In my last post I wrote about some of my favorite locally grown flowers available in Augus, like celosia and dahlias.  On a trip to the farmers market last week, I spotted not only dahlias and celosia, but also sunflowers, lisianthus, zinnias, snapdragons, lilies, amaranth, gomphrena, asters, and delphinium.

Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflora)

I’m a big fan of lisianthus. Lizzies look beautiful in bridal bouquets.

Many people think they resemble roses, with delicate rounded petals surrounding a center of yellow anthers.  Lisianthus is a long-lasting flower available in single and double petal forms in white, cream, peach, pink, lavender, and purple.

Lisianthus is available from local cut flower growers throughout summer.

Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.)

Amaranth is a late summer garden flower that is available as a cut flower in both upright and hanging forms. Amaranth in not much of a focal flowers, but adds very interesting texture and form to floral arrangements.

Upright amaranth is a fuzy, spikey, dense cluster of flowers. Upright amaranth offers an interesting texture when used in bouquets and centerpieces. It is available in lime green, burgundy, and golden brown.

Hanging amaranth, also known as love-lies-bleeding, is available in the same colors and is an interesting trailing form.

Amaranth is shown in the upper photo in green, in the lower photo in burgundy.