If you have a garden, consider designating one or two beds as cutting flower gardens for easy maintenance, harvesting and weed removal. These beds typically consist of rows and grids for effortless upkeep and harvesting.
Beginners should start off by planting easy-care annuals like zinnias and sunflowers – placing tall varieties towards the back, while shorter varieties should fill out front rows.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are beloved, timeless blooms that bring happiness and cheer to anyone they come into contact with. Easy to cultivate, they make great additions to any cut flower garden.
Your choice of sunflower varieties will dictate how much space is necessary to plant them successfully. Single stem varieties produce one medium-sized bloom suitable for cutting while taking up less garden space; branching varieties produce multiple small to medium sized blooms over an extended period of time but require more room in your garden.
Sunflowers thrive when planted in full sunlight every day, as this encourages quick sprouting and healthy development. Once they’re ready for harvesting, harvest them first thing in the morning before their heat settles in. When transporting them home in buckets of water you can extend their vase life significantly.
Annuals
Zinnias, sunflowers and cosmos are perennials that bloom only once every season – ideal choices for cutting gardens! But they can also be easily planted among vegetables or perennials or in pots and planters for easy care.
Annuals require plenty of sunlight and well-draining soil, making them easier to grow than perennials and bulbs which can often prove more difficult in your garden.
Before planting your cutting garden, it’s advisable to loosen and amend its soil with compost or slow-release flower fertilizer – this will ensure optimal cut quality and increase harvest yields. Once sowing seeds directly in late spring (or even into winter in cool-season varieties like sweet peas, snapdragons, and foxgloves) or containers is complete, pinch young plants occasionally to encourage branching out and produce longer stems.
Perennials
Cut flower gardens make excellent use of perennial flowers, including those belonging to various perennial varieties. It is key that these plants receive sufficient sunlight – most varieties need 6-8 hours of direct sun per day for proper development and performance. Assess where each garden bed lies throughout the day to gauge how much light each one receives.
Perennial cutting garden perennials often include shrubs such as lilacs (Lycoris) and hydrangeas, along with aromatic herbs like lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). Hardy annuals such as sweet peas, snapdragons, bachelor’s buttons and zinnias can also make beautiful bouquets.
Staggering the plantings of flowers that bloom at different times, like sunflowers and celosia, to extend their blooming period and maximize yield can extend your flowering season and boost production. Zinnias and celosia can also be pinched for branching purposes when they reach 10-12 inches above their second set of leaves for pinching purposes.
Vegetables
Cut flowers differ from landscape flowers in that they are specifically grown to be cut for bouquets and arrangements, rather than adorning a garden with blooms that simply enhance its surroundings. Instead, their goal is to produce blooms for use in bouquets and arrangements using annuals with some perennial options mixed in for color fillers and filler purposes.
Start a cut flower garden easily by direct sowing seeds – this works best with cool-season annuals like sweet peas, snapdragons, foxgloves and larkspur. Additionally, winter sowing outdoor seeds requires planning.
Once the soil has been prepared in early spring, it’s time to plant. When selecting your site, be mindful of how much sunlight it receives as most flowering plants require six or more hours per day for proper development. Also be sure to run a soil test prior to beginning any planting projects.