Five cut flowers for February
Discover five beautiful cut flowers that will fill your home with colour and scent in February.
Overview
Cut flowers are a great way to bring the outside in, especially in February, when it's often too cold to venture outside for long. There are plenty of winter flowers blooming in February that can be enjoyed in the home.
You can also grow cut flowers from seed now, to have cut flowers for every season.
Simple displays using one type of flower are often the best at this time of year. Larger cut flowers, like witch hazel and winter honeysuckle can be added to pep up your display by providing extra height - or cut a few sprigs to put in a tiny vase.
Take a look at five of the best cut flowers for February, below.
Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'
Daphnes are one of the most scented shrubs out there, so it's well worth getting some cut flowers from them. 'Jacqueline Postill' has intensely fragranced pink flowers with white centres. Take care when handling, as all parts of the plant are poisonous.
- Buy Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' from Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Van Meuwen
- Buy other Daphnes from Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Van Meuwen
Early-flowering daffodils
The cut stems from daffodil flowers release a sticky sap, which can prevent other flowers from taking up water, so it's best to use daffodils alone. Not that it matters – the cheery, yellow flowers are guaranteed to make a beautiful, scented display. Early-flowering daffodil varieties like 'February Gold' and 'Tête-à-tête' will be available to pick the soonest.
- Buy daffodils from Crocus, Gardening Express and Thompson & Morgan
Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
The flowers of wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) have a lovely, intense scent. Held along the length of leafless branches in winter, the blooms are ideal for creating a fragranced, standout display. Given the length of the branches, you can cut longer lengths to give your floral display some height.
- Buy Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) from Thompson & Morgan, YouGarden, and Crocus
Snowdrops
If buying snowdrops to grow for cut flowers, then it's best to go for varieties with exceptional scent like 'S. Arnott' and 'Straffan'. If you're pushed for time, something as simple as a jam jar will do to display the blooms, or if you have more time, create a pretty display by combining with English ivy.
Buy snowdrops from YouGarden, Crocus, and Thompson & Morgan
Witch hazel (Hamamelis)
Fiery witch hazel winter flowers were made for cut flower displays. All you need are a few lengths in a vase to create your display. The irresistable fragrance will waft around your home, too. Blazing orange and red varieties like 'Jelena' and 'Diane' have some of the best colour, while 'Brevipetala' has a strong fragrance.
- Buy witch hazels from Gardening Express, Thompson & Morgan, and Crocus
Pick for scent
Even a small sprig of daphne or witch hazel will fill a room with delightful scent.
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