Preparing the soil for planting a cut flower garden is key, including taking soil tests and amending it with compost or slow-release fertilizer.
Pay careful consideration to the growing conditions for each flower variety. Grouping plants that share similar needs together will allow you to give each of them exactly what they require.
Location
For flowers intended for cutting, select an area with full sun and well-drained soil. A raised bed can help improve soil quality while providing easy harvesting access.
Planning your garden around different bloom times with perennials and annuals will bring variety into the garden, while fragrant herbs with eye-catching foliage add character.
Include plants that rebloom regularly, such as zinnias or celosias. Pinch the growing tips to encourage branching and more blooms. You could also try single-stem sunflowers – they last up to two weeks in a vase! Easy to grow from seed with various colors, sizes and forms available – plant these in late spring after the last frost date for best results.
Soil
An effective cut flower garden demands quality soil in order to yield numerous blooms. Working up the soil with plenty of organic matter will increase water retention and fertility while testing will determine what nutrients may be lacking from the soil.
Beginner gardeners typically recommend 18″ spacing between plants like snapdragons, zinnias, and cosmos, while cut flowers should be planted closer together for longer stems and increased blooms. Flowers must also be pinched when young to promote branching and increase bloom count.
Planned planting can make all the difference when it comes to successfully creating your cutting garden. Take into account existing beds, sketch out what your ideal layout would look like taking into account bloom times and heights, then implement.
Water
With some careful planning, you can cultivate a stunning cut flower garden. While your space doesn’t need to be large, ensuring a weed-free area and amending the soil with organic matter to improve drainage and nutrient availability is essential. A soil test should also be completed prior to beginning.
When selecting flowers, keep color and height in mind. Grouping flowers that bloom at different times throughout the season creates interesting combinations; to add depth try mixing fine foliage together with coarse foliage – or group them all at once to add visual interest!
For plants like zinnias and celosia that produce long stems, such as pinching near the ground once they reach an height of around one month can encourage branching and longer stems. This will promote branching while also encouraging longer branches.
Pruning
Since many flowers only bloom once every few weeks, it is essential to plant seeds at regular intervals in order to extend their bloom time and extend annuals such as sweet peas and sunflowers’ lifespans. Sowing seed every few weeks helps extend bloom time of annuals such as sweet peas and sunflowers.
Planting in rows makes it easier to cut stems from your garden, and paths between plants should be wide enough for people to comfortably walk through them. Taller flowers like zinnias or sunflowers may require additional support such as trellises.
Mulching with compost or organic material is an excellent way to increase soil fertility, along with using slow-release fertilizers for flower production. For an even richer soil experience, create your own organic compost by composting kitchen scraps and yard waste.
Harvesting
Once your flowers have been harvested, place them immediately into a bucket of cold water to reduce temperature, reduce postharvest loss rates and enhance bouquet quality. This process also makes the blooms last longer in your vase!
Cornflowers, dahlias, love-in-a-mist (nigella), scabiosa snapdragons and rudbeckias are the easiest annuals to grow for cutting purposes – they offer an abundance of colors and lengths while being easy to cut. Look for varieties that complement each other or contrast, such as soft pink Dahlias complementing delicate white blooms of Gypsophila ‘Deep Carmine’ while bold orangey-yellow rudbeckias make an eye-catching statement when added into an arrangement!
Plan next year’s cutting garden early by taking notes on varieties, bloom cycles and height. Consider including perennials in your mix for continuity from season to season. Add plenty of organic matter, like compost or leaf mold to improve soil structure and nutrient content.