Maintain a combination of flowers that bloom at different times to extend harvest periods and add variety to your arrangements.
Plant in rich, well-draining soil; raised beds make this easier but any bed will do just as well.
Make sure that each flower has an appropriate spacing based on its mature size; seed packets provide this information.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are iconic summer cut flowers and should be part of every garden. Not only are sunflowers easy to cultivate from seed – with large seeds making planting simple even for non-expert hands – they germinate rapidly as well.
Starting sunflowers indoors or outdoors once the last frost date has passed in your region can be rewarding and easy, providing ample light and warmth. Make sure they receive plenty of attention.
Once your plants are ready to be transplanted, give them full sun and rich, loose garden soil to establish themselves in their new environments. Plant branching varieties 18″ apart while non-branching ones should be spaced 9″.
Before planting them in the garden, ensure all tender seedlings and transplants have been hardened off for at least two weeks to reduce slug and snail risks. Doing this makes plants less vulnerable to these predators.
Annuals
Growing cut flowers from seeds is an incredible feat of alchemy. From seemingly inanimate seeds that will sprout into vibrant, flowering plants that produce armloads of fragrant blooms for cutting is truly mind-boggling! Annuals also provide nectar and pollen to beneficial insects and birds in your garden environment – creating another alchemical feat!
Seeds should be started indoors two to three weeks before the last frost date in order to gain an early headstart on growing season.
When planting, divide your garden into rows wide enough for you to easily reach their stems when working with them. Group plants with similar cultural needs together in order to prevent accidentally overwatering or under-watering them, as this will help ensure proper irrigation levels. Also be sure to add an organic plant food or flower fertilizer at planting time as well as every two or three weeks throughout the growing season in order to increase blossom production.
Perennials
Substituting perennial flowers into your cutting garden provides a permanent addition that will continue to bloom year after year. Perennials like lilies, irises and peonies require patience when first planted but will ultimately produce an abundant harvest over time.
Before planting perennials, take time to amend the soil with organic matter such as compost, manure or shredded bark mulch. Perennials thrive best in rich, amended soil.
Morning is the best time and place for watering deeply but less frequently; so that plants can absorb the needed moisture before the heat of the day hits them. Always use clean scissors or pruning shears when cutting flowers so as to prevent bacterial infection, keeping their stems as long as possible for vase life.
Other Flowers
Cut-and-come-again flowers can save a great deal of effort in your garden by eliminating succession planting. However, these plants still must be cut regularly to produce enough stems to sell for their market value – otherwise pollination will occur and stop producing new blooms altogether!
Bring these gorgeous blooms indoors for a completely different perspective on their beauty – the smell, how petals curl and fold against one another, the way stems bend to support a bloom – these qualities come alive when arranged as part of an arrangement and offer you an experience you won’t get from simply admiring plants in the garden.
Plant flowers in wide rows for easier harvesting, as this allows access between rows for harvesting. Also ensure that paths between these rows are large enough for you to access and work with them. Before planting these flowers make sure your soil contains plenty of nutrient rich compost or leaf mold as these flowers prefer an environment with excellent drainage and water retention capabilities.