An excellent first step when starting to grow flowers is choosing which varieties you wish to cultivate. Beginners may benefit from opting for annual varieties which thrive as cut flowers.
Keep in mind that most cut flower plants require bright sunlight and rich, well-draining soil for best results. Read on to discover how you can create your own cutting garden!
Location
An inviting flowerbed filled with vibrant blooms makes it difficult to resist taking some cut flowers indoors, but to create a successful cut flower garden does not require extensive gardening space or special gardening skills – simply planning and planting carefully will maximize your harvest!
Begin your garden plotting adventure by selecting an area with direct sunlight and healthy soil, according to PepperHarrow Farm. When planning an area or adding cutting flowers into existing beds in your garden, be sure to group plants by their needs for easier watering, weeding and picking; that may mean segregating perennials that require staking such as dahlias from those which benefit from fences or grow-through netting such as sweet peas (for instance).
If you’re new to gardening, combine perennials and annuals grown from seeds or plants for an even mix of blooms for bouquets. Include flowering shrubs, herbs and plants with attractive foliage in addition to flowers that flourish at various points throughout the year for extra variety in arrangements. Furthermore, choosing flowers which bloom at different times is key!
Soil
An ideal cut flower garden location requires soil with rich, well-draining characteristics and ample sunlight. Consider installing raised beds as they will give you control over soil quality while simplifying maintenance tasks.
Select annual flowers that don’t require staking and perennials that can be grown in clusters with other plants for support. Some flowers require a supporting trellis or fence in order to stay upright – make sure you plan accordingly!
Make sure that there’s space for two long linear beds of at least one metre width for planting, weeding and harvesting without having to step on plants. This provides easier access for planting, weeding and harvesting without having to step on plants when working with your beds.
Draw the planned beds on paper, taking notes about varieties, bloom times and heights. Try including both focal and filler flowers while including vines to add trailing effects. Good choices for cutting gardens include caladiums, euphorbias, petunias and verbenas as they serve both ground cover and moisture retention purposes – great choices to add for cutting gardens!
Sunlight
Cut flower gardens need full sun in order to thrive and thrive, especially those grown for cutting purposes.
Stagger the planting of each variety so they won’t all bloom simultaneously and compete for water and nutrients. Choose long stemmed varieties with excellent vase life (which means they last well in cut flower arrangements), while considering planting flowers like bee balm and black-eyed susan that attract pollinators such as pollinator plant or bee balm as pollinators attractants; don’t forget perennials like larkspur or heucherella as perennial options!
If planting from seeds, begin in spring or late summer. If you don’t have access to a greenhouse, sowing seeds indoors during the winter can give them a head start and ensure they’re ready to plant out in spring/summer. I recommend purchasing high-quality seeds from trusted growers such as Floret Flower Farm and Johnny’s Select Seeds; many varieties are also sold locally garden centers.
Water
Cut flower gardens require plenty of water in order to thrive, preferably located where water drains off quickly so as not to stay saturated for extended periods of time, thus helping prevent diseases like powdery mildew.
Mulching can help regulate soil temperatures and retain moisture levels while suppressing weeds and providing organic material that feeds plants.
Flowers designed for cutting thrive when cut early morning or late afternoon when their stems are at their freshest. Make sure you use clean shears and cool, clean water when pruning; additionally it may be beneficial to add FloraLife or Chrysal for preservative.
Cut flower gardens can be located either in a designated bed or scattered throughout the landscape, but for optimal harvesting purposes it is vital that their planting location be planned carefully so the flowers can be harvested as necessary.