Here's How To Grow Your Own Bouquet With A Cut Flower Garden
Everyone loves the look of beautiful, elegant roses in a floral arrangement. They are, however, kind of fussy and high-maintenance to grow, right? Fortunately, there are other, just-as-gorgeous flowers you can plant in your own backyard that, when cut and arranged, look fabulous in anything from a crystal vase to an heirloom mason jar. Plant a cutting garden this season and you will enjoy months of colorful and fragrant blooms. With a garden dedicated to flowers like snapdragons and dahlias, you can make bouquets for your own home and have enough to share with friends and coworkers. Here are five easy-care flowers that grow well in a cutting garden.
Zinnias
These are longtime garden favorites for their colorful, round flower heads. They adore hot weather, and will not gain from being planted early, but will merely stand still until weather warms up. Zinnias shine in summer and early fall. Sow seeds where plants are to grow (or set out plants) May-July.
Shasta Daisy
One of the many species of chrysanthemum, the perennial Shasta daisy is a summer and fall bloomer (although some varieties bloom May-October). Shastas are loved for their leathery leaves and large, gold-centered, white flower heads.
Ageratum
Most selections are low growers, but the taller varieties, such as Blue Horizon, can grow over two feet. Their bluish-purple puffy umbels are stunning in a cut flower arrangement.
Snapdragon
One of the best flowers for both sunny borders and cuttings, snapdragons reach their perfection spring and early summer. In the Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South, some will even bloom in winter and spring. Elegant on their own, the flowers are also good mixers.
Sunflower
Annual sunflowers are so easy to grow, they have been a favorite of children and novice gardeners for generations. Sow seeds where the plants will grow. The very tall sunflowers may need staking, so keep that in mind as you plant. Varieties of sunflowers can range from 2 feet to 10 feet with blooms of varying sizes, so plant a nice selection with cutting in mind.
Nasturtiums
Distinctive appearance, rapid growth, and easy culture are three of garden nasturtium’s many strong points. Both the climbing types and the dwarf types have a refreshing fragrance and come in a range of colors.
Celosia
Richly colored tropical plants, the shape of flower clusters vary with the different varieties. The plume cockscombs have flower clusters that look like tangled masses of yarn. The crested cockscombs have velvety, fan-shaped flower clusters. Cuttings of all celosia varieties are not only attractive in summer vases but, when dried, work well in winter arrangements.
Dahlia
Beautifully diversified, dahlias are available in numerous flower types and colors. Buy new tubers in the early spring or dig and save your own from year to year. Bush and bedding dahlias grow from 15 inches to over 6 feet high, so choose a variety of sizes and heights and stake the plants well, when necessary.
A cutting garden is the perfect choice for beginner gardeners. The flowers are easy to grow and require minimal work. You are rewarded with beautiful bouquets through early fall.
