Recently I asked a flower farmer who grows blooms through Florida’s intense summer heat to share what flowers she recommends growing in hot weather. When she offered to show a simple arrangement she’d make with those same flowers, of course, I said yes.
Ahead, Eileen Tongson, founder of FarmGal Flowers in Orlando, shares a step-by-step summer arrangement featuring zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, and celosia. And it’s no surprise that edible garden goodies—holy basil and Everglades tomatoes—made their way into her arrangement, too.
Before she was a flower farmer-florist, Eileen was a master vegetable gardener. After she discovered her passion for growing and sharing flowers, her first venture in the flower business was also tied to food: She spearheaded the market garden outside East End Market, an artisanal food hall in Orlando.
In her own garden, you won’t find a separate kitchen garden. “All of the herbs and vegetables are integrated with the flowers. There are primarily two reasons for this: (1) I practice companion planting and (2) I don’t have a lot of room since we grow in urban spaces,” she says. Plus, it’s convenient for her arrangements—“I almost always use herbs and vegetables in our bouquets and especially our restaurant arrangements.”
Start with Herbs
Before adding any stems, Eileen placed floral netting in an urn to help hold stems in place. Then, she filled in the base of the arrangement with stems of holy basil.
Holy basil is particularly heat tolerant and, in Florida, Eileen can grow it year-round. It also self-sows, she notes, which provides economic benefits in terms of seed costs and garden labor.
Other herbs she loves tucking into vases include Mrs. Burns’ Lemon basil, Alaska nasturtium, and creeping rosemary. “They provide wonderful fragrance and edible flowers to our arrangements,” she says.
Place the Focal Flowers
For the focal flowers, Eileen chose Agave zinnias. “I wasn’t much of a fan of cactus-form zinnias before, but these have very large blooms in beautiful
colors,” she says.
Layer in Supporting Flowers
For the supporting flowers, Eileen layered in Sunbelievable Brown Eyed Girl sunflowers, Oklahoma zinnias, and French marigolds.
Next, she added red and green holy basil as line flowers. “They add height and texture.” Then she continued with Everglades tomato foliage for even more height and movement.
Finally, she placed stems of Texas Plume celosia for texture and shape.
Time for the Finishing Touch—a Juicy Conversation Starter
While its foliage adds height in the arrangement, a cluster of Everglades tomatoes at the foot of the urn grounds the tableau. Like holy basil, this tomato variety is particularly heat tolerant and it also self-sows in her garden, Eileen says. In an arrangement, it’s sure to get people talking.
“Chefs love to see clusters of little Everglades tomatoes or mini Fairy Tale eggplants integrated with their florals,” Eileen says. “The vegetables add whimsy and also contribute to the arrangement’s fresh from the seasonal garden feel. I try to add them to the front of the design often cascading over the vase.”
Here, she chose to place the tomato cluster on the table below.
Eileen says, “They almost always become a point of conversation: ‘They are so cute! What type of tomatoes are these? Did these grow nearby?’”
Does this arrangement inspire you to add some gems from your kitchen garden to your next summer vase? Let us know in the comments.
