In the August 2008 issue of Growing for Market, I provide details about how I grow delphiniums, despite the fact that I'm not in a particularly hospitable climate for them. I also include a list of my favorite cultivars. Click on the title above to see several photos of them — and if you're not already a Growing for Market subscriber, sign up today so you can read the article and get started with growing these beauties yourself.

Above: 'Guardian' blossoms are big and strong enough to float in a fountain or water garden.

Some flowers are just so productive I can't possibly sell them all before they finish blooming. Here's my list of perennials that come and go so quickly that a small amount will suffice for most growers.

At right: Lysimachia clethroides is a bright, clean white for about two weeks in June — perfect for wedding flowers!

The question I get asked about peonies more often than any other is this: “What do you do about the ants?” The solution is simple: Cut when the buds are mature but not open, brush or shake off the ants, and let your peonies bloom inside. The peony in this photo is almost fully open, 48 hours after being placed in water as just a bud. Read on for the details on how to get rid of the ants on your peonies.

Narcissus are always the first marketable flowers of the year for me. As harbingers of spring, the first fragrance and color after the gray of winter, they deserve to be celebrated.

At left, a photo of the patch of Poeticus daffodils that carpet my front yard every spring. They are an old variety that has probably been on this farmstead for many decades.

The flower industry shifts into high gear for the biggest cut-flower holiday of them all. Understanding what's happening behind the scenes can help you understand your own flower business better.