Starting a Cut Flower Garden
Have you ever planted a cut flower garden? If you’ve never considered it, but haven’t dug in yet, we’ve got you covered! A cut flower garden can be a simple addition to your yard or porch. Today we’re exploring cut flower gardens and sharing some tips if you decide to give it a go!
Getting Started
A cut flower garden is a flower focused space you plant with the goal of growing flowers to cut and combine into arrangements. Raised planter beds are a great place to start planting but aren’t required for a flower garden. You can plant your flowers in the ground or pots and containers if that works best. Consider how much space you have to grow flowers and identify your growing zone. You’ll want to research which flowers grow best in your zone.
Plan Your Garden
Grab your planner or journal to sketch ideas, organize flower options, and map out your plantings. If you’re a beginner gardener, start small. Pick 3-5 varieties to plant. Organize your planting layout based on height, with your largest, tallest flowers in the back, your midsize flowers next, and your smallest flowers in the front.
When considering which varieties of flowers to plant, think about the eventual arrangement you’d like to put together. Think about the color palette you’d like. And consider a variety of textures that will work in a bouquet. In a flower arrangement it’s nice to have some main focal flowers, some smaller accent flowers, something spiky or with texture, and some filler flowers.
We’ve included some ideas below!
Filler: bishop’s flower, yarrow, cress, amaranthus
Main focal: zinnia, sunflower, cosmo
Accent: forget-me-nots, pansy, poppy
Spike: snapdragon, larkspur, bells of ireland
Most flowers for your cut garden will be annuals, meaning you plant them each year. You can consider planting perennials, tubers, bulbs, and shrubs that will return year after year. These include flowers like roses, dahlias, tulips, daffodils, and peonies.
Planting & Harvesting
One of the most important things you can do is to start with nutrient rich soil. Your local garden center can provide you with good soil to start. Look for something loose that will provide good drainage. If you forgo raised beds to plant directly in the ground, you will want to break up the layers of soil so the water can drain well. Mixing in some quality compost, peat moss, and vermiculite will ensure you have great soil to start your flowers.
After the last frost in your area you can start planting! Follow planting instructions for your particular seeds. Stay diligent with watering as your seeds sprout. Be sure to consider how long each variety will need to grow. If some of the varieties you plan will not come back after they are cut, consider succession planting, and plant varieties at staggered phases so you can always have flowers growing! As your flowers are growing, keep the weeds under control. You can use landscape fabric, plant ground cover, or simply pull the weeds as you see them.
When your flowers are just about to open, you can cut them. It’s best to cut flowers in the early morning or in the evening. When you select the stem you want to cut, trim it at the base where it meets the main stem. Research which flowers you can cut multiple times. And get your freshly cut stems into water right away after cutting. Your flowers should keep in the vase a week or two with daily water changes.
If you’re interested in starting a cut flower garden, don’t be intimidated and get planting! There are lots of resources online to help guide you as you get started. We recommend checking out Floret Flower Farms. And if you’re an experienced flower gardener, we’d love to hear your best tips in the comments!