Cut flower gardens make an exquisite addition to any landscape and are an invaluable source of blooms for personal use. A combination of perennial plants that come back every year as well as annuals (flowers that thrive for one season and then wither) should be selected for optimal success.
Grouping plants together by their cultural needs will allow you to provide them with exactly what they require – without overwatering or underwatering them.
Planting
When planning a cut flower garden, be sure to select a sunny location. Most flowering plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight each day, preferably early in the morning.
Plant an assortment of annuals and perennial flowers to ensure an ongoing supply of beautiful, attractive blooms. Add herbs for fragrance as well as plants with striking foliage for visual interest.
As you plant flowers, keep seed packets and plant tags nearby so you can ensure optimum spacing for each variety. This will ensure the best possible results from each variety you plant. Furthermore, pinching flowers once they reach about one month old can increase their flower production as well as promote long stems suitable for cutting.
Watering
Cut flowers require frequent watering throughout the summer heat. Make sure that the soil gets thoroughly saturated; this will promote deep root development and help your flowers withstand drought conditions more successfully.
Plant a combination of annual and perennial flowers so you have enough for the entire season, spacing out sowing seeds each few weeks so the blooms come at different times of the year rather than at once. Sow early spring bloomers such as sweet peas and nasturtiums before switching over to warmer season bloomers like sunflowers and zinnias as the early bloomers fade in summer heat.
Plan your flower bed so it is easy for you to reach plants to harvest the stems you require. Wide rows are an effective method for this task, while you could also try scattering cutting flowers through existing beds to make them simpler to weed, feed and cut.
Fertilizing
Flowers provide both food and habitat for beneficial insects in your garden. Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators are drawn to blooming plants; while birds enjoy munching away at seed heads.
If you want to cultivate a cut flower garden, start your seeds indoors prior to the last frost date or purchase seedlings that have already been grown for cuttings. Seed packets provide helpful information such as number of days until germination, growing habits and height expectations.
Plant a combination of perennials and annuals to extend the blooming season. Perennials will return year after year, while annuals provide you with new flowers to experiment with. Fertilize regularly to maintain a healthy garden; some blooms like zinnias and celosia benefit from pinching their young plants to promote branching and longer stems.
Pruning
Maintaining a weed-free cut flower garden will enable it to produce more blooms. Deadheading (removing spent flower heads), promotes new growth and reflowering. Furthermore, it’s wise to remove any plants which have fallen over or died after picking.
To extend your blooming season, plant annuals that make good cut-and-come-back flowers like cosmos, zinnias and sweet peas that you can cut back regularly for fresh blooms. This can serve as a bridge between perennial plants like yarrows or garden phlox ending their growing seasons and cool season flowers like snapdragons fizzling out under summer heat such as snapdragons or bachelor’s buttons blooming again.
Before planting, incorporate organic materials like compost or leaf mold into the soil in order to avoid overwatering and increase nutrient availability. If soil quality and depth is an issue for you, raised garden beds could also be beneficial.
Harvesting
Once your flowers have reached full bloom, harvesting them is the next step. Keep in mind that each type of bloom has its own ideal stage for cutting. Knowing when it is safe to pull a stem is also key for success.
As you design a cut flower garden, take note of its desired colors and heights. Selecting perennials as well as annuals will offer more options for floral arranging arrangements.
Consider your climate zone, as certain flowers prefer cooler temperatures while others require warmth and sun for optimal growth. Another key element to keep in mind when cultivating flowers is whether to grow them in raised beds; doing so can improve both soil quality and plant health, while helping prevent moisture problems like mold or mildew growth.