Start with long-stemmed flowers, which hold onto their colors better than shorter varieties. Select perennials like phlox and iris as well as easy-to-grow annuals like zinnias and sunflowers.
Carefully consider which flowers require additional TLC and need staking or support before planning the garden layout for ease of harvesting, with taller plants placed further back and shorter ones closer to the front of the bed.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers make an easy addition to any cut flower garden. Boasting their best blooms during the dog days of summer and early autumn, sunflowers make great focal points in bouquets as their single stem flowers create lasting blooms for cut arrangements.
Select a sunny location for your sunflowers; they require at least six hours of daily sun light for optimal growth.
Leigh prefers ProCut orange, red and white lite sunflowers because of their colorful designs and size.
Plan to water your sunflowers deeply every three to seven days using soaker hoses or microsprinklers which direct water directly to the soil, in order to combat diseases. Remember to deadhead several sunflowers weekly to promote more flowers and extend harvest season. In addition, consider planting self-sowing annuals like zinnias, strawflowers or lisianthus which provide continuous supply of cutting flowers for cutting purposes.
Perennials
As part of creating a cut flower garden, the first step should be identifying which perennials you would like to include. You should research which varieties thrive best in your climate and location as well as their watering, soil and nutrient needs – some require cool shaded conditions while others will do better in full sun and heat.
Once you have your list ready, plant them in long linear beds approximately one metre wide to make weeding, staking and picking easier.
Consider employing the no dig technique, which will improve both soil quality and plant health. By adding organic compost at planting time and throughout the season, organic soil texture and nutrients content can also be enhanced significantly.
Some perennials such as zinnias and sunflowers will require staking or support; make a note of this in both your seed catalog description and on the plant tags at your nursery. Incorporate sweet pea vines, climbing nasturtiums, filler flowers with long vase lives such as Achillea (yarrow), as well as fillers such as Achillea. When designing your garden be sure to make it easy to maintain; taller plants might need staking up while blooms of annuals may need regular pruning or pinching in order to encourage fullness of bloom.
Annuals
An annual flower selection makes a wonderful addition to any cutting garden. When selecting annuals for cutting purposes, look for varieties bred specifically for cut flower use – these flowers often offer longer stems, more blooms, and improved vase life compared to their non-cutting counterparts. Some good options for annuals cutting include chrysanthemums, dianthus, sweet peas, cosmos and zinnias – among many more!
Consider including hardy annuals such as Sweet William or Cornflowers as filler plants in arrangements, adding color, texture, height or wispiness. Achillea (yarrow), another great filler plant loved by pollinators is also widely self-seeded with long-lasting flowers lasting from June until frost.
To ensure the success of your cut flower garden, find a sunny location and prepare the soil by loosening and amending with compost and slow-release flower fertilizer. Annuals cannot tolerate poorly draining soil; make sure drainage improves before planting annuals. Raised beds offer better drainage while making harvesting enjoyable – creating raised beds will make harvesting even more pleasurable!
Combinations
Your cut flower garden doesn’t have to be large for it to produce beautiful bouquets all season. Simply planting long-blooming perennials, colorful annuals and fragrant shrubs like lilacs and hydrangeas in just one bed is enough to provide plenty of blooms from homegrown bouquets!
Consider where your cutting garden will get enough sunlight and how easy it will be for you to access the plants. Most cut flowers require full sun; some varieties thrive even with partial shade conditions. In addition, it must be possible for you to reach all your cutting flowers without accidentally trampling upon other plants or knocking over blooms.
Mix perennials, annuals and bulbs that share similar growing conditions and flowering times into your garden to create an eye-catching arrangement of focal and filler flowers – such as Aquilegia, Chrysanthemums, Echinacea, Tulips, Nasturtiums Rudbeckia Dahlias etc – then complete it all off by adding flowering shrubs, fragrant herbs or foliage for an original and vibrant finish!