Create an endless source of flowers by cultivating a cut flower garden. Choose flowers with long stems to extend vase life, as well as scent-producing blooms for added interest.
Select a location with convenient access for watering, weeding and harvesting your garden. Aim for a mix of perennial plants that bloom year after year with annuals grown from seeds or starts.
Soil
Most flowers for cutting thrive best when planted in well-draining, rich soil. Loosen the planting area before mixing in compost or slow-release flower fertilizer before beginning your planting project. Raised beds are an ideal setting for cut flower gardens.
Based on the types of flowers you plan to grow, consider grouping them according to their cultural needs. This will ensure they all receive what they require while also protecting less-demanding varieties from being overshadowed by more demanding ones. As different blooming cycles can vary significantly among flowers, you should also plan their expected maturity dates when grouping them together.
Keep a bucket of water nearby so you can harvest and rehydrate flowers as soon as they’re ready, then enjoy arranging them in a vase using various stem lengths to add depth and nontraditional containers like milk jugs to create more whimsical arrangements. To extend their lives further, change out the water regularly while adding floral preservative to each container.
Sunlight
A cut flower garden is a collection of flowers cultivated specifically to be cut for floral arrangements or bouquets, usually comprised of annual blooms with some greenery and filler plants mixed in as filler plants. Usually planted from spring through late summer (and even into fall), cut flower gardens produce blooms designed for cutting into arrangements or bouquets.
Growing a cut flower garden requires full sunlight. This allows the flowers to gain as much benefit from natural lighting as possible, giving them enough energy for blooming. When choosing your planting location, ensure it is free of weeds or vegetation which could compete for resources, water, and space with your cut flowers.
Plan the layout of your beds so they are easily accessible. After all, you will likely be reaching for flowers frequently when designing the garden! Additionally, creating pathways between each bed could make moving around much simpler when weeding, watering, or harvesting.
Water
An ornamental flower garden needs regular irrigation to maintain healthy root systems and extend blooming periods, yet overwatering can lead to fungal infections and wash away important nutrients, while underwatering could result in wilted plants or stunted growth.
Make sure the location you choose for your cut flower garden receives plenty of sun, while remaining protected from wind that could cause seedlings to damage or topple over. Full sun is usually best, although shaded areas might work just as well if the conditions permit.
Plant your seeds and transplants in wide rows to facilitate easy harvesting of stems. Be sure to use clean gardening tools each harvest in order to avoid disease transmission between varieties. Flowers should always be cut fresh so it is best to harvest early in the day before they start to wilt; remember to bring along a bucket with clean water and flower preservative for submersion to prolong vase life.
Pruning
An ideal cut flower garden location allows easy access to blooming blooms when they are at their height of blooming. This doesn’t necessarily require creating an entirely separate garden space, as you could instead design flower beds into wide rows to minimize having to reach too far when picking stems from them. You could also consider installing a trellis or other support system so climbers like sweet peas and clematis can be easily harvested as they climb.
Consider planting a combination of plants that bloom at different times throughout the season for fresh blooms for bouquets all summer long. This will ensure that you always have fresh blooms available when creating floral arrangements and arrangements.
Some cutting flowers, like snapdragons and lilies, require regular pruning or pinching in order to remain in shape and promote blooms. Therefore, be sure to place these high maintenance varieties near other low maintenance varieties. Also keep a bucket of water nearby to place cut flowers immediately in so as to prevent them from wilting in direct sunlight and allow longer arrangements!