An ideal way to cultivate many beautiful blooms at once, cut flower gardens offer an easy solution. Perennials and bulbs that return year after year make great cut flower choices; annual varieties like cosmos, Zinnias and Sweet Peas also make beautiful choices for cutting.
Row planting makes the task of weeding, staking and picking much easier than picking from borders or individual plants.
Annuals
People tend to think of cut flower gardens in terms of beds of daffodils or tulips, but there are many more possibilities available for those wanting to expand their homegrown bouquets. First decide where you would like the garden located – whether in its own dedicated space, or by strategically planting multiple areas with cutting flowers throughout.
Most cut flowers have a short bloom time, so it is important to think about your desired lifespan when selecting plants. Annuals such as sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), zinnias and sweet peas are excellent choices since they produce multiple flowers over a prolonged period.
Other perennials suitable for cutting include Aster (Aster spp), Dahlias (Dahlia x hortorum), and Coreopsis tinctoria, among others. If using seed heads in arrangements, Rudbeckia spp and fall-blooming varieties like Scabiosa ‘Paper Moon’ can add extra appeal.
Perennials
Perennial flowers make great cut flowers, though their bloom times tend to be shorter than annual varieties. Perennials make great fillers or accents in bouquets for extra color and texture.
Before planting flowers, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with their care specifications. Some require specific amounts of sunlight or shade while others must be planted well ahead of the last frost date.
Place them in a sunny, well-draining spot with rich soil, adding compost or leaf mold before planting and following up later with slow-release flower fertilizer to nourish their soil and make their growth easier.
Raised beds offer better soil control, prevent water runoff and drainage issues and promote continued blooming by deadheading spent flowers to encourage new ones. If growing vining plants such as nasturtiums or sweet peas, netting or trellises may need to be installed to support their climb while perennials often benefit from pinching – cutting below the first set of leaves in order to promote branching and longer stems.
Bulbs
Success with bulbs in a cut flower garden relies heavily on their dense cultivation. While most seed packets recommend 18″ spacing for landscaping purposes, for cut flowers you should space them closer together (nine inches or less) so they can compete for sunlight and form long stems.
Many spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, alliums, crocus and grape hyacinths will return year after year due to naturalization. Others such as tulips, sweet peas and lily of the valley should be planted early spring or late summer for optimal harvest time in fall weather. To get the most from these flowers’ potential benefits and your planting efforts you should ensure they’re cut when the temperature cools off!
Plan your garden before planting by taking into account which varieties and bloom cycles you plan to use, helping avoid leaving gaps between plantings, as well as having an ideal mix of perennials and annuals. Arrange flower beds by their cultural needs so as to reduce overwatering or underwatering accidentally.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers make an excellent addition to a cut flower garden, providing height and dimension in bouquets. Look for single-stem varieties which produce one high-quality stem per plant for reliable harvest and are suitable for pairing with other blooms and grasses for harmonious arrangements.
Many varieties of sunflowers are pollen-free and suitable for cutting, making them suitable for arrangements. You can select your type of seed – from dwarf varieties that reach just inches wide all the way up to giant ones that can span 12 in!!
Mindful of their vulnerability at seedling stage, sunflowers require additional protection from slugs, snails and mice. Therefore, it may be worth adding row cover or garden fencing to help deter unwanted pests until their roots have established themselves. Companion planting vegetables and herbs with sunflowers also can attract beneficial insects that deter unwanted pests from devouring your sunflowers.