Cut Flower Garden Project.

Cut Flower Garden Project.​

• Aim: To provide an abundance of flowers for the vase at home.
• Where: On my Allotment plot mostly, some at home.
• How: From seed, cuttings and plant swaps as much as possible, the emphasis on spending little and growing on instead of buying stock plants.
• When: I have already started..

At my Allotment I have elected to use one of 4, 40 ft x 13 ft beds for Annuals, Biennials and bulbs and I have 2, 40 ft x 6 ft beds for Perreniels, when the latter are set out the bulbs will probably go in there with them for future years. The Annual bed will move every year and become part of a 4 bed rotation I use for my veg.

My Annual/Bieniial bed so far planted with three rows of my own seed sown and grown wallflowers, Tulips planted in between them and bordered on both sides with Daffs. I also have a few Daffs and Tulips planted in the Polytunnel, hoping for some extra early blooms.



Photo above taken yesterday, I'll update this topic as and when things happen from now on. From humble beginnings..

Steve...

 

I'm a firm believer in growing flowers for cutting at the plot and leaving those at home insitu.

I grow

Daffs
Sweet Peas
Rudbeckia
Sweet William
Sunflowers (plant in clumps to restrict size)
Statice (for dried and fresh cut flowers)
Strawflowers (ditto)
Asters
Michaelmas Daisies
Gladys
And used to grow Dahlias
Also cut Lilac blooms

If you grow too many they're not wasted as there's a magnificent patch of colour for many months, covered with bees and butterflies.

I find polytunnels useful for growing pots of Tete a Tete mini daffs and Hyacinths over winter before bringing indoors to bloom.

 

What a lovely project, @Steve R. Looking forward to updates from you. The very best of luck!

 

Two (s) replies to your idea and GC thread @Steve R ....will enjoy seeing the plot progress and all the wonderful pollinator's who will benefit and benefit your veggies Now in me watched thread list

 

Just checked this morning and a few bulbs are slowly starting to emerge (no photo's sorry), the wallflowers are looking a bit windswept but its ok as I have many spares in the tunnel I can replace with if they die off.

Steve...

 

'17 I had rudbeckia, aster, V.bonariensis, cosmos, statice, sweet peas, zinnias, gladys and loads of dahlias. Most of my dahlias where grown from seed and tubers saved for this year. Due to the success with the dahlias I bought more seed in the wyevale seed sale, these will give me flowers of a certain type but I also saved and dried seed from a friends specialist plants - doing this is a lottery as plants from these seed could be rubbish, the same plant or a new variety!

Bells of ireland is on my list for this year John, hopefully they work for me.

As a trial a few years ago I tried an annual flower bed from seed sown direct, most successful there where cornflowers and poppies, but I could not seem to make poppies last more than a day or two in a vase, penstemons lasted only a little longer..can anyone help with these?

Steve...

 

An interesting read, this thread. Cut flowers have generally been off my radar, apart from those taken from Dahlias in the garden. ‘Aunt Sally’ likes to have a vase of flowers, now and again, so these will be bought from the supermarket. As I intend to take up an allotment this October ( ), it’s something I’m becoming quite interested in, so will be following this

 

Oh, and should you need any tips on flower arranging...

 

@Freddy That video should be abolished .... total disgrace to people such as myself and others who try our very and I mean very best at flower arranging because plants don't like our environments

 

These photo's taken towards the end of April, the Daffs are now gone and the Tulips lasted another couple of weeks, then a couple of weeks of Wallflowers. Sweet Peas are planted now ready for the summer. We have hadf a vase or vase's of flowers for quite a long time now.









I had a bed of tulips and daffs in the tunnel for an extra early crop (not pictured) and some wallflowers too. Wallflowers grew a good six inches taller in the tunnel than outside, I'll exploit this later in the year when planting for next springs cut flowers, by growing a decent bed of them under cover.

Steve...

 

I got some gladiolis in earlier in the year and they are up and growing well. 12 days ago I started planting up the left of the bed with a mix of Scabious, cleome, Nicotiana, Bell of Ireland and Asters, planted in big patches.







Steve...

 

Yesterday I dug up the Tulip and Daffodill bulbs and weeded then rotovated. Today I planted out some of my Dahlia plants and picked some sweet peas.





Steve...

 

Steve a great selection mate on your allotment

 

Late June, watering during the heatwave and the sweet peas are in flower along with Nicotiana.



Steve...