Strawflowers are classic beauty. Florists, home gardeners and crafters are all engrossed in bright flowers that look like paper dry. Growing them in your garden is easy if you know the tricks!
We know how difficult it is to choose your favorite in the plant world, but I have to say, straw flowers are one of my favorite flowers.
I have a lot of focus on cultivated cut flowers that can be used to make and sell bouquets. I specialize in dried flowers, so it is essential that many of my flowers also dry well and dry beautifully.
When it comes to dried flowers, it is rarely superior to straw flowers. It dries pretty well about how it looks fresh and retains the bright, vibrant colors and shapes of paper flowers.
When I first grew, I only grew a few. But I quickly fell in love with straw flowers. The following year, I vowed to grow even more. I went from one variety to five!
Straw flowers can grow easily once you understand them, but they require a few tricks to succeed. Follow these tips and you’ll be as engrossed in them as I do!
I’ll cover this post…
Expert Tips for Growing Straw Flowers
Looking for a quick summary? This is my number one tip for growing straw flowers that are different from most plants.
Straw flower seeds are not well preserved. You will notice that using older seeds will significantly reduce your germination rate. Buy new seeds every year for the best germination. Straw flower seeds require sunlight to germinate. When planting, the surface sows seeds. Pick your straw flowers! They benefit from the pinch and encourage an additional 4-6 flower branches. Harvest straw flowers when the first two or three layers of the bract are open or the center begins to show. Later, they may grind or discolor.
Meet straw flowers
Originally native to Australia, The Strawflower has many names. Its technical plant name is Xerochrysum bracteata, but some still mention it by an older classification of genus known as Bracteata or Helichrysum. In North America, it is also called Golden Eversing in other regions, but it is called straw flowers.
To keep things simple, I’m going to stick to the straw flower name!
Straw flowers have large, sunny yellow flowers surrounded by paper racts (often mistakenly as petals). These papers are hard and dry, making them one of the most popular dried flowers.
Pollinators love plants, and deer hate them. They are usually grown annually, but can become short-lived perennials in zones 8-11.
The flowers bloom from summer to autumn. If you live in a hotter climate, you can expect flowers in June. I live in Vancouver in the rain so I won’t start watching flowers until mid-July. They like a cool start, but once they are established they endure a warm and dry state.
Start seeds indoors
You can technically direct Sow Strawflower Seeds, but we recommend starting indoors.
Start the seeds about 4 weeks before the final frost. I will be planted at the end of February, about two weeks after the last frost in my area, in the middle of April.
You’ll want to use fresh seeds. Straw flower seeds are not well stored compared to other species. The germination rate decreases significantly in the following years.
The surface sows seeds as light is needed to germinate. Sprinkle the seeds over the seed starting potting mix and then gently push them into the soil.
For this reason, be careful when watering seeds, as you don’t want to wash everything off. Watering at the bottom and mist at the top helps avoid this. However, moisten the soil while growing seedlings indoors.
The seeds take 7-10 days to germinate. I like to start mine on a heat mat to help speed things up. I also started them in my aerogarden and they grow well there before I implant them outside.
Strawflower seedlings are ready to be transplanted when they reach 3-5 inches tall. If it’s cold and wet, it can be placed under a cloche or tunnel for additional protection.
If sowing directly, you can sow them 2-4 weeks after the last frost.
Take care of straw flower plants
Straw flowers that look like soil that drains well. Once established, they do well with watering once or twice a week (whether it’s you or from the rain!). Strawflowers should be grown in full sun for best flowering results, but can withstand partial shades.
It should be located about 6 inches apart. I have discovered that many instructions direct away from 12 inches of space, but in my experience they are very tall and can be approached together. Of course, height depends entirely on variety.
On average, you can expect straw flowers to bloom 75-85 days after starting seeds.
Strawflowers may require staking or hoop support. They can also be fertilized once a month to promote flowers, but they are not considered heavy feeders. Therefore, most high quality soils are fine.
Pinch straw flower
I strongly recommend you pinch your straw flowers. This is when you remove the central growth destination of the plant’s stem, encouraging the growth of bushy rather than one stem.
I know how scary it is to pinch flowers. After all, they’re finally getting bigger and the last thing you want to do is to retreat their growth! But I promise you, it’s worth it. Pinching straw flowers gives 4-6 stems per branch. This is essential for those who focus on producing many cut flowers.
In my first year, I was pinching 50% of straw flowers as a precaution. The pinched flowers were placed behind them for about a week after the other week, resulting in more flowers.
I like to pinch straw flowers about a week after transplanting them into the garden. This gives you time to settle down beforehand.
Harvest straw flowers as cut flowers
I’ve found that growing quite a bit easier, but the real key to success with them as cut flowers is to know when to cut them. In my first year I did them too late, but they weren’t so beautifully dried out.
Harvest your straw flowers when the stems begin to harden and they are just beginning to show their centre. The first 2-3 Bract layers must be open. When cut or dried, the flowers continue to open even more. See the photos below for samples of straw flowers at different stages.
When harvested when the center is open and pollinated, the flowers will grind or discolor. If the paper ract is heading down, they are too late to harvest as separate flowers.
Currently, most stems have more than three flowers. Harvest the stems when the main large flowers are ready.
Harvest the flowers in the morning after the dew is dry. This is when the plant is most hydrated. Use as fresh flowers to live in a vase for 7-10 days.
If you want to dry the flowers, remove all the leaves and hang the flower stems in a warm, dark place for 3 weeks. Dry the flowers on the stems or use them in crafts using just the flower head.
Strawflower plants FAQ
Most people develop and deal with YROSTFLOWERS annually. However, they are short-lived perennials in the 8-11 zones and can live for 2-3 years.
Strawflowers have many different names, many of which come from the chaos that took place over 30 years ago. Originally, it was listed under the genus name Helichrysum. However, in 1990, they added a new genus known as Xerochrysum.
There is also confusion regarding the genus Bractea. This is because one botanist named it the genus Xerochrysum in 1990, while another botanist named it Bracteaantha in 1991, so he doesn’t know that someone else has already changed the classification. For 12 years they argued that it would be the right name, and Xerochrysum ultimately won. But some people still call it Bracteatha.
To sum up, Helichrysum, Bracteata, and Xerochrysum bracteata all refer to what is called in Strawflower in North America.
Strawflowers can self-seed, but I’ve not been very successful in this. Expect to plant new seeds the following year and receive re-sowing as an additional bonus.
Start the seeds about 4 weeks before the final frost. It can be transplanted outside two weeks after the last frost in your area.
Alternatively, you can induce them two to four weeks after the last frost.
More cut flowers to grow
From BC, Vancouver, Holly is Garden Therapy content manager. She has a written BFA at Victoria University and has a Barnaby CCE Florist Design diploma. At home, she loves to grow cut flowers, dried flowers and dirty daisy floral prints for business, and is an avid houseplant collector and bee lover. You can find her at @dirtydaisyflorals and @hollyheuversocial.
