Flowers for cutting

It looks like I might be in the luxurious position next spring of having a bed to grow flowers purely for cutting for the house. :yho:

Does anyone have any tried and tested favourites they would recommend? I will already have:
Pinks/border carnations
Phlox paniculata
Gypsophila (white and pink)
Kaffir lily (schizostylis coccinea - thanks to those who identified it for me; it's proving to be a great cut flower)
Japanese anemones

I'll have to grow sweet williams, a big favourite, and probably sweet peas, too.

Please bear in mind that I live in a very windy position 700 feet up in North Cumbria. On the other hand, ignore that, as I've found the most surprising plants will flourish whilst others which could be expected to thrive don't.

Lorna

 

Do you have any room for dahlias I am still cutting mine for the house

 

I do Sweet Peas, Gladioli, Roses (I don't like to cut the roses from the main rose beds, so I have some Rose bushes in my cutting bed too).

Depends a bit whether you like a large vase full of the same thing (which is what we do, its easy to arrange of course :thumb or to have several different things that you can take time and trouble over arranging and make a smashing display, but takes more time, and skill! - if so you may want to include some large leaves and "architectural" plants too.

 

I think you'll find japanese anenome flowers are not very durable in windy areas or as a cut flower but here's a few others:

Geum chiloense
Helenium autumnale
Matthiola (Stocks)

I'd also second the suggestion of dahlias. They require a lot of water but repay you with months of flowers. Sadly, mine have just been cut down by a sharp frost with loads of blooms still on them.

 

Thank you all for your suggestions. I don't know why I didn't think of dahlias because I do grow them. I do have a geum but haven't ever tried it as a cut flower; ditto heleniums. And, just to bear out what I was saying about you never know what will thrive in the conditions here, I have several Japanese anemones, big clumps and flourishing spreaders, which are in the teeth of the wind and have no trouble at all with it.
Roses are quite hard to establish here ( Iforgot to mention the rabbit problem) but do well once they have.

Anyway, some food for thought there, but further suggestions would also be welcome.

 

Daisy type flowers like echinacea or rudbeckia, spikes like lythrum or campanulas, penstemons, achillea. All of these (except echinacea for some reason) do well in my cuttings garden.

 

Thank you for the further suggestions. I have a lot of penstemons but don't find them good for cutting. As Marley says about the geums, they drop their petals too quickly. Daisy-type flowers are a good thought, though.

What about alstromeria? They are great cut flowers, but I've heard they are hard to establish.

 

Don't forget yer Roses!

 

Alstromerias are great for cutting but do be careful with planting as they can be seriously invasive. Aquilegia is a good early spring flower suitable for cutting and Phloxes can be good but do not last very long.

 

I hope you've got a couple of Acres Lorna :hehe:

 

Alstromerias have surprised the heck out of me this year-I had loads for bringing ondoors and they lasted ages and ages. The best foliage plant for vases I have found to be a fatsia japonica-their leaves last and last and last and don't shrivel or go manky looking at all-plus they help hold the flowers still and upright very well indeed.