How We Chose Our Flowers: The Research Behind Our 2027 Planting List
While The Metal Petal began with a simple love of flowers, our growing plans are guided by more than appearance alone.
Developing our 2027 planting list involved researching individual varieties, considering our unique high-desert climate, and selecting flowers that reflect the romantic, colorful, and slightly unconventional character of our boutique flower farm.
Our Growing Resources & Suppliers
Eden Brothers
A primary source for our flower seeds, bulbs, and specialty varieties. Their extensive selection has helped shape our plans for cosmos, stock, larkspur, and other cut flowers, with a focus on interesting colors, textures, and seasonal variety.
Heirloom Roses
An important resource for building our rose collection. Their variety descriptions, growing information, and selection of distinctive roses help guide our choices as we develop a garden filled with fragrance, character, and beautiful blooms.
Edmunds’ Roses
Another valued source for our growing rose collection, offering classic garden favorites, hybrid teas, floribundas, and other varieties that bring beautiful color and form to our garden and future floral arrangements.
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
Regional horticultural resources help us evaluate the challenges of growing in southern Arizona, including intense sunlight, seasonal temperature changes, frost, and irrigation.
Bringing It All Together
Our planting plan combines supplier growing information, regional horticultural guidance, and our own creative vision.
We’ve organized our ten raised beds into preliminary watering groups and seasonal planting plans, with particular attention to flowers that offer beautiful color combinations, interesting textures, and potential value as cut flowers.
Not every variety has been tested in our specific growing conditions. Our first seasons will be an opportunity to learn, experiment, and discover which flowers perform best in our high-desert garden.
Ultimately, our goal is to grow a thoughtfully curated collection of beautiful, seasonal flowers that we can share with our Rio Rico community.
The garden is still growing, and so is our knowledge. That’s part of what makes this journey so exciting.
