Planting a cut flower garden can add beauty and variety to your landscape while saving money by forgoing costly bouquets from stores. Plus, starting one isn’t difficult!
Choose a sunny spot and plan the beds of your cut flower garden accordingly, keeping in mind that some varieties, like tall zinnias and sunflower varieties, may need additional support.
Sow Seeds
Starting a cutting garden requires cultivating both perennials and annuals (and possibly shrubs), including flowers with long stems that make for easy cutting and arrangement as well as any aromatic blooms or those boasting interesting foliage.
Be sure to carefully read the growing instructions found on seed packets or catalog descriptions, paying particular attention to last frost dates. Also consider how much sunlight the garden receives; annual flowers like zinnias thrive best under direct sun.
Some flowers require additional support or staking, such as sunflower varieties and climbing nasturtiums. When planning the layout of your garden, be mindful to place these plants closer together or near a support structure so they won’t collapse as they get taller. Also consider pinching these plants periodically as described below to encourage them to produce additional stems.
Prepare the Soil
Growing cut flowers requires doing your research. Begin by choosing which flowers you would like to grow and reading their descriptions carefully on seed packets or catalogs; remember that many flower varieties only bloom for a set period and won’t continue producing after being cut off.
Some plants, like lupines, sweet peas and delphiniums, bloom throughout their season; others, like dahlias and sunflowers only bloom for one or two weeks before setting seeds. Also take into consideration how tall your mature plant(s) will become before planning accordingly – taller species like sunflowers and zinnias may require stakes or support in order to avoid falling over or being consumed by shorter ones.
If your gardening space does not allow for a specific cut flower garden, consider spreading them throughout existing beds to avoid crowding each other out and creating gaps when harvesting flowers for arrangements. This will prevent crowding out each other as well as avoid creating any bare spots when harvesting for arrangements.
Planting
First step to creating a cut flower garden: sow seeds according to the growing instructions found on seed packets or catalog descriptions. This step is especially crucial for annuals like zinnias that don’t last as long once cut from their garden beds.
Select an open and sunny site. Cutting flowers require full sun and will thrive with well-drained soil, while organic matter such as compost or leaf mold will help improve soil structure and increase water retention.
Consider planting blocks of perennials and annuals together, to keep your garden simple to manage. Also plant flowers with different bloom times so as blooms start to fade, you can replace them with others as soon as they start to die back. Hardy annuals like cosmos or sweet peas provide continuity throughout the season while hardy perennials add dimension while foliage can serve as fillers or add height or width if used strategically in arrangements. Don’t forget foliage either – it can add depth, texture or height without overshadowing another flower species!
Harvesting
Consider planting perennials and annuals that flower over an extended period, like zinnias and sweet peas, along with shorter blooming varieties like snapdragons or sunflowers to fill any gaps during the season. Also add fragrant varieties that add fragrance to bouquets as well as foliage plants for texture or height.
Stagger your planting of different varieties so there will always be flowers available for harvest, and don’t overcrowd or they will cease production. Remember that flowers typically last longer if cut during cool morning or evening times with clean tools – bacteria quickly spreads on dirty blooms!
When planting a cut flower garden, select an area with at least six hours of direct sun per day and consider creating raised beds if possible; they are easier to weed and tend. Most cutting flowers prefer rich, well-draining soil while some, like tulips, daffodils, and roses prefer acidic conditions (mix 2 tablespoons each of sugar, vinegar or baking soda with water to provide nourishment for these species). Be sure your garden also has ample access to water as well as protection from wind.