Creating Cutting Gardens
Many perennials, annuals and even flowering shrubs not only make great garden plants but wonderful cut flowers as well. Shrubs such as hydrangea, lilac, viburnum, witchhazel and forsythia work well as cut flowers. Generally, however, shrubs don’t last as long as perennials or annuals. To make flowering shrubs last as long as possible as cut flowers, crush the ends of the stems to increase the amount of water the plant will intake.
Creating a cut flower gardens relies on choosing the appropriate plants. In the perennial border as short list of suitable cut flowers includes; astilbe, balloon flower, beebalm, chrysanthemum, coneflower, coreopsis, daffodil, delphinium, foxglove, daisy, golden thistle, iris, liatris, lily, lupine, lobelia, monkshood, peony, phlox, pinks, rose, sedum and yarrow. Most of these need the general care that any perennial flower would.
Annuals, whether planted in their own bed or mixed among other flowers in the perennial garden, are a great cut flower. Cutting them only encourages more flowers. Annuals which are recommended as cut flowers include; ageratum, aster, calendula, cleome, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, gladiolus, gypsophila, larkspur, marigold, salvia, snapdragon and zinnia.
Be sure to plant a few shrubs or perennials for foliage and greenery which can be added to your cut flower arrangements. Arbovitae, andromeda, ferns, holly, iris, juniper and mountain laurel all make excellent additions to flower arrangements.
Cut flowers, like all plants, grow in stages. Flowers start as unopened buds, expand to fully-open flowers and then begin to decline. Avoid using fully-open perennial blooms for instant color in your arrangement; use only those flowers that are just beginning to open or to show color. These will last much longer as a cut flower. Perennial flowers should be cut just as they are opening and beginning to show color. The opposite is true of annuals; they should be fully open when cut. Roses should have buds that are slightly open and firm.
Harvest your cut flowers during the cooler parts of the day; evening is fine, as is early morning. In the afternoon sun, flowers can wilt quickly. Be sure to take along a bucket of water to put them in as you cut. Select only the healthiest flowers available.
After harvesting your cut flowers, place them out of the sun in a cool spot for a few hours in a container of warm water with floral preservative. Remove any foliage from the lower half of the stem that will be below water level. Using a sharp knife, recut the stems on an angle, removing about half an inch of stem. Warm water will increase water uptake and floral preservative will help them last longer. Also, be sure to recut the stems frequently and remove blooms as they fade.
Cut flowers have a limited life but with proper care and handling you can increase their longevity and your enjoyment.
T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm
