Growing cut flowers doesn’t take much space – all you need is an accessible location with good drainage for easy weeding and staking.
Annual flowers should form the core of your cutting garden, such as cosmos and sweet peas. You could also add hardy and half-hardy perennials like larkspur and garden phlox for extended blooming seasons.
Plan Your Garden
Cut flower gardens require flowers with easy cultivation and long vase lives for making bouquets. When planting one, select annuals like zinnias and sunflowers as well as fragrant perennials like lily-of-the-valley and snapdragons as scented perennials; finish it off with some greenery options for harvest throughout summertime!
To make maintaining your cutting flower garden simpler, select an area with lots of sun and good drainage. Before planting, incorporate plenty of organic material like compost or leaf mold into the soil structure for improved soil structure and drainage.
Plan your garden layout using paths and aisles for visual interest, adding height and structure with trellises or other structures such as trellises. Arrange plants such as sunflowers in the back; medium-sized blooms like zinnias in the middle; and shorter blossoms, like sweet peas, at the front for optimal planting conditions.
Choose Your Flowers
At the core of any successful cut flower garden is choosing an array of varieties. A mix of easy-to-grow annual flowers like zinnias and sunflowers with perennial blooms such as sweet peas, climbing nasturtiums and tall hollyhocks is best for beginners; consider stagger planting schedules so blooms continue throughout the season.
Choose cut flower varieties with long vase life and pleasant scent for optimal cutting experiences. Consider each bloom’s height and length when selecting how many can fit in your space; raised garden beds offer even greater control over soil quality and depth.
To extend vase-life, cut stems early in the day and immerse them immediately in water mixed with floral preservative. Sharp, clean tools should also be used when cutting stems to prevent bacteria from invading cut areas and spreading further.
Planting
Successful cut flower gardens require staggered sowing and careful watering. If you have enough space, plant perennials and annuals in rows or blocks for easy care; for more dramatic displays try trellises or hanging baskets.
For optimal results, select a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Next, prepare the bed by loosening and loosening up soil before adding compost and slow-release fertilizer. Raised beds are an ideal way to control soil quality more precisely.
Consider mixing vegetable plants, herbs and flowers together in your cutting garden for increased pollination and variety in bloom colors and heights. Keep tools clean as dirty ones spread bacteria that causes flowers to wilt more rapidly. Furthermore, harvest only when flowers have begun to fade – for instance zinnias only last a few days in vase so wait until their stem droops or falls a bit before picking – to increase vase longevity.
Care
Cut flower gardens require plenty of sunshine, well-draining soil and regular irrigation. As a first timer, it may be easier to incorporate cutting gardens into an existing vegetable or perennial planting bed rather than creating separate spaces for them.
As part of your cut flower garden planning, read seed catalogs or plant tags closely to understand each plant’s mature height and width, which will enable you to determine how much space should be left between each planting. Tall plants like zinnias and sunflowers should be placed toward the back; shorter annuals like sweet peas or climbing nasturtiums can be planted closer together.
As part of your plant care routine, be aware of which flowers require staking or support, such as sweet peas or vining nasturtiums. If in doubt, ask an experienced nursery or garden center employee for guidance and change the water regularly as flowers quickly absorb bacteria from dirty sources.