Bright flowers in a flower bed are a joy that many gardeners want to enjoy, but some may be afraid to spoil a lush garden with a bountiful collection of flowers. If you want to enjoy outdoor flowers in an indoor bouquet, the best answer is to plant a cut garden.
Collect some cut flower garden ideas from the tips below as well as some flower garden tips for beginners to enjoy the smell and sight of your favorite flowers filling your vase.
Related: How to dry flowers: 5 easy DIY tricks
Garden planning
While planning a cut garden isn't that different from planning a vegetable garden or flower bed, it's important to note the main differences, including location, care, and types of flowers.
Area
As with most garden beds, you will need a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil for your garden. Most flowers prefer full sun. Since the cut flower display area is in your home, it can grow in a hidden landscape garden. However, for better yields and ease of care, avoid covering your cut flower beds so much that you forget to pick them when they bloom.
If separate spaces are not possible, you can introduce cut flowers to your vegetable or ornamental garden and plant them in groups or rows like any other plant. Some gardeners scatter cuttings of flowering plants over the soil, mixing them with perennials, annuals, and edible plants in beds where removing flowers is less of a concern.
The raised bed allows for easier cutting. Even a small flower garden can include containers. But for large flowers it is better to plant them in the ground.
Serve
Like any flower bed, a cut garden requires care and maintenance. It's a good idea to have a water source or easy path nearby, as many flowers like sunny places where they can dry out. Rain hoses and drip irrigation are two smart choices for providing irrigation when needed.
Adding compost to the soil beneath flowering plants will help the soil retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Permanent surface cloth covering helps reduce weeds, but can affect the ability of plants to replant and spread, as well as the ability of the soil to acclimatize when flowers grow in abundance. Investing in a hydrant makes it easy to clean the base of flowering plants without damaging the flowers.
If the soil is poor, you will have to add fertilizer or manure. Organic compost gradually helps dry the soil well and adds nutrients. Adding a slow-release organic fertilizer in the spring after planting or while the bushes are healthy will increase flowering.
When choosing flowers and preparing to grow a cut garden, plan out which plants need help or support; This helps easily add holes in the back of the garden, next to a fence or as needed. Others require regular pruning, pinching, or cutting when not gathering flowers. Keep this in mind and keep these more expensive treatment options on a raised bed or in an accessible location.
flower type
Cut gardens are designed for regular flower collections. Choosing the right plants for your garden will provide a variety of flowers for the season and possible cut flower seeds for next year's garden. Choose productive varieties that are not damaged by pruning. Low maintenance species can reduce maintenance costs, for example by providing additional water. Lastly, selecting some fragrant flowers can add charm to the garden and make a floral arrangement.
The gardener may be wise to consider floral patterns when selecting plants. Popular flowers are known as 'Delightful', 'Filling' and 'Spill'. Grow some tall, graceful flowers to use as centerpieces, some smaller flowers (such as gypsophila), and flowers to hang on the walls of vases. Color and season of flowering are also important factors when selecting flowers to plant.
For cutting favorite garden vegetables
Whether you prefer flowers, fragrant flowers or bright colors, there are many varieties suitable for cut flowers in the garden. Planting a mix of annuals and perennials will help extend the harvest time. Flower bushes can make eyeballs for your favorite vase; Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Sweet peas : a staple for country gardens, this fragrant white, pink, lavender and purple perennial requires the support of a trellis or other structure, but is perfect for mowing the garden, as the more you collect, the more it will flower. produce.
- Cosmos : This tall perennial plant produces daisies of white, pink, lavender, purple, yellow, orange or red flowers with slender leaves and is easy to care for.
- Sunflowers: Recent blooming annuals evoke artistic imagery in Van Gogh's paintings and add touches of sunshine with large flowers (sometimes bronze, orange, or red) on strong, sturdy stems.
- Zinnias : Sun-loving annual zinnias come in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes, but always produce delightful blooms throughout the growing season.
- Irises : For a spring bouquet, choose from a variety of irises, from purples and lavenders to whites, yellows, and bronzes.
- Delphinium : Add drama to your indoor garden with these long lasting blue flowers.
- Roses : A hardy perennial with over 100 varieties, offering every color, shape, and style, including several fragrant varieties that form the basis of classic bouquets.
- Peony : Large, fragrant white, pink, or red flowers appear in late spring on this perennial, perfect for English gardens or romantic arrangements.
- Daisy : This classic perennial has a simple but elegant look, and its white flowers and yellow center are a welcome addition to many other flowers in a bouquet.
- Hydrangea : This low-maintenance shrub produces large heads of white, blue, or pink (depending on soil pH) flowers that add to the English garden's love of bouquets.
Plant a cut flower garden
Planting a cut flower garden requires some planning and preparation. This includes site selection, soil preparation, flower selection and placement of cut flower beds.
Select a site
Most flowers prefer full sun, so find a sunny spot to start your garden. It will be easier to store it if it is near an accessible water source. Since you collect flowers regularly, this garden doesn't have to be in a well-known place, but you can find them easily. If you don't have enough space for a cut flower bed, add a few rows (or borders) of growing cut flowers that will attract pollinators to your garden. You can also incorporate cut flowers into decorative flower beds and landscaping.
Prepare the soil
If you are starting a new garden, prepare the soil by loosening it to a depth of 12 inches. Before loosening the soil, remove any weeds or competing plants you don't want to grow there, such as grass (and if necessary, take action to prevent weeds before planting in spring). Amend your soil by adding a few inches of compost and planting it into the existing soil. The better you prepare the soil, the more successful your flower seeds will be. Make the soil drain well; Most flowering plants do not like wet feet.
Choose your plants
Start with a color that you like and want to enjoy in it. Then define a zone of constant strength, as well as sun, soil, water and essential nutrients for all plants. Group flowers with similar interests. If you prefer to carry your plants year after year, add cut flowers and enjoy an easy source of flowers. Use annuals grown from root or seed to provide yearly variety.
Plan your flower garden to facilitate watering, weeding and harvesting. Arrange plants according to height and order of flowering. Plant in wide rows or small sections so you can easily cut the flowers as soon as they appear.
Keep the season going and leave room for planting the next flower. For example, sow a row or group of cosme seeds as recommended for your area and save some for a second sowing in 2 weeks. Or plant sunflowers for early flowering and transplant the seeds when the soil warms enough.
RELATED: Dead Flower Dos and Don'ts
Garden plants
Once your plants have started to bloom, it's time to choose flowers for your home. For lots of flowers, like roses, choose buds that can sprout because they last longer when cut. Some flowers such as daisies are best harvested after they are fully bloomed. The best time to cut garden flowers is early morning or late afternoon and early evening. Avoid the heat of the day.
Using a sharp tool, cut the stem a little longer than necessary. Place the seeds in a bowl of water in a cool place to soak for a few hours before placing them in a vase or container. Feel free to add floral repellant to the water. Cut the lower leaves below the flower's waterline and do not freeze the flower.
If your plant doesn't continue to bloom, remember to remove any old flowers from the plant. If left on the plant, old flowers will take up some of the energy the plant can use to make and grow new shoots.
7 tips for creating stunning flower arrangements
After the cut flowers have hardened in a bucket of water for a few hours, it's time to display them.
When arranging flowers, remember the “fun, fill, pour” rule.
- Choose the right vase or vases based on the size and height you want to decorate.
- Add glass beads or floral foam to the bottom of the container for stability.
- Create a base of greenery by planting ferns or palm branches to support the flower stems.
- Add anchor flowers - "catchy" or focus flowers, usually large flowers. They determine the form of writing.
- Add filler flowers. They complement the color scheme of a composition or add texture, height, shape or sophistication.
- If you want a feather effect, add "wear the flowers".
- Make sure the flowers have enough water and change the water every few days.
Related: How to dry hydrangeas for a great desktop display
Frequently asked questions about cut flower gardens
The flower choices are seemingly endless, but some are better for cutting than others. Here are some basic questions and answers on how to grow a cutting garden.
Q. What cut flowers are easiest?
Some of the easiest flowers to cut are zinnias, sweet peas, tulips, daffodils, gladiolus, cosmos, sunflowers, peonies, echinacea, calendula and roses.
Q : How much space is needed for a flower garden?
It depends on how many flowers you want to grow and whether you have perennials or shrubs in your garden. Gardeners can start with a few cut flowers in a flower bed of about 18 square meters. If you have the space, you can arrange cut flowers in your garden or think big and make a lawn out of wood.
Q. How deep should the cut flower bed be?
A raised bed depth of 6 to 18 inches is sufficient for most plants. Some of the larger tubers, such as dahlias, require at least 18 inches of depth.
Q._ _ What is the row width in a cut flower bed?
Three feet is standard enough for cut flower beds to be easily accessible for watering, pruning and harvesting. Generally, having rows 36 inches wide with 12-inch paths in each row helps gardeners get as many plants as possible without crowding out the others.
Q. What are the best filler plants for a vegetable garden?
Good fillers for the cutting garden include caladium, spurge, petunia, mugwort, hemlock, verbena, and sweet alyssum. These plants can provide ground cover to reduce weed growth while adding color.
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