Home | Library | All Plant Collections | Cress Green Dragon
An armload of Cress Green Dragon
An armload of Cress Green Dragon
Cress Green Dragon growing in the field
An overhead of Cress Green Dragon
Cress Green Dragon growing in the field
Cress Green Dragon growing in the field
A bunch of Cress Green Dragon
An armload of Cress Green Dragon

Cress ‘Green Dragon’

Lepidium species

Features

  • Dryable
  • Easy to grow
  • Foliage & Filler
  • One-hit wonder

Description

Long, strong stems have a heavy branching habit, producing 6 to 12 airy stems from a single plant. Stems are covered in tiny, apple-green, disk-shaped seeds. Plants are durable and age well, turning pink, gold, and green together and transitioning well into autumn. Hands down, one of the best bouquet fillers, and a must-grow for mixed bouquets and fall wreaths, as it can be used either fresh or dried.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 36 to 40 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 50 to 60 days
Plant spacing: 12 in
Pinch: do not pinch

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 4 to 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed, or direct-seed as soon as the ground can be worked. Succession-plant every 2 weeks for continual harvest. Don’t pinch plants.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when seedpods are fully formed and the top blooms have faded. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days. Seed heads can be dried and used indefinitely. To dry, hang upside down in a warm, dark place until firm.

Details

Description

Long, strong stems have a heavy branching habit, producing 6 to 12 airy stems from a single plant. Stems are covered in tiny, apple-green, disk-shaped seeds. Plants are durable and age well, turning pink, gold, and green together and transitioning well into autumn. Hands down, one of the best bouquet fillers, and a must-grow for mixed bouquets and fall wreaths, as it can be used either fresh or dried.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 36 to 40 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 50 to 60 days
Plant spacing: 12 in
Pinch: do not pinch

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 4 to 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed, or direct-seed as soon as the ground can be worked. Succession-plant every 2 weeks for continual harvest. Don’t pinch plants.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when seedpods are fully formed and the top blooms have faded. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days. Seed heads can be dried and used indefinitely. To dry, hang upside down in a warm, dark place until firm.

Sources

How to Grow

How to Grow

Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers

Having a steady supply of foliage is key to successfully making bouquets throughout the season—in spring, during the long months of summer, and into early fall. In this post, I’ll share the best staple foliages and foliage-like fillers, along with several of my favorite varieties.
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals

Hardy annuals are some of the hardest-working, most productive plants in the late spring/early summer cutting garden. They are the first annuals to bloom in the spring, and their ability to withstand cold temperatures, thrive with minimal care, and produce abundantly for weeks from a single sowing make them an indispensable addition to the cut flower garden.
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods

These unique textural elements add interest and depth to any arrangement with their rustic appeal, and they produce an abundance of cutting material from midsummer through autumn. In addition, many of these materials can be dried and used in autumn wreaths and arrangements, making them doubly valuable in the cutting garden.
Discovering Dried Flowers
Discovering Dried Flowers

Many cut flower varieties can be used either fresh or dried. Drying flowers means you can preserve the abundance from your garden to be enjoyed later when nothing is blooming. There are so many ways to use dried flowers, seed pods, and grasses: in late autumn arrangements, adorning fresh holiday wreaths, or even mixed with fresh blooms.
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Discovering Dried Flowers
Discovering Dried Flowers

Winter Mini Course: Seed-Starting 101

Learn how to start flowers from seed in this three-part video series

In our upcoming Winter Mini Course, you’ll learn everything you need to know to successfully start flowers from seed, including all of the necessary supplies, step-by-step instructions, special tips and tricks, and how to create a simple indoor seed-starting area.