Many varieties can spice up garden

Bulbs

DAFFODILS — Narcissus Ice Follies, Thalia and poeticus are a few lovely white-flowered daffodil varieties.

TULIPS — Tall late tulips make excellent cut flowers. Try mixing Angelique, Mount Tacoma and Negrita for a display of fragrant pinks, whites and purples.

HYACINTHS — Don't neglect mass-planting these beauties for cutting; a few hyacinths in a vase make an arrangement in and of themselves.

GLADIOLAS — Try the exquisite Gladiolus callianthus; its strongly scented small white flowers with purple throats will ornament your garden as well as your house.

LILIES — Sweet-smelling Oriental lilies, such as midseason-blooming Star Gazer, which can grow to five feet, and late-midseason-blooming Casa Blanca, which can reach four feet, give the best of both worlds: incredible fragrance and incredible flower.

Annuals

ZINNIAS — Any tall variety, such as Cut and Come Again Series, State Fair Series and Border Beauty Series, is perfect for cut flowers, as is Envy for a touch of green.

RUDBECKIAS — For a unique complement to the perennial varieties, try annual Indian Summer, which has chartreuse centers, and Cherokee Sunset with rich brown petals.

SUNFLOWERS — Look for multistemmed, multiflowered varieties like Autumn Beauty, a variety of Helianthus annuus that can grow to six feet or taller.

DAHLIAS — In the cutting garden, dahlias truly come into their own.

VERBENA — Tall spikes of dark-blue/purple Verbena bonariensis make excellent accents in the garden — and vase.

Perennials

SEDUM — Sedums such as Autumn Joy (Sedum spectabile, synonymous with S. Herbstfreude) are good for drying as well. Cut the blossoms while they are still greenish, or wait and allow the pinkish/rust tones to emerge.

RUDBECKIAS — The perennial rudbeckias — aka black-eyed Susans — such as the variety Goldsturm — make excellent cut flowers, especially when mixed with sunflowers.

PEONIES — Peonies also look good when dried; their foliage can be treated with glycerin to produce rich green leaves for wintertime arrangements.

GRASSES — The variegated leaves of ornamental grasses offset many flower colors nicely, while their stiff spikes add a bit of drama. Many varieties also produce interesting seed tassels, which look great in fall arrangements.

GLOBE THISTLE — The dramatic blossoms and spiky leaves of Echinops ritro and E. sphaerocephalus add a touch of soft blue to bright arrangements.