Cut Flower Garden Project.

I gave up on my sweet peas weeks ago during the heatwave, but not before I'd picked over 1,000 flowers. Then I enjoyed their fragrance at the plot until they became a mass of seed pods. Reckon there'll be about 4,000 to 5,000 seeds to save for next year and I always regard those as important as the flowers.

 

Mid July, and really hitting it's stride now.











Steve...

 

Jump forward to mid August, well 3 days ago...and here are the flowers I picked..10 vases full.

























I've had plot grown flowers in our house every week since the start of February this year, throughout the summer we have had between 8 and 10 vases throughout the house.

I have already started planning for next season, increasing dedicated space and adding in more types and varieties. I have certainly learnt an awful lot this year and for a change not too many troubles.

Steve...

 

Steve your plots coming along great and what a glorious show of flowers and the colours are really out standing

 

Hello John, lovely flowers also...when I used to have roses in our other property in the home I used to add an asprin as it helped them last longer...I don't know if you've tried this or not

Aspirin and Acid
Aspirin is the drug name for acetylsalicylic acid, a powerful painkiller. The soil that most flowering plants prefer is acidic, as it makes certain nutrients more readily available to them. Better nutrition means better cell health, and this need continues during the entire life of cut flowers. While aspirin might add the acidic component to the preservation solution, sugars are needed as the nutritional component, and bleach purifies the water and eliminates any bacteria that might promote disease that causes premature fading and wilting.



Considerations
While aspirin can be used as the acid component of a homemade flower preservative, it is unclear how many you would have to use in conjunction with other necessary ingredients. Purdue University states that aspirin is ineffective at prolonging the life of cut flowers and suggests several solutions using other acidic products, such as lemon juice. The solutions specify a ratio of 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon household bleach diluted in 1 quart of water. Another solution calls for 2 cups lemon-lime carbonated beverage mixed with 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon bleach.

 

When you get your dahlias home, re-cut the stem then staunch the last inch in boiling water for 20 secs. You can get another day or two from dahlias by changing the water every two days, if the arrangement is not too complex, you can recut then, and staunch once more. I only do the 2nd cut 'n staunch if it is just dahlias in a vase, ie big showy showoff ones.

Steve...

 

2nd week in September and still flowering extremely well although the sweet peas are just about finished now and the spider flowers have been ripped out to prevent seed spread. Still picking 4 buckets every 2 or 3 days.









Collective picking/harvesting from Friday.



Steve...

 

Sorry, no photo's this time.

Six buckets of flowers today, a new record and a very pleased Mrs Steve!

From seed this year I have grown less than ten different types of flowers, and backed those up with Dahlias. It has been great but a little limited when coming to present them in a vase, they have all looked great but it is the first year of this project and my learning curve.

Over the summer and up to now I have been doing some research, I say "some" it's actually quite exhaustive with the end result being around 30 varieties that I will be growing for next year. Along with that will be a few new methods and growing styles. All exciting stuff really and I have already started sowing seeds and today some are through, so next year has already started for me.

I am doubling the space given over to cut flowers, but decreasing the amount of plants for each variety, so I can plant more types and actually increase variety. And I will be adding in more foliage plants to help present the flowers better in the vase.

Flowers for drying will be a consideration too, but not essential at this stage.

That's all for now.

Steve...

 

Nearing the end of September now and I'm still picking buckets of flowers for our home, only 3 buckets today but they are "full" I have also got my daff and tulip bulbs in now, somewmere between 4-500 total.











Steve...

 

If you also grow tall Spray Crysanthemums they will initially overlap the end of Dahlia season, then continue to produce flowers when the Dahlias are waning, and can be used to produce new plants from cuttings year after year.

 

I have a dozen in the tunnel, but they have not done so well this year. I'm going to try something different with them next year.

Steve...

 

Have you considered Amaranthus? As it's an allotment the leaves are edible (larger leaves as a spinach substitute, smaller leaves in salads) and the flowers are surprisingly long lasting..........
Amaranthus sp. by longk48, on Flickr

Amaranthus sp. by longk48, on Flickr

 

I sorted all my flower seeds out a little while ago into boxes. Sorted into Cut/Garden/Hanging. I know I have some amaranthus but I do not think I have them as a cut flower, I'll have to check.

That first photo looks like an astilbe, is that right? The 2nd looks like amaranthus as I know it, with the hanging tress's.

Looks like the first one grows quite tall.

Many thanks.

Steve...

 

Nope, it's Amaranthus. The largest hit nigh on three metres before the frosts got them. I have a ton of spare seed if you want to try it.