When planning your flowerbeds, spread out cut flower varieties so as to have a steady supply for bouquets. Include fragrant plants that dry well for added interest.
Plant in long linear beds to allow easy watering, weeding and harvesting access – it will encourage longer stems as flowers tend to wilt quickly when cut during hot afternoon hours. This approach also can encourage long flower bloom times.
Soil
Growing cut flowers is an enjoyable and fulfilling gardening endeavor. Watching a tiny seed transform into an eye-catching bouquet last for weeks in a vase is truly amazing!
Before beginning your garden, ensure it is in an area that is sunny and well-draining. Check the quality of soil to make sure it’s rich and free from weeds – adding compost or manure may help improve this area too!
Keep a close eye on the area throughout the day to assess how much sun the area receives and to make sure there are no large trees or structures which cast extra shade on it. Most cut flowers require full sunlight in order to blossom properly and bloom at their best.
Consider creating raised beds for your cutting garden to increase soil quality while providing easy access to plants for pruning and harvesting. When preparing the planting bed, keep like plants together, but distinguish annuals from perennials that need to be replanted every year, those which benefit from growing against fences (dahlias and delphiniums), or those which need support such as sweet peas. Organize planting rows similarly to how vegetables would be grown.
Sunlight
Cut flowers require plenty of sun to thrive, so take a stroll through your garden space and identify spots which receive at least six to eight hours of full sun each day.
Consider choosing plants with similar growing conditions, including height, bloom time and flower colors to form a mix that will provide flowers throughout the season. Both perennials and annuals make good choices, depending on your personal taste.
If the soil in your garden is poor or sandy, amend it before planting by mixing compost and slow-release flower fertilizer into it. Raised beds offer increased control over soil quality in this area of your garden. Once flowers are cut and collected from their stems, they need several hours to rehydrate before you can arrange them – to speed this process along more easily, bring a bucket of water with you into the garden so that stems can immediately go in it rather than sitting out in the heat!
Temperature
Growing a cutting garden doesn’t require much space, even just using a raised bed will suffice.
Locate areas that receive at least 8 hours of sun each day, since most cut flowers require full sunlight for optimal performance. Be mindful of trees or structures which could cast additional shade on your bed of choice.
As an effective first step, designing your beds on paper is an excellent place to begin. Simply trace around existing flowerbeds, sketch out proposed beds and incorporate blooming plants with staggered bloom times into the design plan so fresh blooms are always available.
Long-stemmed cut flowers like chrysanthemums and dahlias require tall vases, while there are plenty of shorter-stemmed options that work just as well in arrangements or when used alongside long stemmed blooms such as delphiniums. Some examples are Ajuga, delphiniums and Heuchera which come in an assortment of hues that range from white through blue to various shades of pink to red, as well as perennial Achillea or yarrow which adds color as well as texture into bouquets.
Water
Growing flowers from seed is an amazing and fulfilling endeavor, both rewarding and magical. When one small zinnia seed sprouts into full-sized blooms that smell amazing and create beautiful bouquets it is hard to believe it all started with just a tiny piece of dirt!
Start your cut flower garden in a sunny spot with rich, well-draining soil. Plant the beds in rows for easier weeding, staking and picking. Stagger the blooms so there are always some in the garden; add foliage plants as well to extend cutting season and provide backbone for bouquets.
Choose perennials and annuals with long vase lives that require minimal upkeep, such as dahlias. When planting sweet peas that require staking or netting (dahlias or sweet peas respectively) keeping like with like is also key – use a bucket of water in the garden and immerse freshly cut flowers for one hour to rehydrate them before arranging!