Landscaping with Bulbs: The Best Flowers for a Cutting Garden

How to Grow Your Own Cutting Garden

Growing cut flowers is fairly easy. First determine how big your cutting garden will be and use our plant calculator to determine how many bulbs or bareroots to order. If you prefer not to take all of your bouquets from your display beds, where the blooms complement other flowers and foliage plants, you can create a separate garden strictly for growing cut flowers. Tuck your cutting garden behind the house or another building, or along the back of a border. If space does not allow a separate cutting garden, group similar plants together into larger clusters. With many of the same blooms in one area, cutting a few stems here and there for bouquets will be a no-stress treat.

When planting a cutting garden, you may use a bulb auger to dig individual holes for all the bulbs and bareroots, or they can be planted in a trench. Be sure to add in some fertilizer as well to ensure the best performance for your cutting garden.

Best Flowers for Cutting Garden

In spring, landscaping with tulips, daffodils, and irises will make up the majority of the landscape and cut-flower arrangements. Gladiolus, anemones, and lilies make fantastic summertime bouquets.

Here are some of the best flowers for cutting gardens:

Alliums

Amaryllis

Anemones

Calla Lilies

Coneflowers

Daffodils

Dahlias

Gladiolus

Hyacinths

Irises

Lilies

Peonies

Tulips

How to Harvest Cutting Flowers

When harvesting cut flowers, keep these tips in mind:

1. Daffodils, tulips, lilies, gladiolus and peonies will continue blooming in a water-filled vase, so cut them as they start opening for longer vase life. Peony buds should be marshmallow soft, not hard.
2. Always remove as little foliage as possible when cutting flowers from bulbous plants. The leaves store nutrition for use next year.
3. Collect cut flowers in the morning. This is the time of day when their stems contain the most water.
4. Cut stems at an angle to give them a larger surface for absorbing water.
5. Place stems in water immediately after cutting. Change the water every other day to keep them hydrated and bacteria free.

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