How to Grow a Cut Flower Garden

Posted by Esther Roberts on 17th Jun 2021

How to Grow a Cut Flower Garden

Growing your own cut flower display has surged in popularity over recent years, saving you from buying a bouquet in the shops. Discover the best cut flower tips, as well as the most popular summer cut blooms to grow.

Two ways to start growing cut flowers

Use existing borders

Utilise your existing beds and borders by planting groups of annuals, perennials and bulbs suited for cutting. The abundance of blooms allows for picking without affecting the overall appearance of the border. Add in a few evergreen shrubs and grasses for extra texture and interest, and your displays will never look thin.

Create a cutting garden

Dedicate an area of the garden to growing cut flowers, if you have the space. Having a dedicated cutting garden stops you from over picking from borders, ruining your full display. Choose a sunny area of the garden where flowers will thrive, producing florist-grade blooms throughout each season.

The best cut flowers for summer

Bulbs

The most popular summer bulbs & tubers for cutting are dahlias, gladioli and lilies, due to their strong tall stems and assortment of shapes and colours. The huge blooms on decorative and dinner plate dahlias are perfect for big, show-stopping bouquets. Gladioli produce clusters of tall, colourful florets and lilies provide fragrance and elegance to any cut flower display.

Perennials

Perennials are the perfect plants for cutting as they'll grow back year after year, providing wonderful blooms each summer. Peonies are supreme for bouquets and have been a favourite for many decades due to their appearance and long vase life. Why not plant large-flowering perennials like Delphiniums or Echinacea? These beautiful flowers provide copious amounts of colour and interest to vases around the home.

Shrubs

What about shrubs? Hydrangeas are especially long-lasting and provide intriguing colours as they change with age. Roses are renowned for their fabulous fragrance and pretty blooms. Simply snip a few stems of your beautiful bushes in the summertime and display them in your favourite vase!