Tending a garden is a great way to get quality time outdoors and build yourself a floral oasis, but flowers need not be relegated only to the garden. Humans have been bringing greenery into their homes for centuries and bouquets are more popular than ever, offering a slice of nature in a beautiful, temporary package.
While purchasing flower arrangements is an easy way to enjoy flowers at home, it can be very expensive depending on the size and variety you want. It also can be harmful to the environment, since so many flowers are imported from abroad.
What’s the alternative? Growing your own cutting garden.
What is a cutting garden?
A cutting garden refers to a plot of yard devoted to growing flowers for cutting and display in arrangements. This is a working space that is about crop cultivation, much like a vegetable garden is there to produce a good harvest.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t also enjoy the cutting garden as a part of your larger outdoor space. Orderly rows and strategic plant choices can create an attractive patch while the flowers are still on the stalk.
However, it’s important to remember that a successful cutting garden is one that produces bountiful blooms.
What makes a good cutting flower?
Not all flowers are suited for life in a bouquet or other floral display. Rather than choosing species that will stay fixed in the ground year-round, gardeners should plant varieties whose blooms can be easily harvested and that will stand up to life as a vase arrangement.
Some species will actually produce more flowers if you cut off the current crop, just as pruning often encourages new growth. Cutting therefore allows gardeners to get more from their garden plantings outdoors, while also enjoying pretty blooms indoors.
When selecting seeds to plant in a cutting garden, it’s important to consider a few key factors:
1. Bloom longevity
Some flowers will begin to wither as soon as they’ve been cut, while others can last 1-2 weeks with regular water changes. For longer-lasting arrangements, it’s important to plant long-lasting species.
2. Long stems
It’s much easier to cut and arrange flowers with naturally long stems, since these will help the plant to stand up tall in a vase. You can always trim the stem down if needed, but you can’t add length.
3. Flowering season
Since a cutting garden is a working garden, you’ll get the most value if you plant species with long flowering seasons that you can cut flowers from periodically. It’s also strategic to plant flowers that will bloom at different times, so there is a consistent supply of flowers to cut.
Of course, you can also just plant the flowers you find the prettiest. A cutting garden is ultimately there to provide material for floral arrangements, so it’s important that you enjoy the final product. Ideally, you can find plants that combine the best of both worlds. Here are seven options that are likely to fit that brief.
7 cutting flowers you can grow at home
1. Sweetpeas
Growing up to 6 feet tall, sweetpea flowers top long, elegant stems that make them perfect for taller floral arrangements.
They are available in a wide range of different colors and multi-hued options, so gardeners can choose the type – or mix of types – that best suit their preferences.
They look very striking when grown in a big cluster in the garden, but then have a delicate prettiness that can either stand alone in a vase or compliment others. They are also deliciously scented, adding another sensory component to whichever arrangement you use them for.
Sweetpeas also have a long blooming season, enabling you to take cuttings for several months.
2. Cosmos
With their long, soft petals and vibrant yellow centers, cosmos are a cheerful addition to any cutting garden. You can find simple, daisy-like varieties in white or opt for a more saturated shade, depending on your personal tastes.
Cosmos have wispy foliage that won’t distract from the blooms, but that will waft prettily in the breeze while the cosmos are still in the garden. They are also hardy in US zones 2 through 11, ensuring that nearly every kind of garden can support their growth.
Growing up to 4 feet in height, cosmos have the required height for bouquets but still have a somewhat cute, simple look that makes them a charming choice for casual arrangements throughout the summer.
If you are looking for a frillier look, consider planting semi-double or double varieties, which feature extra layers of petals.
3. Zinnias
On the other end of the sophistication spectrum is the zinnia, a flower with many tiers of small petals that create a round yet tufted shape. Some varieties have elongated petals and contrasting clusters of tiny flowers in the center, which is very visually striking both in the garden and in a vase.
Zinnias come in all kinds of bright colors and are annual plants, meaning that you only need to keep them in the ground during their blooming season; once flowering ends, the plants will die off and you can use the space for other varieties.
Since zinnias flower from midsummer through to fall, they are a great complement to spring- and early summer-flowering species.
They will be ready for harvesting when the stalks are sturdy, not bendy – which will ensure they stand nice and tall in the display.
4. Sea holly
With a spiky appearance that’s reminiscent of a thistle, sea holly is a distinctive blue flower that adds structure and edge to more traditional flower bouquets.
It grows on long stems with small pairs of leaves, making it easy to cut and prepare for arranging. Sea holly blooms have a large, conical bud covered in long, thin, spiked blue petals, creating a halo effect. Bigger blue petals fan out underneath it, like a saucer under a teacup.
True blue flowers are rare to find, so sea holly is a nice way to capture this hue, but you can also find sea holly in softer shades of silver and green. The plant can reach about 4 feet in height and is drought-tolerant, making it a good fit for drier gardens with well-drained soil.
Once cut, put the stems in ice water to help prolong their life as indoor decor.
5. Snapdragons
Snapdragons get their name from the unique shape of their tubular flowers, whose petals fold over themselves to create the look of a dragon.
The individual flowers are clustered around a central spike, resulting in a tall column of brightly coloured, textured blooms.
Cutting the blooms will also prolong the flowering season, so adding them to your cutting garden is a good way to enjoy them for longer.
You can find snapdragons in a vast range of bright colors and they are also available in a range of heights; make sure you pick a taller variety for your cutting garden so that you have sufficient stem length for a display.
Snapdragons don’t have the longest blooming period, but they flower in either spring or fall, which makes them a good way to open and close your flower season. Cutting the blooms will also prolong the flowering season, so adding them to your cutting garden is a good way to enjoy them for longer.
Since they don’t like intense heat, make sure they are in partial shade for the depths of summer, to increase the likelihood of a second flowering in the autumn.
6. Mexican sunflower
Despite their name, Mexican sunflowers are closer in appearance to a daisy than a traditional sunflower. Where they differ from daisies is their color: Mexican sunflowers are intensely orange, red, or yellow, offering warmth and richness to your bouquets.
Their wide petals are clustered around a large textured center, combining simplicity with a little depth. These plants are also very easy to grow in warmer regions, being both drought-tolerant and hardy from zones 9-11. They even prefer a poorer quality soil, so you don’t need to fuss about with fertilizers.
Mexican sunflowers should be planted in full sun, in well-draining soil, and should begin blooming in midsummer. You can then expect flowers through the autumn, or until the first frost.
Picking the flowers will encourage the plant to reproduce more, so you may get waves of blooms throughout the second half of the season.
7. Dahlias
Dahlias are somewhat of a trendy flower at the moment, with their big blousy flowers made up of tiers and tiers of tiny curved petals. They come in nearly every colorway under the sun and some varieties are multi-toned, creating striking contrasts or pretty ombre effects.
Even their silhouettes can vary; some are more open and sprawling while others are densely packed and almost architectural in shape.
Since dahlias grow from tubers, you can overwinter them at the end of each season and prepare them for planting again the following year; this makes them a more cost-effective flower option over time.
Unfortunately, dahlias don’t have the longest vast life but you can prolong their good appearance by putting the stems in boiling water right after cutting.
While they’re in the ground, they should also attract pollinators, which will help the rest of the cutting garden to bloom fully.
More from Tom’s Guide
Source link
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
