I love growing my own cutting flowers and I am getting more and more obsessed with it! Throughout the seasons, I now have bunches of flora and fauna from my garden, and I can never seem to get enough.
Introduction
I have spent many an hours googling cutting flowers, and have found some amazing websites which give cracking advice on how to grow your own, what varieties to grow, and how to put them together to create stunning bunches. Because I want you to be able to find everything you need on my little website so you don’t have to trawl through search engines, I have given you my favourite sites below. I return to these time and again, both for plants and for tips.
Sarah Raven – https://www.sarahraven.com
Crocus – https://www.crocus.co.uk
RHS – https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/for-places/cut-flowers-growing
Children Seeds – https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/news/145/flowers-for-drying
However, I also know you probably just want one place where you can come and find everything you need to know about growing your own cut flowers. Of course, that is where this post comes in! I have collated my favourite cutting flowers that firstly, are easy to grow, and secondly, will bring you unique colours, scents, and textures to your bouquet. Furthermore, if you want more detail about how to grow plants, you can find all about propagation (growing) by CLICKING HERE.
My favourite cutting flowers for fresh bouquets
Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus)
Why Grow Them?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Sweet peas. This is because they have an amazing fragrance and delicate, ruffled blooms, plus they come in a range of colours from pastel pinks and purples to bright reds and blues. Try and buy the long stem varieties because they are easier to fit in a vase.
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds indoors in early spring (Feb/March) in a long root trainer or pot, or directly outside in April/May
- Support them as they grow. The more support they have the better they will do for you.
- Wait until there are number of flowers and then cut them all at once. But don’t worry, you will soon have more and this way they won’t go to seed and stop producing flowers.
- Don’t let them go to seed unless you want to save the seed for next year, as they will stop producing flowers.
My favourite sweet pea varieties for cutting flowers
I have grown all of these and they are easy as well as beautiful, plus you can get them pretty much anywhere:
🌸Anniversary
🌸Top Hat
🌸Cupani (added bonus of being heritage, which keeps our floral past alive!)
Dahlias
Why Grow Them?
Dahlias are rapidly making their way up my favourites list because they have an impressive array of colours and blooms. You can get them in single blooms, double, pom-poms, cactus, ball….the list goes on. Also, their colours – wow. And, as an added bonus, their long stems and robust blooms make them ideal for cutting.
Growing Tips
- Dahlias are not hardy (allegedly – as some of mine have been in the ground in Essex for the last few years and come back every year). However, for safety, plant tubers in April/May after risk of frost has passed, or plant them earlier in pots and put them in your greenhouse. You can either lift them and put them in the greenhouse in the winter, or leave in the ground and mulch over the top.
- Make sure you give them support or else they will flop over in the wind.
- Keep deadheading because that will encourage more flowers to grow.
- Dahlias are very easy to propagate from new growth.
My favourite Dahlia varieties for cutting flowers
🌸Cafe au Lait
🌸’Molly Raven’ by Sarah Raven
🌸Bishop of Canterbury
Roses
Why Grow Them?
Roses are a classic choice for cutting gardens, known for their beauty and enchanting scent. Moreover, they can be used in various arrangements, from single stems to full bouquets. Honestly, the more roses I grow, the more I want to grow! Roses are easy to propagate too.
Growing Tips
- Plant bare-root roses in late autumn or early spring because this is the cheapest way to get your favourite plants, as well as allowing the roots to grow nice and strong.
- Prune in late winter to early spring to shape the plant and encourage healthy growth. Try and feed with a balanced fertilizer in spring and summer.
- Keep picking the flowers and deadheading any that have lost their petals because this will keep the roses producing blooms.
Best Varieties
🌸‘David Austin English Roses’: Renowned for their fragrance and classic form
🌸Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’’: Deep crimson flowers with a strong, old rose scent.
Alliums
Why grow them?
I’m getting dangerously addicted to alliums. I am drawn to their perfectly circular shape and that they are so eye catching. Furthermore, they really compliment other plants and flowers, as well as being perfect for cutting. Because they are perennial, you can use them all year round as fresh flowers, and then leave the dried seed heads to reseed, or cut them and bring them in.
Growing tips
- Plant the bulbs in September
- For maximum effect, try and plant lots of them together
- Remember to leave some of the seed heads over winter, because they add great seasonal interest
My favourite varieties
🌼Purple sensation
🌼Gigantium
🌼Cristophii
Sunflowers
Why Grow Them?
Sunflowers bring a burst of sunshine into any garden or bouquet with their large, cheerful blooms. Moreover, they give height and drama, as well as seeds for eating and for wildlife, and they are really easy to grow.
Growing Tips
My favourite varieties
🌻Earth walker
🌻Ruby Eclipse
🌻Teddy bear
Peonies
Why Grow Them?
Another flower that is progressing up my favourite lists are Peonies. Cherished for their lush, romantic blooms and exquisite fragrance, they have a short but spectacular blooming season, making them highly coveted for arrangements.
Growing Tips
- Plant in autumn or spring in well-drained soil. Make sure you plant proud of the soil.
- Ensure they are in a sunny location because this will really create the best growth.
- Cut the flowers in early morning when buds are soft to the touch.
- You will want more than one plant as they don’t re-bud once the flowers have gone, so get as many as you can fit into your garden.
Best Varieties
💐 Sarah Bernhardt: Large, pale pink, fragrant blooms.
💐Coral charm
💐Souvenir de Maxime Cornu
Lavender (Lavandula)
Why Grow Them?
As well as having beautiful blend of color and scent, you can do so much with this flower. For example, it makes great lavender ice cream, or use it in the bath for relaxation. Plus, its long-lasting flowers and silvery foliage add texture and fragrance to both fresh and dried arrangements.
Growing Tips
• Plant in well-drained soil with full sun exposure. It loves heat!
• Prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape, but always leave a bit of green leaf.
• Cut the stems when about half of the flower buds are open.
My favourite varieties
🌸Hidcote
🌸Munstead
🌸 ‘Willow Vale’
Other fabulous cutting flowers
Whilst the above flowers I literally could not do without, I also have some others that I try and grow every year because they add to the form of the bouquets and really complement my favourites.
Hydrangeas are perennials and will come back every year. Plus you can leave the the flower heads over the winter as when they die, they retain their form and look fabulous draped in frost or snow. Further more, you can dry them and have them as part of a dried flower arrangement.
Ammi Majus is a new edition to my garden because I love the big umbels of flowers and they create a lovely ethereal effect in my bunches. Moreover, they are easily grown from seeds and will self seed all over the place.
Cosmos really is a must have flower. They are an annual plant that you can either grow from seeds very easily or buy as a pack of bedding plants. Furthermore, you get plenty of value for money here as the more you pick the flowers, the more they grow – for weeks on end. They also come in a fab range of colours. Seriously, what is not to like?
Cutting flowers for drying
I would like my garden to provide for me all year round, but the selection of flowers that bloom in winter is limited, therefore I like to grow cutting flowers that I can dry. Now, this does become slightly addictive as you will be surprised just how easy it is, and how many varieties you can do this with. However, to get you started I have added my top 3 dried flowers.
Strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum) are my go to flower for drying. Salmon Rose is my favourite variety as it grows really easily and looks lovely as both a fresh and dried flower.
Hydrangea, as mentioned above is a fabulous all round flower that you get so much value from. Paniculata is the variety I like for dried flowers.
Eryngium is another new plant to my garden. I bought some plug plants last year, and they do really well in my dry soil. They are a thistle like flower which is beautiful shade of blue. But if you leave them they provide winter interest and you can cut them fresh, or dried.
Foliage plants to complement cutting flowers
One of the best tricks for making your bouquets look fuller, and your cutting flowers pop, is to include foliage. So, make sure you grow some plants that will look good in their own right, but that will also really show off your blooms.
Fennel is one of my favourite foliage plants for several reasons. Firstly, it is perennial and will come back every year. Secondly, it is useful as you get both foliage and flowers from it, and it comes in green or bronze. Thirdly, it’s edible so use the fronds in salads and dry the seeds for cooking.
Eucalyptus is a must have for year round interest as it is evergreen, and it also smells amazing. Use it fresh in your bouquets, equally, it is pretty enough to have in a vase by itself.
Artemisia is a new discovery for me. I have had the plant for ages because of its scent – it smell like cola! Furthermore, it is evergreen and I now use it to complement my cutting flowers as it has a lovely silvery leaf.
Conclusion
Growing cutting flowers in your garden is a fabulous way to enjoy fresh bunches of flowers throughout the year. By selecting a mix of these reliable and beautiful varieties, you can create stunning bouquets that bring the outdoors inside. Moreover, your garden and your home can become a source of colour, fragrance and pure joy.
Happy gardening!
