservative dissolved in it. Start forcing at 50F; higher temperatures at the start will blast the buds. After a couple of weeks, you can speed up the time to flowering by moving the buds to a room as warm as 75F, keep it slow at 50F, or halt it by placing the branches in cold storSpring Bouquet (Viburnum tinus) age at 35F (4). Pussy willow, flowering quince, forsythia, and fruit blossoms are among the most common woody plants cut for forcing. Suitable branches can be cut from other willows, filberts, beeches, birches, fothergillas, witch hazels, eastern redbud, lilacs, magnolias, rhododendrons, flowering quinces, and red maple (5).

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More information on forcing can be found in the book Floriculture by John Dole (6). He gives details on lilac and forsythia, two species whose production and forcing requirements are well documented. Branches that are chosen for their beauty simply as bare branches such as redtwig and yellowtwig dogwood are cut when dormant. The dogwood stems will be green during the sumPurple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) mer, but change color during cold winter weather. Do not put the cut stems into water, but store them dry. They will last for months. Branches chosen for their ornamental fruits are generally cut after the fruits are mature. Bittersweet should be cut before its pods open; the vines are stored dry. American beautyberry should be cut when mid-stem berries are colored. Green fruits do not color after harvest (7).

MARKETING CHANNELS
Lane Greer and John M. Dole of North Carolina State University offer these comments: For the most part, the same marketing channels used by cut-flower growers are used by woody-cut growers. These include farmers markets, pick-yourown, and retail florists. However, there are some differences. Many farmers markets and most pick-yourown establishments are closed from late fall to early spring, which is a great time for harvesting and selling many woody cuts such as pussy willow. A few retail florists may not be interested in woody cuts. Working with berried plants like Callicarpa, for instance, can be challenging. Those florists who tend to create original designs will demand new flowers, different colored stems, and unusual plants to lend their work a taste of the uncommon.

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RESOURCES
Lynn Byczynskis excellent book The Flower Farmer (2) has a chapter devoted to woody ornamentals. Byczynski also publishes the popular monthly journal Growing for Market. This publication is not targeted specifically toward flower growers, but it usually has at least one article on field-grown cut flowers. Anyone who is considering growing cut flowers (woody or otherwise) should invest in a copy of Allan Armitages book Specialty Cut Flowers (8). Armitage devotes a section to woody cuts, in which he describes production and handling as well as propagation techniques, field culture, greenhouse production, and postharvest techniques. Other growers are another good source of information. The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) (9) enables growers to share production and Holly berries marketing information with each other. The ASCFG produces a membership directory that contains information about individual growers and the varieties of flowers they produce. The directory is free to ASCFG members and is for sale to nonmembers. Other member benefits include a quarterly newsletter and a listserv where members share questions and answers of all kinds. The ASCFG also hosts an annual conference. The 2002 conference, September 1821 in Middleton, Wisconsin, will include special sessions on woody ornamentals. The American Nurseryman (10) includes advertisements for many plant sources. It also advertises many useful books, and often has articles on woody ornamentals that are suitable for cuts.

Woody Ornamentals Suitable for Cutting

Botanical Name
Abelia chinensis Abeliophyllum distichum Acacia spp. Acer rubrum Amorpha canescens Aronia arbutifolia Aucuba japonica Betula papyrifera Buddleia davidii Buddleia globosa Buddleia weyeriana Buxus spp. Boxwood White forsythia Abundant small white flowers, delicate fragrance. Suitable for forcing.

Common Name

Comments

Red maple Leadplant amorpha Red chokeberry Japanese aucuba Birch Butterfly bush Orange butterfly bush

Often used as whole trees at 8-10' (silk leaves). Numerous cultivars with flowers in shades of purple, pink, white. Bright yellow, fragrant flowers. Hybrid with yellow to yellow-orange flowers. Sun Gold has long vase life. Long-lasting foliage. Variegated and green cultivars.

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Callicarpa americana Callicarpa bodinieri Callicarpa dichotoma

American beautyberry Bodinieri beautyberry Purple beautyberry

Grown for its metalic purple berries. Zones 610. Must be defoliated. Grown for its berries. Must be defoliated. Grown for its berries. Profusion is recommended cultivar. Must be defoliated. Smaller fruit than C. americana. Zones 58. Many cultivars. Cultivar: Athens. Will provide cuts in first year. Blue flowers produced in late summer. Vines need trellis. Cut before fruits open. Cut for flowers when buds are tight. Flowers in early spring, suitable for forcing. Fragrant flowers in winter. Cut flowers can last 710 days. Fragrant flowers in summer. Stems of cultivar Buds Yellow turn yellow in cold weather. For best color, cut stems back hard every year. Spring flowers; cut when open. Dried cut stems last for months. Grown for red stems. Cut in fall or winter and store dry. Pale yellow flowers are produced in early spring. Cultivar: Contorta; grown for its stems. Cultivari: Velvet Cloak. Purple foliage has a good vase life. Also called leatherwood. Beautiful foliage, fragrant white flowers. Many cultivars. Foliage is excellent for cut branches. Zones 8 and 9. Creamy to pinkish tinged, fragrant flowers. Flowers are lilac-colored and borne along entire length of stem, not fragrant. Also called winter daphne; fragrant early spring flowers. Stems are very short. Species include Silverberry, Autumn olive. Good foliage, fragrant flowers. Cultivar Gilt Edge has extra-showy foliage.

Calluna vulgaris Calycanthus floridus Caryopteris clandonensis Celastrus scandens Cercis canadensis Cercis chinensis Chaenomeles speciosa Chaenonmeles japonica Chimonanthus praecox Chionanthis retusus Clematis spp. Clethra alnifolia Cornus alba Cornus florida Cornus sanguinea Cornus sericia Corylopsis spicata Corylus avellana Cotinus coggygria Cotinus obovatus Cyrilla racemiflora Cytisus spp. Danae racemosa Daphne burkwoodii Daphne genkwa Daphne odora Deutzia elegantissima Eleagnus spp. Eleagnus x ebbingii Erica spp.

Heather Common sweetshrub Bluebeard American bittersweet Eastern redbud Chinese redbud Flowering quince Japanese flowering quince Fragrant wintersweet Chinese fringetree Clematis Summersweet clethra Tatarian dogwood Flowering dogwood Dogwood Redtwig dogwood Winterhazel European filbert European smoketree American smoketree Swamp cyrilla Scotch broom Alexandrian laurel Burkwood daphne Lilac daphne Fragrant daphne Elegant deutzia

Heaths

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Euonymus alata Euonymus atropurpurea Forsythia x intermedia Fothergilla gardenii Hamamelis mollis Hamamelis vernalis Hamamelis virginiana Hydrangea spp. Hypericum androsemum Hypericum buckleyi Hypericum frondosum Hypericum Hidcote Hypericum prolificum Ilex decidua Ilex serrata Ilex veticillata Itea virginica Jasminum mesnyi Kerria japonica Koelreuteria bipinnata Leptospermum scoparium Lonicera fragrantissima Lonicera x heckrottii Lonicera sempervirens Loropetulum chinense Magnolia grandiflora Magnolia stellata Malus spp. Michelia figo Myrica cerifera Myrica pensylvanica Nandina domestica Oxydendron arboreum Philadelphus coronarius Physocarpos Diablo Pittosporum tobira Poncirus trifoliata

Winged euonymus Wahoo Forsythia Dwarf fothergilla Chinese witchhazel Vernal witchhazel Common witchhazel Hydrangea St. Johnswort Blueridge St. Johnswort Golden St. Johnswort

Interesting stems with rich-brown corky ridges. Abundant attractive fruits. Yellow flowers in early spring, suitable for forcing. Lynwood Gold has more stems than other cultivars.

Extremely early spring blossoms. Fragrant. Late fall blossoms. Flowers in blue, pink, white depending on soil acidity. Also used as dried flowers. Cultivars: Albury Purple, Excellent Flair. Summer bloomers with smooth bluish-green foliage. Interesting seed capsules in fall, useful in dried arrangements. Interesting seed capsules in fall, useful in dried arrangements. Deciduous, harvest when berries are mature. Deciduous, harvest when berries are mature. Deciduous, harvest when berries are mature.

Shrubby St. Johnswort Possumhaw Japanese winterberry Winterberry Virginia sweetspire Primrose jasmine Goldenraintree Broom teatree Winter honeysuckle Goldflame honeysuckle Trumpet honeysuckle Chinese witchhazel Southern magnolia Star magnolia Flowering crabapple Banana shrub Wax myrtle Northern bayberry Heavenly bamboo Sourwood Mock orange Ninebark Japanese pittosporum Hardy orange

Cultivar Picta has handsome white-edged leaves. Fruits collected in pink stage and dried last for years. Evergreen foliage. Fragrant early-spring flowers. Vine; carmine flower buds change color as they open. Cultivars with yellow, orange, or red flowers. Large, creamy white, fragrant flowers; evergreen foliage. Suitable for forcing. Suitable for forcing. Adapted to Costal Plain; very fragrant flowers. Evergreen foliage. Fragrant. Aromatic leaves; gray fruits in winter. Red berries in fall, white flowers early summer, attractive foliage. Fragrant white flowers early summer. Fragrant white flowers late spring. Deep maroon leaves all summer. Fragrant flowers late spring, lustrous foliage yearround. Zones 810. Grown for thorny stems. Zones 69.

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Prunus spp. Pyracantha coccinea Pyrus spp. Rhododendron spp. Rosa spp. Salix alba Salix caprea Salix discolor Salix gracilistyla Salix irrorata Salix matsudana Salix sachalinensis Skimmia japonica Skimmia laureola Spiraea prunifolia Spiraea spp. Stachyrus praecox Symphoricarpus alba Symplocos paniculata Syringa spp. Ulmus alata Viburnum spp. Vitex spp. Weigela florida

Flowering almonds, plums, cherries, apricots Scarlet firethorn Pears Rose White willow Florists willow Pussy willow Rosegold pussy willow Blue stem willow Curly willow Japanese fantail willow Skimmia Skimmia Spirea Spirea

Suitable for forcing. Attractive fruit. Suitable for forcing. Can be grown specifically for their hips to be cut in fall. Grown for golden stems and red-orange twigs. Grown for catkins. Grown for catkins. Grown for catkins. Grown for interesting stems. Cultivar Sekka grown for fantailed stems. Evergreen, aromatic leaves. Evergreen foliage, sweet-scented creamy green flowers. Many species and cultivars. Long chains of pale yellow flowers borne in spring. Very interesting look.

Common snowberry Sapphireberry Lilac Winged elm Viburnums, snowball Chastetree Weigela

White, berry-like fruits are ornamental, but often discolored. Fragrant, creamy white flowers in early summer. Zones 48. Cut for flowers, strip leaves. Grown for stems with corky wings. Store dry. Many species and cultivars grown for flowers, leaves, and fruits. Flowers range from lilac and lavender through pink and white. Many cultivars grown for flowers.

REFERENCES
1) Dean, Elizabeth. 1995. Woody plants for cut flowers. p. 1020. In: Bryan Hayes (ed.) Speakers Notes, ASCFG National Conference. Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Oberlin, OH. 2) Byczynski, Lynn. 1997. The Flower Farmer. Gardeners Supply. 224 p. Available for $24.95 plus shipping and handling from: Growing for Market P.O. Box 3747 Lawrence, KS 66046 1-800-307-8949 growing4market@earthlink.net http://www.growingformarket.com

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3) Fulton, Will. 1990. Harvesting and shipping woody ornamentals. p. 4549. In: Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc. (ed.) Grown With Pride in the U.S.A., Proceedings of the 3rd National Conference on Specialty Cut Flowers, September 2326, 1990, Ventura, CA. 4) Shenk, Nancy and Bob Shenk. 2002. Forcing branches. Fine Gardening. JanuaryFebruary. p. 4345. 5) Jenkins, David F. 1991. Woody plants as cut flowers. p. 6874. In: Proceedings of the 4th National Conference on Specialty Cut Flowers. Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Oberlin, OH. 6) Dole, John M. and Harold F. Wilkins. 1999. Floriculture: Principles and Species. Prentice Hall. 617 p. 7) Greer, Lane. 2002. Woody Cuts. Presentation at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Annual Conference, January 26 and 27, Chattanooga, TN. 8) Armitage, Allen M. 1993. Specialty Cut Flowers: The Production of Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs and Woody Plants for Fresh and Dried Cut Flowers. Varsity Press/Timber Press, Portland, OR. 392 p. 9) Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Judy Laushman, Executive Director M.P.O. Box 0268 Oberlin, OH 44074 440-774-2887 440-774-2435 Fax http://www.ascfg.org 10) American Nurseryman American Nurseryman Publishing Co. 77 W. Washington Street Suite 2100 Chicago, IL 60602 312-782-5505 http://www.amerinursery.com

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ENCLOSURES
Byczynski, Lynn. 1993. Woody ornamentals: Money from trees? Growing for Market. March. p. 1, 45. Ciensinki, Susie. 2002. Pussy willows. Organic Gardening. JanuaryFebruary. p. 1921. Dean, Elizabeth. 1995. Woody plants for cut flowers. p. 1020. In: Bryan Hayes (ed.) Speakers Notes, ASCFG National Conference. Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Oberlin, OH. Eisel, Mervin C. 1988. Deciduous woody plants for the florist trade. p. 5764. In: Commercial Field Production of Cut and Dried Flowers. Center for Alternative Crops and Products, St. Paul, MN. Fulton, Will. 1990. Harvesting and shipping woody ornamentals. p. 4549. In: Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc. (ed.) Grown With Pride in the U.S.A., Proceedings of the 3rd National Conference on Specialty Cut Flowers, September 2326, 1990. Ventura, CA. Jenkins, David F. 1991. Woody plants as cut flowers. p. 6874. In: Proceedings of the 4th National Conference on Specialty Cut Flowers. Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Oberlin, OH. Shenk, Nancy and Bob. 2002. Forcing branches. Fine Gardening. JanuraryFebruary. p. 4345. Simeone, Vinnie. 2001. Cutback shrubs: Great potential for cut flowers and foliage. The Cut Flower Quarterly. July. p. 2122.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Bir, Richard E. 1992. Growing and Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 192 p. Dirr, Michael A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation, and Uses. 5th Ed. Stipes Publishing LLC. 1250 p. Fisher, Kathleen. 2000. Taylors Guide to Shrubs. Houghton Mifflin. 441 p. Poor, Janet Beakin and Nancy Peterson Brewster, eds. 1996. Plants That Merit Attention: Volume IIShrubs. Timber Press. Wilson, Jim and Guy Sternberg. 1995. Landscaping with Native Trees. Chapters Publishing Ltd. 288 p.

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By Janet Bachmann NCAT Agriculture Specialist Edited by Richard Earles Formatted by Ashley Hill All photographic elements in this publication, except where otherwise noted, are the property of Lane Greer and are used here with permission.

The electronic version of Woody Ornamentals for Cut Flower Growers is located at: HTML http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/woodyornamentals.html PDF http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/woodyornamentals.pdf

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