Cutting flower suggestions
hawk and rose
Posts: 18
We've always had one raised bed for flowers to encourage beds etc. But over the last year we've realised we spend up to £8 a week of flowers for the house so have decided to turn 2 more raised beds that run along the edge of our allotment into cutting flowers beds. The problem is because I have never grown flowers for cutting I can only think of the following and really want some suggestions on flowers and foliage that can be cut that I haven't thought of or are unique.
All suggestion ion are really welcomed been watching the allotment challenge and garden revival and gardeners world and keep forgetting or losing them or not having a pen and paper at hand.
Flowers we have-
daffodils, (we have thousands of these!)
tulips
sunflowers
dahlias
delphiniums
3 rose bushes
2 peony bushes
alliums
lilies (do day lilies work as cut flowers?)
irises
Stocks (we had amazing stocks last year, wish I harvested the seeds!)
larkspur
gerberas
sweet peas
cornflower
sweet williams and
gladioli
i want lots of different varieties and heights, and the beds are in full sun all day, beds are big, 3 m by 1.75m, plus we have lots of pots and baskets to grow more in.
If you can think of any more please let me know I'm stuck after this.
many thanks,
Posts
Have a look here
http://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/seeds/cut_flower_mixes_meadows
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi
I grew cleome and dahlia bishops children which were lovely in vases. Cosmos is gr8 too. They were all grown from seed and flowered all summer. Ammi majus and orlaya were lovely also
Hello I am trying to grow flowers for cutting this year, here is a thread with some ideas on that got started a while ago hope this will help
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/flowers-to-grow-in-allotment/496981.html
lilies (do day lilies work as cut flowers?) - don't think they do as the flowers go over too quick
Sunflowers - as year of the sunflower, Ammi majus or Ammi visnaga, cosmos, verbena bonariensis, zinnia
Rachel de Thame cut flowers from GW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtn5AOMZ3ts
Do you have room for some shrubs for greenery among your cut flowers? I love some of the winter flowering shrubs, too,especially daphne, winter honeysuckle, viburnum, some dogwoods and so on. They smell wonderful just when you need cheering up.
You need a mix of sizes and flower shapes / texture for good effect (unless you go for the very modern style of flower "arranging" that is!) and you need foliage too. Annuals like cornflowers, marigolds and rudbeckias are good and now you can get first year flowering sweet williams too. I couldn't do without alchemilla mollis for the frothy flowers and the lovely leaves while feverfew makes a useful filler. I'm not a 'proper' flower arranger but it is worth trying all kinds of things. Some don't last long in a vase and some can drop petals or pollen and just be messy but others may last ages and be really good. It is probably worth researching tips for conditioning flowers, like which ones need hot water treatment or their stems crushing or searing or whatever to get the best out of them.
Some brilliant suggestion never heard of alchemilla Mollis, going to have do some research and Internet shopping! Greenery wise I have space around the shed, green house and fruitcage.
I'm a classic flower arrangement person, cottage garden ones with roses, delphiniums, lavender etc in or all one species, all tulips etc.
writing lists of flowers I like.
Love rachel and her section on the show helped come up with the idea to give up 2 beds to flowers, plus save money.
Thank you you for the suggestions.
I wouldnt be without a row of sweet peas the more you cut them, the more they come again.
Chrysanthimums are nice for later in the year, as is Rudbeckia. I had some lovely annual ones.
Asters, a few Montbretia, Shasta daisy,
Can you pop in some variagated Euonymous for fillers.
Have a look at spray crysanthemum, rooted cuttings available from woolmans.
My mum had some last year, she grew them between the beans, they flowered for months . You could also grow the late flowerers in pots outside, putting them under cover in late october to give blooms up until christmas.
As you've got a greenhouse you could try freesias - I grew some last year in pots in my cold greenhouse and they were lovely, dead easy and much cheaper than buying a bunch in a shop. (Mine came from Peter Nyssen who I thoroughly recommend). Similarly anemones, though these can go outside in a border. I didn't cut mine but it said you could get more than one flower per corm.They should last from year to year, so good value even if you do only get one! I'm going to grow both again and trying ranunculus too as the flowers are lovely and all of these come quite early in the year before annuals or most perennials really get going and don't take up too much room. Another lovely bulb that's good for cutting is Brodiaea - starry flowers in blue or white like a small agapanthus. Mine lasted ages anyway but if you plant some a bit later than the rest they will flower later too. Plant some this spring, £2 for 25 from PN. What is there to lose? (And no I don't work for them, but have been buying from them for over 30 years!)