Preparing for your First Cutting Garden:
Before you ever plant a seed: Beginners Guide
My first attempt at a loaded bouquet. :)
I have a spot in my backyard that I call the dumping ground. For the past five years I have used it to dump my sod clippings from widening flower beds, throwing large branches that fell from wind storms, and other yard waste. Sometimes my empty plastic pots from the nursery will sneak in there. Do any of you have a hoarding spot like this? Haha.
No man’s land…
In late Winter, during the burn season, this absurdly large pile of organic material will get burned down. Why haven’t I been composting all of this? In truth, it’s mostly large branches that don’t compost well, but still. This year things are going to change a bit and I’m going to have to find a new location for my lazy cleanup. Why you ask? Because this year I’m going to prep this area for my very first cutting garden. I have been dreaming of doing this for almost 5 years and this year the stars are aligning. I know, there seems to be a cutting garden craze going on right now? I know for me, this craze will be a lifetime endeavor.
My designated plot of land for this cutting garden is roughly 30 by 30 feet. Of course this is a rough estimate because I used my feet, pacing out the yardage, haha….can you relate? I hope to use this cutting garden as a hobbyist garden, and maybe have a few customers, depending on how it goes. I know I can get quite a few flowers in a smaller area when planned out correctly.
Trying to utilize every bit of space!
Here are some of my tips before you get started on your first cutting garden, big or small.
Create a layout plan for your garden. This is just as useful whether it’s small or large. This way you can start out with greater confidence and ease. Above, is a very basic layout showing my cutting garden plans. I want my cutting garden to have breathing room, but also a good variety of flowers. I have left out the more detailed parts of this garden (that’s for another blog post), but this is a good starting point.
Do your research. I live in a desert and it gets HOT here with not a lot of rainfall. I know zinnias and cosmos do well here. I’ve also learned that strawflower and sunflowers love the heat and I can’t wait to plant cup and saucer vine on arbors that line my pathway. They are native to Mexico and love the heat. I’m sure they are going to like it here, not to mention they are BEAUTIFUL. Delphiniums and foxglove are some of my favorites, but they kind of stop blooming when it gets hot, in full sun. For me they are going to be spring and fall cutting flowers. I’m going to experiment with these two in a morning sun/afternoon shade location.
So excited for these!
3. Test your soil a month or so before you start prepping and planting your garden area. Annuals will do best with soils that are sufficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. You can send samples of your soil to your local soil lab/extension office. They can test your soil for you. These results will likely be the most accurate and can take the guesswork out of it for you. I know for me it costs around 30-50 dollars, but the advantage of knowing your plants are getting what they need is well worth the money. Beautiful flowers start with soil.
4. Decide and plan for materials or methods you’re going to use for weed control, moisture regulation, and any other things that are necessary. I would suggest weed suppressant fabric so you don’t feel like you are weeding all summer long. Lay down the fabric and cut out holes. I will show this process in another blog. Mulch is a great way to keep in moisture and add nitrogen as it breaks down.
5. Decide how you’re going to water your flowers. I will be using a drip system. I want my flowers to stay consistently moist and prevent the overhead spray from damaging my blooms. Rose petals can fall off with overhead spray.
Dave Austin Roses… don’t get me distracted.
6. Learn about your flowers! I bought a million seeds this year. Some annuals are considered hardy and some are considered tender. Hardy annuals can tolerate frost and tender ones hate the temperature fluctuations. They want evenly hot temperature after the last threat of frost has past. Dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, and lantana fall in the tender category in my climate. Snap dragons, alyssum, foxglove (technically a biennial), larkspur, and Iceland poppies are hardy annuals. Typically these can be planted in early spring or late fall.
A sampling of my seeds for this year.
7. Create a plot for experimenting. I want an area for experimentation. They may succeed or they may not. This will help with my expectations and I won’t get too frustrated if they don’t do well. On the other hand, I will be pleasantly surprised if they succeed. This way you can discover what plants do well and which ones do not, in your particular zone and climate. I know sun loving ones, in a more temperate climate, may like part shade in my climate. This is where experimentation comes in. Some flowers will surprise you!
8. Plant a mix of perennial and annual flowers for your cutting garden, for greater ease. I plan on growing annuals and perennials in the cutting garden. Roses, lilies, peonies, lilacs, coneflowers, anemones, and astrantia are some of my favorite perennials for bouquets. Having a mix of both is my happy medium and I’m not talking about the soil. No pun intended.
This butterfly loves these lilies almost as much a I do.
9. Plan for blooms each season so you can cut flowers all throughout the growing season. Iceland poppies, daffodils, tulips, ranunculus, spring anemones, foxglove, peonies, sweet peas, and snapdragons are some of my beautiful spring bloomers in my climate. Roses, some peony varieties, coneflowers, and astrantia all bloom in summer here. Late summer to fall will be roses, all anemones, dahlias, cosmos, and zinnias.
They were cones!
10. Choose a location that gets full sun and has well draining soil. This year I’m going to experiment with uv protective shade fabric when the intense heat starts to set in. This is mostly as protection for my dahlias. I’m excited to see what happens!
11. Buy material for staking and net mesh to keep certain flowers upright. Some examples of flowers that need staking are delphinium, dahlias, foxglove, some peony varieties, sweet peas (climber), and my annual I’m most excited about this year is the cup and saucer vine (arbor or trellis).
Cosmos, not a long vase life, but so pretty!
12. If having bouquets is your main objective, plan for flowers that have a longer vase life. Dianthus (carnations) last a long time and then cosmos, not so much. I personally love seeing the rows of flowers in my backyard, so having cutting flowers that last super long is not a make it or break it scenario. All the flowers I will plant are going to be good cutting flowers, some will last longer than others and that’s okay.
Delicate Taupe Carnation Blooms!
There is something so special about seeing flowers in my backyard during the evening, when the sun is setting. That sight brings me so much joy. It’s incredibly peaceful and when they are in bloom, it’s gonna be simply breathtaking.
- The Flower Fanatic
