• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • Pearl Sutton
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Anne Miller
  • Nicole Alderman
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Maieshe Ljin
  • Benjamin Dinkel
  • Jeremy VanGelder

Permaculture flower farming

 
Posts: 144
Location: Western Kentucky - Zone 7
21
forest garden woodworking
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I was looking into flowering farming and how there is a decent amount of profit that can be made in the US for flower farmers because many local stores prefer locally grown flowers and I was wondering how I could design a permaculture system designed for cut-flower production. What would be good pairing, good options, etc?
 
pollinator
Posts: 11853
Location: Central Texas USA Latitude 30 Zone 8
1269
cat forest garden fish trees chicken fiber arts wood heat greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I love this thread already!  I think it would be spectacular to design a permaculture system based on flowering plants.  I think it needs to be designed like any other permaculture system, that is starting with the basics first 1. Water (rain harvesting earthworks, irrigation) 2. Access (roads, paths) 3. Structures (house, sheds, gardens).  Once those are designed one can go on to design the individual gardens.

If there is already a permaculture design for the land, then probably the next step is to decide which flowers to grow.

 
Posts: 32
Location: Texas County Missouri
2
hugelkultur rabbit books chicken solar woodworking
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hey Kevin we are looking to do the same.  We don't have any experience doing this and hope to start it this year.  I look forward to anyone who can comment on this post and give us some direction.
 
gardener
Posts: 2371
Location: Just northwest of Austin, TX
553
2
cat rabbit urban cooking
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I work at one of those businesses that buys and sells locally grown flowers. It's ideally suited to permaculture both because so many flowers are perennials and you can stack functions with many food items producing decorative parts.

Echinacea makes wonderful cut flowers and not only does this not inhibit the production of the medicinal root, harvest the flowers keeps the plant from devoting as much energy to seed development. Sun roots are in the same situation. I was even wondering earlier this week if I could increase tuber production on the dahlia's I planted seed for by regularly cutting flowers for the household.

Dill flowers where part of most of the spring bouquets in the store last year. I've also seen colorful kales, ornamental cabbage, and swiss chard. Pretty much any plant in the carrot family produces a very prominent flower.

And branches, bare and otherwise are often used as filler if you're pruning. Shiny bark, colorful bark, gnarly shapes, interesting leaves, colorful leaf buds, berries, pretty much anything can make a random branch work in a flower arrangement. When I started my espalier I gave one peach tree top that had just started blooming to a neighbor and put the other in water and it started to bloom. I actually got a couple of weeks of pretty pink flowers from that.

Think about winding grapevines through arrangements. The leaves can be decorative, the bare vines can be shaped into loops that bind the bouquet together while adding some architectural detail for the eye. I don't think anyone growing grapes doesn't have an excess of vine. Sweet potato vines have lovely heart shaped leaves on the edible varieties and will root rather than wilt in water.

Just pulling likely items for floral arrangements off the top of my head, is producing a list that would work very well for a food forest. Arranging flowers is an art form, so long as you have a creative eye for design you can almost grow anything at all.

Now there are limitations, except the squash itself, I don't think any part of a squash flower would be durable enough to use. Spinach and most lettuces wouldn't hold up to any handling. Joseph Lofthouse is breeding a tomato line with ornamental flowers but most tomatoes wouldn't even get an audition.
 
steward
Posts: 16893
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4377
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Kevin, welcome to permies! Great topic!  Permaculture needs more flowers in the equation for sure!
 
Posts: 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi! We too are ready to delve into flower farming. We own a 6 acre permie farm in sw TN. Just today I made a very large keyhole/mandala bed for ranunculus, anemones (floret has the best heirloom bulbs for both of these but you gotta be quick), poppies, herbs, ornamental kale,  etc.
Tomorrow I will finish wattle fencing that's creating the outline/retaining wall of the walkways. I'm thinking rocks for the paths and woodchips to act as mulch and fertilizer. Also there will be a compost bin in the center of the bed. On top of the bin I'll place a large bowl or platter with water to attract beneficial insects and birds.
Our bed is on a slight slope so at the bottom a swale and berm were put in. I'm trying to decide if I'd like to do pebbles or woodchips in the swale... Thoughts?
Also, does anyone know of good companion plants for these flowers or resources to help find the info? There's so much info on edibles but not too much on incorporating other species into the design...
 
Anne Miller
steward
Posts: 16893
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4377
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Liz Jolly wrote:Also, does anyone know of good companion plants for these flowers or resources to help find the info? There's so much info on edibles but not too much on incorporating other species into the design...



Hi, Liz  Welcome to permies!

I have a list of plants that can be planted or used fresh to repel pests.  Also I have links to companion plants and beneficial weeds.  Funny thing is that there are a lot of flowers on the beneficial weeds list.


https://permies.com/t/59341/critters/Monarch-butterflies-caterpillars-Creating-Monarch

We use French marigolds and sweet alyssum to repel pests.
 
This tiny ad is wafer thin:
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic