Strive for an eye-catching arrangement by using flowers of various colors, shapes, and sizes – perennials bloom annually while annuals provide flowers throughout the season.
Bear in mind that your cutting garden requires easy access for weeding, watering and harvesting. Plant rows wide enough so you can reach all plants easily without stepping on them – planting rows without gaps is ideal.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are an indispensable component of many cut flower gardens. Easy to care for and quick blooming, sunflowers add vibrant hues to arrangements quickly. When harvesting sunflowers early or late morning rather than during hot weather when they can become stressed and more susceptible to roting harvest the sunflowers with sharp, clean tools before submerging immediately in a bucket of water mixed with floral preservative to rehydrate and extend vase life.
Sunflower seeds should be planted directly into your garden in late spring; they also germinate well in containers. Follow the directions on your seed packet regarding depth and spacing when sowing; for uninterrupted blooms from summer through fall, stagger sowing times. Thin out any sprouted seedlings as soon as they emerge to keep flowers blooming all summer long.
Zinnias
Zinnias come in an array of colors and sizes, making them one of the easiest flowers to grow from seed. Zinnias prefer full sun environments and can easily be scattered or planted directly in garden beds and flower patches for best results.
To encourage long stems on zinnia plants, pinch when they reach 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). This encourages them to send up multiple stems from the point you cut and creates larger blooms as a result.
If a zinnia appears ready for cutting, wiggle its stem gently to gauge its stiffness; if it flops back and forth when wiggled back and forth it likely won’t last as long. Designers especially prize the Queen series of heirloom zinnias because of their vibrant hues such as lime green, smoky apricot and dusty rose hues.
Gerber Daisies
Gerbera daisies make an excellent first choice, boasting an abundance of colors and sizes that bloom throughout summer and fall. Lasting approximately two weeks when watered properly.
When planting flowers, ensure they receive plenty of indirect sunlight; too much direct sun will cause their petals to wither and fade. Also be sure to deadhead flowers regularly to promote new blooms.
Whether planting from seeds or transplants, soak seeds overnight in warm water before sowing in early spring. For transplants, read catalog descriptions or plant tags carefully in order to ascertain depth and space requirements; grouping plants that share similar conditions together makes providing them what they require much simpler.
Petunias
Petunias are a go-to flower in garden beds and planters alike, as they’re among the few flowers that fill in quickly while blooming throughout summer. Bright, sunny beds or planters are their preferred environment; sowing seeds 8 weeks prior to expected frost date works well when growing from seed; otherwise when purchasing plants from garden centers opt for short and compact varieties as leggy plants will have difficulty adapting.
stagger the planting of each flower type so they won’t all come up at once. Cut flowers early morning or evening and soak stems in water mixed with flower preservative before arranging them to prevent wilting. Use clean tools so as not to spread bacteria that causes cut flowers to rot more quickly.
Sunflower Varieties
Sunflowers are easy to grow, thrive during the heat of summer and early autumn, and make a striking statement when used in cut arrangements. Sunflowers come in various colors, heights and textures that work beautifully as bouquets.
Choose a sunny spot to plant your sunflowers and select varieties with long vase life and stem length, such as 18″ spacing (for landscaping) or 9″ (when planting in a cutting garden).
Stagger your sowing dates for an uninterrupted harvest by sowing branching and nonbranching varieties. Branching varieties produce numerous small to medium sized blooms over an extended period, but take up more space in the garden. Nonbranching varieties produce single flowers per seed with long stems for cutting purposes.