How to Grow Your Own Cut Flower Garden
Follow this expert advice and enjoy a supply of fresh cut blooms every year
Claudia De Yong
24 May 2017
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de Yong Designs offers a consultancy and design service for the private and corporate client. We are also able to source anything for the garden from plants to pots, paving and architectural features . Please visit my new online shop for garden products.
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de... More
Growing your own cut flowers, whether from seed or bulbs, is so rewarding. What could be a nicer way to enjoy your garden than going out to pick handfuls of blooms and making them into beautiful bunches for friends or filling empty vases in the house. And with the increase in seed packet sales for cut flowers, it has never been easier to choose from a wonderful selection. Here are a few tips and suggestions to get you started.
Consider your available space
You don’t need acres of land to start your own cutting garden. You can just as easily grow your blooms in containers outside your back door, on your terrace or even your roof garden. You can also cultivate cut flowers in your vegetable plot, existing border, or a raised bed or allotment. If you prepare the soil well, choose the right varieties of plants that are easy to grow, and keep on top of deadheading, then you will soon be collecting armfuls of beautiful flowers.
You don’t need acres of land to start your own cutting garden. You can just as easily grow your blooms in containers outside your back door, on your terrace or even your roof garden. You can also cultivate cut flowers in your vegetable plot, existing border, or a raised bed or allotment. If you prepare the soil well, choose the right varieties of plants that are easy to grow, and keep on top of deadheading, then you will soon be collecting armfuls of beautiful flowers.
Plant in Rows
Creating a designated area or a raised bed for a cutting garden is a good idea if you have the space for it; this way, you can then plant your flowers in regimented rows, which will make it easier when it comes to cutting the blooms. It will also make weeding in between the rows easier, as well as staking the flowers as they grow.
Make sure you allow for growth between your rows, which should prevent any potential damage caused by stems rubbing together or getting tangled.
Creating a designated area or a raised bed for a cutting garden is a good idea if you have the space for it; this way, you can then plant your flowers in regimented rows, which will make it easier when it comes to cutting the blooms. It will also make weeding in between the rows easier, as well as staking the flowers as they grow.
Make sure you allow for growth between your rows, which should prevent any potential damage caused by stems rubbing together or getting tangled.
Build into a bed
If space is limited or you like the idea of growing flowers for cutting in existing flowerbeds, spread the planting out in a naturalistic way to avoid ending up with bare patches after cutting, which can look unsightly.
To plant them in a naturalistic manner, position them among other perennials and shrubs. Make the bed work with the rest of the garden, too, by considering your overall colour scheme so you don’t end up with jarring shades once the cut flowers come to bloom.
Try not to dot your cutting flowers around the bed, especially if you are planting them as seedlings, as you may not remember where you have planted them! Keep taller plants such as Verbena bonariensis, with its tiny mauve flowers on tall slender stems, to the back of the bed (although these may migrate to other parts as they have a tendency to spread). Adding a few seeds of Nigella in flowerbeds works well, too, and you won’t feel upset cutting them if there are other blooms flowering away.
Adding plants to existing borders can also work well if you decide to use them for a specific season. For example, you could plant Honesty, which you can leave to flower in the border in spring and let its green seedpods stay in the summer. But then you can pick it in the autumn, when the pods have dried into a lovely papery texture, to use in flower arrangements.
If space is limited or you like the idea of growing flowers for cutting in existing flowerbeds, spread the planting out in a naturalistic way to avoid ending up with bare patches after cutting, which can look unsightly.
To plant them in a naturalistic manner, position them among other perennials and shrubs. Make the bed work with the rest of the garden, too, by considering your overall colour scheme so you don’t end up with jarring shades once the cut flowers come to bloom.
Try not to dot your cutting flowers around the bed, especially if you are planting them as seedlings, as you may not remember where you have planted them! Keep taller plants such as Verbena bonariensis, with its tiny mauve flowers on tall slender stems, to the back of the bed (although these may migrate to other parts as they have a tendency to spread). Adding a few seeds of Nigella in flowerbeds works well, too, and you won’t feel upset cutting them if there are other blooms flowering away.
Adding plants to existing borders can also work well if you decide to use them for a specific season. For example, you could plant Honesty, which you can leave to flower in the border in spring and let its green seedpods stay in the summer. But then you can pick it in the autumn, when the pods have dried into a lovely papery texture, to use in flower arrangements.
Think about location
When planning where to incorporate them into a border, or where to have a new cut-flower border or bed, pick a site that has sun for most of the day. That said, afternoon sun is better than morning sun for growing as the latter can damage tender stems. Make sure the soil is weed-free, fertile and well-drained. An old vegetable bed would make an ideal cutting garden bed.
If you have heavy soil, add some horticultural grit and good compost to ensure a strong root development. Protect any plants in the beds from strong winds damaging the stems and causing moisture loss (see ‘Be supportive’ below). Also ensure you keep your plants well-watered as they grow.
When you eventually come to pick your flowers, avoid doing so in the heat of the day. Early morning or evening is ideal for avoiding wilted blooms. Put your flowers in a bucket of tepid water in a shady spot for a couple of hours and don’t rush to arrange them, let them recover a bit.
Want to grow vertically, too? Discover how to pick the best climbing plants for your garden
When planning where to incorporate them into a border, or where to have a new cut-flower border or bed, pick a site that has sun for most of the day. That said, afternoon sun is better than morning sun for growing as the latter can damage tender stems. Make sure the soil is weed-free, fertile and well-drained. An old vegetable bed would make an ideal cutting garden bed.
If you have heavy soil, add some horticultural grit and good compost to ensure a strong root development. Protect any plants in the beds from strong winds damaging the stems and causing moisture loss (see ‘Be supportive’ below). Also ensure you keep your plants well-watered as they grow.
When you eventually come to pick your flowers, avoid doing so in the heat of the day. Early morning or evening is ideal for avoiding wilted blooms. Put your flowers in a bucket of tepid water in a shady spot for a couple of hours and don’t rush to arrange them, let them recover a bit.
Want to grow vertically, too? Discover how to pick the best climbing plants for your garden
Go for annuals…
Growing annuals as cut flowers is the most productive and cost- effective option as the seeds are cheap to buy and readily available in garden centres and nurseries.
One of most bountiful of annual cut flowers is Cosmos, which is a large daisy-shaped flower with colourful petals. Look for the white Cosmos ‘Purity’ which lasts for over a week in water, the deep carmine pink ‘Versailles Tetra’ or, for a brighter shocking pink, choose ‘Dazzler’.
Sweet peas are one of the best annuals for scent and delicate blooms and can be grown up a wigwam for easy picking. Look for ‘Prince Edward of York’, ‘Matucana’, ‘Painted Lady’ and ‘North Shore’. As these plants are ‘cut-and-come-again’, if you keep on top of the picking you will have a constant supply of fresh flowers for the season. Cut-and-come-again means the plants keep on producing flowers until they set seed or are exhausted at the end of the season.
Nigella (shown), Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’ and cornflowers are all lovely annuals to try and if you like sunflowers opt for ‘Harlequin’, a multi-headed variety that produces loads of blooms.
Biennials such as wallflowers or sweet williams also work well as cut flowers and need sowing May to July for flowering the following year. Part of the Dianthus genus, sweet williams, along with their close relative pinks (another good choice), need drainage and an open sunny spot. Choose Dianthus barbatus (Nigrescens group) for dark purple flowers with lovely dark leaves. For a deep spice-scented red wallflower opt for Erysimum cheiri ‘Blood Red.’
Growing annuals as cut flowers is the most productive and cost- effective option as the seeds are cheap to buy and readily available in garden centres and nurseries.
One of most bountiful of annual cut flowers is Cosmos, which is a large daisy-shaped flower with colourful petals. Look for the white Cosmos ‘Purity’ which lasts for over a week in water, the deep carmine pink ‘Versailles Tetra’ or, for a brighter shocking pink, choose ‘Dazzler’.
Sweet peas are one of the best annuals for scent and delicate blooms and can be grown up a wigwam for easy picking. Look for ‘Prince Edward of York’, ‘Matucana’, ‘Painted Lady’ and ‘North Shore’. As these plants are ‘cut-and-come-again’, if you keep on top of the picking you will have a constant supply of fresh flowers for the season. Cut-and-come-again means the plants keep on producing flowers until they set seed or are exhausted at the end of the season.
Nigella (shown), Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’ and cornflowers are all lovely annuals to try and if you like sunflowers opt for ‘Harlequin’, a multi-headed variety that produces loads of blooms.
Biennials such as wallflowers or sweet williams also work well as cut flowers and need sowing May to July for flowering the following year. Part of the Dianthus genus, sweet williams, along with their close relative pinks (another good choice), need drainage and an open sunny spot. Choose Dianthus barbatus (Nigrescens group) for dark purple flowers with lovely dark leaves. For a deep spice-scented red wallflower opt for Erysimum cheiri ‘Blood Red.’
…but include perennials in the mix
Planting perennials to use as cut flowers will allow you to have a succession of flowers year after year. Dahlias (shown), for example, make great cutting flowers and will need to be planted in full sun and are frost-tender so need protection. They are heavy feeders, so plant them in good compost and add some blood, fish and bone to the hole. If you haven’t planted root cuttings yet, you will still be able to buy them from garden centres now. The plants will need staking and tying in once they have grown, so it is best to put the stake in from the planting stage, so it won’t disturb the roots as they grow.
There are so many dahlias to choose from. You could opt for ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, which has lovely dark divided bronze foliage and striking red flowers, and ‘Clair de Lune’ with two rows of pale creamy yellow florets and a dark yellow centre. Or you could go for ‘Hillcrest Royal’, a floriferous cactus dahlia with a deep-rich double purple bloom that grows up to a metre tall. ‘Amy Cave’ is a lovely, small, ball–style crimson-red colour with a purple tinge and ‘Cafe au Lait’ is very popular for wedding bouquets as it’s a lovely peachy pink and the flowers can grow up to 25cm across.
You can use most perennials as a cut flowers for arrangements and a few more good ones to try include:
10 pretty ways to display flowers at home
Planting perennials to use as cut flowers will allow you to have a succession of flowers year after year. Dahlias (shown), for example, make great cutting flowers and will need to be planted in full sun and are frost-tender so need protection. They are heavy feeders, so plant them in good compost and add some blood, fish and bone to the hole. If you haven’t planted root cuttings yet, you will still be able to buy them from garden centres now. The plants will need staking and tying in once they have grown, so it is best to put the stake in from the planting stage, so it won’t disturb the roots as they grow.
There are so many dahlias to choose from. You could opt for ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, which has lovely dark divided bronze foliage and striking red flowers, and ‘Clair de Lune’ with two rows of pale creamy yellow florets and a dark yellow centre. Or you could go for ‘Hillcrest Royal’, a floriferous cactus dahlia with a deep-rich double purple bloom that grows up to a metre tall. ‘Amy Cave’ is a lovely, small, ball–style crimson-red colour with a purple tinge and ‘Cafe au Lait’ is very popular for wedding bouquets as it’s a lovely peachy pink and the flowers can grow up to 25cm across.
You can use most perennials as a cut flowers for arrangements and a few more good ones to try include:
- Chrysanthemums such as ‘Green Envy’ and ‘Asters’
- Hellebores
- Delphiniums
- Helleniums
- Gypsophila paniculata
- Papavers (more commonly know as poppies); try Papaver nudicaule, aka Arctic Poppy)
- Peonies (wonderful rose petal heads!)
10 pretty ways to display flowers at home
Don’t stop planting seeds
Keep planting seeds in pots and trays throughout the growing season – and remember to label them! It is all too easy to forget what you have sown. By doing this you’ll have new smaller plug plants ready to pop in and fill the unsightly gaps left after the annuals you have already planted have died or been cut (if you’re waiting for seeds to grow from scratch in the spaces it could take ages!).
To germinate, most seeds require a warm, moist, dark environment and once they start to show signs of growth, you must uncover the trays for maximum light. Keep the seedlings in cool air, with good air circulation, well-watered and make sure the roots are kept warm. Pot your seedling as soon as you see the roots appearing at the bottom of the trays and plant out as soon as there is no risk of any frosts.
A few easy seeds as cut flowers to try are:
Keep planting seeds in pots and trays throughout the growing season – and remember to label them! It is all too easy to forget what you have sown. By doing this you’ll have new smaller plug plants ready to pop in and fill the unsightly gaps left after the annuals you have already planted have died or been cut (if you’re waiting for seeds to grow from scratch in the spaces it could take ages!).
To germinate, most seeds require a warm, moist, dark environment and once they start to show signs of growth, you must uncover the trays for maximum light. Keep the seedlings in cool air, with good air circulation, well-watered and make sure the roots are kept warm. Pot your seedling as soon as you see the roots appearing at the bottom of the trays and plant out as soon as there is no risk of any frosts.
A few easy seeds as cut flowers to try are:
- Ammi majus This is a posh form of cow parsley that has a better vase life than its more common relative.
- Antirrhinum Also known as snapdragon, these come in a assortment of colours.
- Cosmos Comes in all varieties of colours.
- Nigella, Calendula and Linaria(commonly called toadflax) The latter is one of my favourites, especially the pale pink spikes of Linaria‘Cannon Went’. It can grow like a weed left to its own devices so beware. Cutting will encourage more blooms.
Plant some bulbs
Bulbs also make ideal cutting material. Good bulbs to try include daffodils, tulips such as ‘Ballerina’ or Tulipa ‘Black Parrot’ and alliums (shown), which have bulbous heads carried on long stems (try ‘Purple Sensation’ and ‘Cristophii’, which have huge purple heads).
For the summer months, try planting gladioli bulbs. Plant the corns 4in apart and about 4-6in deep in rich, well-drained soil. As they need a lot of water, if you’re planting them in rows make sure you have incorporated a lot of well-rotted manure in the trench before you plant, which will help to retain moisture. Plant gladioli in stages, around every couple of weeks, to ensure a succession of blooms.
As with all bulbs, you can also plant them in containers for cut flowers. Make sure you keep them well-watered and fed as well as sheltered from strong winds.
To make tulips last longer in vases, cut their stems once they are in water to prevent air bubbles from entering the stems and try to avoid putting daffodils in the same vase as other flowers as they excrete a sticky substance that prevents any other cut flower from taking in any water.
Bulbs also make ideal cutting material. Good bulbs to try include daffodils, tulips such as ‘Ballerina’ or Tulipa ‘Black Parrot’ and alliums (shown), which have bulbous heads carried on long stems (try ‘Purple Sensation’ and ‘Cristophii’, which have huge purple heads).
For the summer months, try planting gladioli bulbs. Plant the corns 4in apart and about 4-6in deep in rich, well-drained soil. As they need a lot of water, if you’re planting them in rows make sure you have incorporated a lot of well-rotted manure in the trench before you plant, which will help to retain moisture. Plant gladioli in stages, around every couple of weeks, to ensure a succession of blooms.
As with all bulbs, you can also plant them in containers for cut flowers. Make sure you keep them well-watered and fed as well as sheltered from strong winds.
To make tulips last longer in vases, cut their stems once they are in water to prevent air bubbles from entering the stems and try to avoid putting daffodils in the same vase as other flowers as they excrete a sticky substance that prevents any other cut flower from taking in any water.
Contain your blooms
If you’re growing flowers for cutting from bulb in a container, choose large containers so you can plant enough bulbs to provide plenty to cut without totally depleting the pot of flowers.
If you layer your pots in a lasagna style, with bulbs first and then annual seedlings on top, you will have a good succession of flowers.
If you’re growing flowers for cutting from bulb in a container, choose large containers so you can plant enough bulbs to provide plenty to cut without totally depleting the pot of flowers.
If you layer your pots in a lasagna style, with bulbs first and then annual seedlings on top, you will have a good succession of flowers.
Be supportive
Most flowers will need support to grow with a straight stem – important for successful arranging! In general, keep netting and supports for flowers as natural and decorative as possible.
If you have planted your flowers in a well-prepared straight border, you could add a wide gauge netting for the plants to grow through for support.
Alternatively, by using something like pea sticks – twigs or prunings, typically from willow, birch or hazel – the structures will look less obvious, especially if the plants you will be growing and cutting are in existing flowerbeds. Once the plants grow, the natural supports blend into the foliage and it will look much nicer than the more brightly painted or plastic designs available. Getting hold of pea sticks to weave into a support is much easier now with local wood yards, coppice workers and even some nurseries supplying them.
To make a support from pea sticks, use fan-shaped twigs. Push about four 1.5m long pea sticks into the ground around the clump. Bend the sticks over to the opposing stick bases, tucking in as you go, to end up with an open woven dome shape of about 40cm, as pictured.
Most flowers will need support to grow with a straight stem – important for successful arranging! In general, keep netting and supports for flowers as natural and decorative as possible.
If you have planted your flowers in a well-prepared straight border, you could add a wide gauge netting for the plants to grow through for support.
Alternatively, by using something like pea sticks – twigs or prunings, typically from willow, birch or hazel – the structures will look less obvious, especially if the plants you will be growing and cutting are in existing flowerbeds. Once the plants grow, the natural supports blend into the foliage and it will look much nicer than the more brightly painted or plastic designs available. Getting hold of pea sticks to weave into a support is much easier now with local wood yards, coppice workers and even some nurseries supplying them.
To make a support from pea sticks, use fan-shaped twigs. Push about four 1.5m long pea sticks into the ground around the clump. Bend the sticks over to the opposing stick bases, tucking in as you go, to end up with an open woven dome shape of about 40cm, as pictured.
Factor in foliage plants…
No cutting garden should be without foliage plants. Although there will be many perennials you can cut as foliage, it’s a good idea to plant some foliage plants to add structure and form the backbone to a mixed bunch of flowers. Below are a few that are frequently grown, some of which also produce their own flowers as well.
No cutting garden should be without foliage plants. Although there will be many perennials you can cut as foliage, it’s a good idea to plant some foliage plants to add structure and form the backbone to a mixed bunch of flowers. Below are a few that are frequently grown, some of which also produce their own flowers as well.
- Euphorbia oblongata This foliage plant has acid-green flowers – but do take care when cutting as the milky sap can be an irritant to the skin.
- Alchemilla mollis (shown) It has large foamy clusters of lime-green flowers and is best grown in partial shade.
- Moluccella laevis Often called Bells of Ireland, it produces 90cm tall spikes of apple-green blooms.
- Bupleurum This half hardy annual self seeds freely and is similar to euphorbia. It has lime-yellow flowers. TryBupleurum rotundifolium‘Griffithii’, a native wildflower often called Hare’s Ear. It has a long vase life and grows well from seed.
…and shrubs
Don’t limit yourself! There are so many shrubs that can be used in flowers arrangements to add contrast and body to flowers. Cotinus ‘Grace’ or Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ (shown) have lovely deep and dark oval purple leaves and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ has delicate oak-shaped bronze leaves, which will add colour and drama to an arrangement.
Early-flowering shrubs can also provide invaluable cutting material. Shrubs such as camellia, Chaenomeles, also known as Japanese Quince, forsythia and Hamamelis, commonly known as Witch Hazel, on their own in a vase will all look wonderful in the home.
Viburnum x burwoodii will add a lovely scent to any flower arrangement and the branches of Amelanchier have a lovely snowy-white blossom.
If you have planted new shrubs allow them to settle into flowering and establish themselves before you use them for cutting.
Tell us your favourite cutting flower and your tips for growing it in the Comments below.
Don’t limit yourself! There are so many shrubs that can be used in flowers arrangements to add contrast and body to flowers. Cotinus ‘Grace’ or Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ (shown) have lovely deep and dark oval purple leaves and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ has delicate oak-shaped bronze leaves, which will add colour and drama to an arrangement.
Early-flowering shrubs can also provide invaluable cutting material. Shrubs such as camellia, Chaenomeles, also known as Japanese Quince, forsythia and Hamamelis, commonly known as Witch Hazel, on their own in a vase will all look wonderful in the home.
Viburnum x burwoodii will add a lovely scent to any flower arrangement and the branches of Amelanchier have a lovely snowy-white blossom.
If you have planted new shrubs allow them to settle into flowering and establish themselves before you use them for cutting.
Tell us your favourite cutting flower and your tips for growing it in the Comments below.
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I managed to make some very simple arrangements out of what was in my very small front & rear gardens last year. It really brings the house alive and so much more satisfying than shop-bought flowers.
I grow colourful giant zinnias every year. They are drought proof enough to survive my summer holiday without water, bloom until the frosts, and the cut stems last for weeks. They look similar to pom pom dahlias but never droop or shed petals. I keep the open seed packets in the freezer. A few days ago I planted 2013 expiry seeds and all have sprouted. My border and my vases should soon be bursting with colour!
Most customers think that a manager trough planter has to be used for grow your own plants but flowers also look lovely in these and they can be positioned in the sunniest spots in the garden for cut flowers and on patios to increase your growing potential
Harrod Horticultural