So, if you read last week’s post you’ve hopefully got a spot earmarked for your flowers, and you’re clearing it out. Next up - what to grow?
Plants are usually classified by a combination of life span and growing cycle. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds, but you do need a basic concept of it at this point.
Annuals - germinate from seed, grow, flower, set seed and die all in one growing season (within a calendar year, basically). E.g. cornflowers, cosmos, sweet peas.
Biennials - germinate from seed in late summer, grow autumn/winter/spring, flower late spring/early summer, set seed, die. E.g. foxgloves, honesty.
Perennials - survive more than one growing season. These can maintain a structure above ground throughout the year (like shrubs and trees), or die back to the ground and regrow from roots/bulbs/etc. Those that regrow from roots each year are called herbaceous perennials, e.g. peonies, sedums, crocosmia.
For the purposes of a small home cutting garden, most of what you grow will probably need to be annuals. Because these don’t live very long, their main aim in life is to flower so they can set seed, and they typically produce masses of flowers over a long period, making them ideal for cut flowers. Pollinators like bees tend to love them! However, they need a lot of environmental resources relative to other varieties - compost, water, pots for growing seed, etc - and they take up more time to grow. So over time you may want to grow some perennials and shrubs too, if you have the space.
With that in mind, here’s some suggestions for what to grow.
Top 5 annuals for a home cutting patch
Sweet peas. If I could only grow one annual every year, it’d be a toss-up between sweet peas and cosmos. Sweet peas have the advantage of growing upwards, so make the most of a small space and grow them up an obelisk, or on mesh panels up a wall. Sow them in paper pots (I make mine out of newspaper) so you can put the whole pot in the soil when you plant them out without disturbing the roots.
Cosmos. The most prolific flowering annual, grows huge heights in one season if the soil is rich enough, and comes in a wide variety of colours. Daisy-like flowers which are perfect for filling out bouquets. Try ‘Psyche White’, ‘Cupcake Blush’ and ‘Seashells’.
Cerinthe (honeywort). This unusual plant was new to me last season, and I LOVE it. A mixture of glaucous green-blue foliage and rich purple flowers on long sprays. The seed is a bit more expensive, but it’s ridiculously easy to save your own at the end of the season for next year, so you only need pay once. As per the name, bees love it.
Ammi (Queen Anne’s lace). Big frothy umbellifers of white flowers on tall stems, another ideal filler flower but rather lovely by itself too. This one needs support - when you plant the seedlings out, put sturdy sticks in all four corners of its area and stretch some 10 x 10cm netting over them that can hold the stems upright as they grow.
Sunflowers. For arranging, consider varieties other than the giant bright yellow singles - try ‘Vanilla Ice’, a pale yellow multi-headed variety that gives loads of blooms, or a dark red variety like ‘Claret’.
Top 5 perennial plants
Dahlias. Nothing beats the variety of colours and shapes.
Roses. If you’ve got space for a rose bush, choose one that’s recommended for cutting and is your favourite colour, then look after it lovingly.
Gaura. This beautiful, ethereal flowers is easily grown from seed and will flower that year, but will come back for a few years after. Another one that needs support.
Astrantia. One of my favourites for cutting and for the garden in general. Tall, star-like flowers for minimum growing effort.
Honeysuckle. Another idea for using small spaces to grow up - honeysuckle is the best cut flower perennial climber, and a gorgeous plant to grow full stop. Smells amazing.
I haven’t included bulbs here, because I’m writing in February and they are usually planted in autumn, but if you’re reading this at another time of year, add at least tulips and narcissi (the daffodil family) to your list of possibilities.
So go wild in the seed-buying aisles (try Chiltern Seeds if you’re ordering online), and stock up ready for the season. For most of us it’s a bit early to start sowing yet (although sweet peas in particular won’t mind it), so check the last frost date for your area here and get in your supplies ready to get started!