An ideal spot for planting cutting flower gardens should be in an open, sunny location with well-draining soil, which also includes compost or organic matter and slow-release flower fertilizer to enrich its soil structure.
Consider planting perennials that bloom year after year as well as annuals to create an easy-care garden. Create a plan based on bloom times and heights in order to avoid gaps or empty spaces in your planting plan.
Location
Cut flower gardens should be located in sunny spots with well-draining soil. Prior to planting, amending the site with compost or slow release fertilizers may help improve drainage and increase growth rates. Raised beds are popular spaces for growing cut flowers.
Begin with flowers you love and plan a layered design using perennials that return year after year as well as annuals grown from seeds or plants. Add filler flowers for texture interest and aromatic herbs for scent; don’t forget heirloom and specialty seeds from seed catalogs or nurseries, such as rare varieties that will add charm to bouquets!
Many flowers require support, such as certain varieties of zinnias and sunflowers that reach tall heights, and vining plants like sweet peas and nasturtiums that need netting or trellises for growth. Consider placing these pieces near a fence so as to minimize interference with other garden activities.
Soil
Cutting flowers require rich, well-draining soil to produce long-term blooms. Conducting a soil test and adding several inches of organic matter before planting will assist with this goal.
Your garden should also be free from weeds and easy to access for harvesting, with an assortment of annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs with long stems that maintain their vase life as well as fillers such as kale or sunflowers for fillers.
Stagger the planting of each flower type so they won’t all bloom at once and then fade consecutively, for instance, spring bulbs should be swapped out after early summer with perennials that will continue reblooming throughout the season; mulching with leaves or straw is key in deterring weeds while also maintaining soil moisture levels.
Water
Attentive water management is crucial for creating the ideal cut flower garden. Plants need constant moisture for proper development and health; soil drainage must also be sufficient; co-authors of Small Farm, Big Dreams suggest raising garden beds as a possible way to facilitate drainage of excess liquid.
Attractively planted flowers should also be in wide rows for easy cutting and arrangement purposes, with supports provided for tall plants like delphiniums and dahlias that need support. Fillers such as baby’s breath or dill, coleus and artemisia foliage plants and others such as sweet peas add filler options while adding fragrance with fragrant plants like lavender and sweet peas for bouquet arrangements.
Fertilizer
Establishing a cut flower garden is both sustainable and cost-saving, offering greater control of quality than florist-priced arrangements. To get optimal results, select annuals and perennials with varied bloom colors, heights, textures and forms to grow together in your plot.
Consider including herbs, hardy grasses and filler flowers such as statice to add variety and texture to your bouquets. They’re easy to grow while adding depth and dimension.
Group plants that share similar growing requirements together, such as perennials and annuals, or those needing staked support (dahlias or sweet peas). This makes watering, weeding and harvesting all at once much simpler; additionally, keeping an eye out for pests may reduce risks significantly.
Pruning
As part of your cut flower garden, pruning perennials and annuals is key for encouraging more blooms. Pruning should ideally take place during late dormant season to reduce stress on plants while protecting them from insect damage.
Be sure to plant cutting flowers in wide rows so you can easily access them when it comes time to cut. Also plan plenty of garden paths between each bed for easy traversal of planting tasks.
When selecting seed varieties, look for those designed specifically as cut flowers. This means long stems and an extended vase life – these qualities will often be highlighted on seed packets with special icons indicating them.