Planning an ornamental flower garden requires careful consideration. Many flowering plants need at least six or more hours of direct sunlight each day in order to produce their full potential blooms.
Carefully consider where you plan to put your garden, paying particular attention to how much sunlight it receives. Most cut flowers prefer full sunlight while some varieties can tolerate partial shade conditions.
Consider succession planting to extend the bloom time of annual flowers such as sunflowers and zinnias that typically bloom once and are then finished blooming, such as sunflowers and zinnias. Planting rows or blocks also makes harvesting much simpler.
Sunlight
Finding an area with full sun should be your primary goal when planting cut flower gardens. Most flowers don’t do well under any other light conditions than full sunshine; observe your area throughout the day in order to assess how much light there is available there.
Once you have your location selected, begin sowing indoor seeds two weeks prior to the expected last frost date. This allows your seedlings to establish before transplanting them outside, and reduces risk of frost damage. For maximum blooms, select annual and perennial flowers that flower throughout the growing season, such as those with long vase lives, color combinations that reflect current trends, fragrance options and foliage that add interest to bouquets. Deadheading (removing faded flowers regularly during growing season) must also be done regularly.
Soil
Establishing the ideal soil conditions is vital to creating a successful cut flower garden. Your planting site must be well-drained and abundant with organic matter; loosen the soil before adding compost or slow-release fertilizer. Raised beds make flower growing simpler; however, even simple garden beds will do just fine.
Select cold-hardy annuals such as Cosmos or Sweet Peas for your cutting garden, as these species are easier to grow from seed than more exotic or tropical ones.
Many annual flowers require deadheading (removing faded blossoms) in order to encourage more blooms and longer stems. Pinching, which involves cutting off a plant’s central stem below a set of leaves, may also work effectively for certain varieties, including cosmos, snapdragons, dahlias and scabious. It’s wise to include some pollinator-attracting blooms such as marigolds or nasturtiums for maximum impact.
Water
Quality seeds and plant starts are key when starting a cut flower garden, such as those grown organically by an experienced grower, free from pests or diseases.
Start seeds indoors a few weeks or months ahead of the last frost date in order to give them a head start in terms of season length, but direct sowing into the ground may also work fine as soon as the weather warms up.
Group plants that share similar growing conditions together, like zinnias and sunflowers. Tall varieties like garden phlox and dahlias should be placed toward the back of your flower beds to reduce weeding efforts while making harvesting simpler.
Fertilizer
Growing flowers from seed is a rewarding, even magical endeavor. It’s hard to imagine that one single seed could turn into an armful of blooming blossoms in only months!
As you consider which plants to grow, think about which flowers you often incorporate into bouquets. Scented varieties or those with interesting foliage could be ideal. Also keep bloom times in mind; for instance if planting sunflowers in your cut flower garden then consider also planting cool season bloomers nearby as these might fill in as their petals fade.
Sow seeds 9 inches apart (your seed packet may specify 18″) so they will have less competition with one another for sunlight, producing straight stems with straighter flowers. Once flower buds appear, pinch back above a set of leaves to promote more flowering and longer stems.
Pruning
Starting your own cutting garden from seed is both rewarding and astonishingly beautiful! Watching small seeds sprout into vibrant plants that produce armloads of beautiful, fragrant blooms is truly remarkable.
Most cut flower varieties prefer full sun. If your garden does not get this much sunlight, try providing at least six hours of morning sun each day for their growth.
Keep in mind that certain annuals, like zinnias and sunflowers, grow on vining plants that require support such as netting or trellises to remain upright as they develop. Therefore, it’s essential to read your seed packet’s or plant tag’s growing instructions closely when planning these annuals – it may also help if your garden shears are sharpened often so they will encourage more blooms and longer stems for your bouquets!