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TEN CUT FLOWERS
Growing your own cut flowers is a wonderful option for your garden. The choice of what to grow is of course huge but here’s our top ten choices to inspire you. You don't need to set aside a special area of your garden simply mix the plants in among your herbaceous borders. You can even add a few rows to your vegetable plot.
1.
Sunflower
Sunflowers are easy to grow and won't require any special attention - simply sow them directly into the ground where you want them to flower. For cutting it's best to choose multi-headed varieties.
2.
Sweet pea
The ultimate 'cut and come again' cut flower. Once a popular glasshouse cut flower, these beautiful blooms are mainly garden grown. There are plenty of colours to choose from, but a good mix of shades makes the prettiest posies.
3.
Tulips
Tulips are the earliest flowers for cutting in the garden. They come in such a range of colours. Help your tulips to last longer in the vase by cutting stems underwater to prevent air entering the stems. You’ll need to keep their water topped daily.
4.
Lilies
You'll only need a few lily stems to make an exotic-looking cut flower display. There are lots of different lily species that you can grow, but oriental lilies are popular for their fragrance and glamorous trumpet shaped blooms. When cutting lily stems from the garden leave a third of the stem to feed the bulb for the following year.
5.
Roses
Growing roses for cut flowers takes a little more work than growing them as garden shrubs, but the results are worth the effort. Choose varieties carefully to ensure the nicest forms and longest stems. Roses grown as cut flowers will require heavy feeding to produce the best results. 16
6.
Gladiolus
The flamboyant, tall stems are superb for adding height and drama to arrangements. Cut Gladiolus flowers just as the lowest two or three florets begin to open, but leave as many leaves as possible to feed the bulb for next year. If you want to prolong the cutting season then stagger planting at two week intervals.
7.
Eucalyptus
The foliage of Eucalyptus gunnii makes fantastic filler for vases, bouquets and larger flower arrangements. The attractive rounded leaves provide shape and texture that blends well with both formal and more relaxed displays. Eucalyptus has a long vase life, easily lasting three weeks.
8.
Dianthus
Dianthus (including Carnations, Pinks and Sweet Williams) are some of the best known of all cut flowers. Carnations provide traditional flowers, but it's worth trying something different on the variety front if you are growing your own flowers for cutting.
9.
Peonies
Peonies are prized for their beautiful, large blooms. Just a few stems are enough to create a stunning arrangement with a big impact. Double varieties should be cut when the buds feel soft between your finger and thumb, just before they open. Cutting double peonies too early may prevent the buds from opening so be patient with them.
10.
Gypsophila
Gypsophila makes wonderful filler for softening bouquets and adding a frothy haze of tiny flowers. This well loved cut flower can be sown outdoors each spring where they are to flower. Stagger the sowings to prolong the flowering season. It's best to wait until most of the flowers on the stem have opened. It produces a huge tangle of interweaving stems, creating a cloud-like effect in mid-summer when smothered in tiny white flowers. Cut back after flowering to encourage a second bloom.
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