Cutting gardens are an effective way to bring blooms indoors year-round, without depleting existing flowerbeds and helping gardeners better manage time, space and water resources.
Plan out the space by drawing your beds on paper and noting varieties, heights and bloom times of desired flowers. Keep accessibility in mind; wide rows will enable you to reach each flower without trampling others.
Planting
For easier harvesting, grow your cut flowers in raised garden beds. This allows you to be closer to plants for cutting while also improving soil quality.
Select a sunny spot that is easy to access for watering, weeding, and picking. Be mindful that some cut flower varieties such as zinnias or sunflowers require support structures like stakes, nets, or cages; be sure to plan accordingly when creating your plantings.
Many annual flowers should be seed started indoors to be ready to plant at the appropriate time outdoors; perennials can be directly planted outside. Add organic material like compost or leaf mold before planting to enhance soil quality and help ensure successful results.
Soil
Plant a blend of perennials and annuals to provide a continual source of blooms. You could also incorporate flowering shrubs, grasses, or aromatic herbs for extra flair.
Locate an area with plenty of sun and rich, well-draining soil – most flowers need full sun but some species will still grow even under partial shade conditions.
Plan your garden for easy watering, weeding and harvesting needs by grouping together flowers with similar requirements and considering raised bed gardening to enhance soil quality and health.
Be mindful that tall plants may need to be staked, so position them nearer the back of the garden than at the front. Some flowers also benefit from an organic fertilizer application at planting time or throughout their growing season.
Sunlight
Cut flower gardens make an elegant addition to any landscape, as they don’t require dedicated spaces but just require easy access for watering, weeding and harvesting purposes. Sunny locations with well-draining soil also help ensure their success.
Decide which flowers you like and wish to incorporate in arrangements before selecting perennials and annuals that bloom throughout the year; those replanted each spring would also work well. When planting your garden, opt for rows rather than large plots for easier weeding and picking.
Water
A carefully planned cut flower garden can become the center of any home landscape, adding color and texture while also providing fresh blooms on an ongoing basis. Additionally, these gardens serve as habitat and food source for butterflies, frogs and toads, birds and other creatures who depend upon these gardens as food and habitat sources.
Find a sunny location to create your cut flower garden, and make sure the soil is rich and well-draining. Remove any weeds or debris which might compete for water, sunlight, or nutrients with your blooms.
Plan a mix of perennials and annuals from either plants or seeds to achieve variety in color, height, texture, foliage patterning and interesting foliage features.
Fertilization
Flocks of flowerbeds filled with blooms are an absolute joy to harvest and serve as an exquisite indoor decoration. No need for an extensive garden; simply choose and manage the right plants so your bouquets remain full throughout summer!
Before planting flowers, first establish their optimal growing conditions – including sun exposure, soil type and water use as well as any nutrient requirements. Since flowers don’t all bloom simultaneously, it may be wise to stagger plantings; also make sure easy access will be available when it comes time for weeding, watering and harvesting!
Mulching
Cut flower gardens can add seasonal colors and blooms to any home, adding seasonal color and blooms throughout the year. Choose flowers that last in vases long like fully open roses and lilies; fragrant peonies such as Volcano phlox; as well as perennials such as flowering tulips, Shasta daisies, Heuchera or Rudbeckia for best results.
Select a sunny location with weed-free soil. Make sure your garden is easily accessible via paths that enable easy movement through and care of plants. Some tall flowers may require support such as trellises to stop them flopping over during growth.
Harvesting
By growing your own flowers, you’ll also reduce exposure to chemicals and preservatives commonly present in commercially produced blooms – something which may be especially helpful for people with allergies or sensitivities.
Choose hardy annual and perennial flowers with stems suitable for cutting, planting them in groups to extend the picking season as long as possible. Add shrubs and grasses for texture and interest.
When designing a cutting garden, select an accessible location in which to harvest without disrupting adjacent plant growth. Mulching helps regulate soil temperature and suppress weeds; regular fertilization promotes healthy plant growth for maximum bloom.