Many cut flower plants require extra special care, including applying pesticides and adding special holding solutions or preservatives. With this in mind, select varieties that can withstand the weather conditions in your region.
Flowers thrive best in sunny environments; for maximum effect, try interspersing blooming plants with different bloom times throughout your garden.
Sunlight
Starting seeds and watching them blossom into flowering plants can be a captivating process, and once cut they can bring instantaneous joy and beautify any room they come into.
Think carefully about which flowers to plant in your cutting garden. For beginners, choosing annuals that bloom all season and have long vase lives are excellent choices; these plants tend to be easier than perennials to manage and care for.
Perennials make an excellent addition to any cut flower garden. Before choosing one to grow, however, be sure it fits with the climate in which you reside – the back of each seed packet should tell you exactly how much sun each variety requires and then create a planting bed which receives as much direct light as possible.
Soil
If you are planting a cut flower garden, be sure to select a location with full sunlight. This is particularly essential when working with short-stemmed blooms such as zinnias and cosmos that require long stems for bouquet creation.
Your soil should also be rich and well-drained for maximum results, making raised garden beds an excellent way to ensure complete control over its quality.
Many cut flowers require specific bloom times, so a cutting garden often comprises mostly annuals with some perennial options. Planting an array of easy-to-grow, colorful annuals and perennials with various heights and textures allows more options when it comes to floral arrangements. Pinch your plants like zinnias and celosia when they are approximately one month old to encourage branching and longer stems.
Water
Cutting gardens typically consist of both annual and perennial blooms that bloom throughout the growing season, with perennials typically blooming more abundantly and lasting longer in bouquets than their annual counterparts. Mixing both types can add variety to a garden.
Choose an easy-to-grow combination of plants with different textures, colors and bloom times for the optimal planting combination. Plant beds in rows for easy access when cutting flowers for cutting; in addition, leave enough space between rows wide enough for harvesting, transporting a bucket of water or working in your garden.
Watering frequency depends on soil type, weather conditions and the flower you are growing. Be wary not to overwater as this could lead to fungal disease and wash away important nutrients from your plant’s roots.
Fertilizer
Planting a cutting garden is an exciting and fulfilling task for any gardener, no matter their experience level. An assortment of annuals and perennial flowers will provide a rich variety of colors and blooms suitable for bouquets throughout the spring, summer and fall months.
Making seeds into vibrant blooming plants is almost a magical transformation! To make managing and harvesting your cutting garden simpler, group plants with similar growing conditions together – perennials (dahlias or delphiniums) or annuals.
Referring to the back of your seed packet is key for understanding planting times, germination rates and sunlight requirements for each plant. Furthermore, make sure to conduct a soil test first as this will allow you to establish how many frost-free days exist in your garden and will provide essential nutrients necessary for flower growth.
Space
Garden beds or containers – regardless of their size – must provide ample room for planting flowers for bouquets, weddings and other special events. It can be easy to become overwhelmed when starting out a cut flower garden for this reason, particularly if your efforts involve bouquets for special events like weddings and other celebratory gatherings.
If space is an issue, select plants with long growing and blooming seasons in order to extend your harvest. Consider succession sowing; sow seeds periodically throughout summer in order to have an uninterrupted supply of flowers throughout its bloom.
Group plants with similar needs for sun exposure and water needs together so each is getting what it needs. For instance, tall sunflowers could be planted at the back of beds while medium sized blooms such as zinnias should be distributed evenly through them; finally short-statured sweet william plants would go in front of each planting bed for maximum efficiency.