Fall For Strawflowers

By Delilah Onofrey, Suntory Flowers
Photos courtesy of Suntory Flowers

Embrace Autumn with new varieties that offer lasting, high-impact color and texture.

Just as sweater weather calls for a new wardrobe, it’s time to change out your plants! Garden retailers and local supermarkets are expanding their fall palettes. Mums continue to be the mainstay, but you’ll see more annuals, perennials and grasses to provide the fall harvest feeling.

One plant that is a great choice to transition from summer to fall is Granvia bracteantha – the super strawflowers from Suntory. They tolerate hotter and cooler temperatures and will stay in bloom longer than mums. In fact, even after the plant succumbs to a hard frost, you will still have bright dried flowers!

Granvia Gold at retail

Granvia makes a stunning statement planted en masse in landscapes and as a thriller in large container plantings. Just three plants will fill out a large whiskey barrel-style pot.

Granvia colors available this year include Gold, Pink, Peachy Keen, Harvest Orange, Crimson Sun and White. Plants and blooms are much larger than standard bedding plant strawflowers. They’ve also proven to be more resistant to mildew because the foliage has better air circulation. The expansive growth habit is larger and more open, allowing the plant to breathe.

Granvia size comparison

Gardening tips

Bracteantha are perennials, but only hardy to zones 10-11 and treated like annuals in most climates. One thing that’s deceiving about a living “dried” flower is these plants do need water and can be quite thirsty in a planter. The best positioning is full sun for maximum flowering. Plant in large containers or beds, the more soil volume, the better.

Granvia Harvest Orange

Peachy Keen mixed with annuals

Throughout the growing season, you can harvest Granvia blooms for dried flower crafts. If you harvest the flowers before they are fully opened, they will open as they dry. Sometimes you can get them to dry in a partially opened stage, which is also attractive with an origami look. Dried blooms will hold their color for more than a year.

Mixed Granvia Strawflowers

Granvia Gold mixed with Mums

Granvia bracteanthas provide lasting color for three seasons, spring through fall.

For more information, visit GRANVIA - Suntory Flowers

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