A. The greatest joy for most gardeners is to walk through their garden and enjoy a multitude of blooming color and the delightful fragrances emanating from the flowers. Why stop with enjoying the flowers only out-of-doors? Bring the outdoors inside by filling vases and bowls with fresh cut flowers. A cutting garden can be the answer to this goal. Like planting all other types of gardens, such as perennial borders and vegetable gardens, cutting gardens require a plan which takes into consideration design, light, soil and most of all, plants which are adaptable to the area.
The first matter to address is the design and location of your cutting garden, which depends on the amount of space available as well as the abundance of fresh flowers desired. The ideal place is a plot planned in rows or blocks, similar to a typical vegetable garden, providing easy and convenient access to the flowers. A separate garden for cutting allows you to leave the other beds and borders intact so they do not look plundered when the flowers are cut. An out-of-the-way spot in the yard is the most desirable so that when the blooms are not at their best, it does not detract from the rest of the landscape.
Another matter of importance is the amount of light the cutting garden receives. Most blooming plants require at least six hours of full sun per day, morning and early afternoon being the best. During the hot, humid days of summer in our Texas Gulf Coast gardens, most plants would appreciate a bit of shade from the late afternoon sun. Also, the soil must be rich and fertile to allow the plants to produce at their maximum. It would be a good idea to have a soil test and amend the soil as necessary prior to planting. Compost should be incorporated into the existing soil, and after planting, one to two inches of mulch should be applied.
Now it is time for the fun - choosing the right plants. In order to have a good selection for making arrangements, a variety of plants should be planted, taking into account texture, color and blooming season. There are a great many plants, both annuals and perennials, that are adaptable to the Texas Gulf Coast area. Annuals are usually the first choice since their nature is to bloom constantly in order to produce a profusion of seeds. The more you cut, the more blooms you get. Due to our hot and humid summers, your plan should include cool season annuals and warm season annuals.
Cool season annuals include larkspur and snapdragons, both of which produce spike-like blooms that look great in arrangements. The colors range from white to purple, and if you leave a few flowers, they will usually re-seed themselves for next year. Another tall plant is French hollyhock with purple and white striped blooms. Feverfew, also a good re-seeder, produces small daisy-like flowers that look great with roses. Cornflower is another favorite cutting flower with pink, lavender, white or purple flowers. The seeds for all of these plants can be sown in early fall for blooms in early to mid-spring.
Warm season annuals should usually be seeded in early spring for summer blooms. Zinnias are probably the most favorite cut flower. They range in a multitude of sizes and colors from yellow to red, and look great in arrangements, either by themselves or with other flowers. Cleome flourishes in our summer heat, producing beautiful lavender or white blooms that can really liven up the indoors. Cockscomb, globe amaranth and sunflowers make great cut-flowers that can also be dried to use in arrangements during the winter when blooms are scarce.
In addition to annuals, perennials can also be included in a cutting garden. Purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan and coreopsis are all long-lasting as cut flowers. All three are drought tolerant and do really well in our heat and humidity. One plant of each will give you plenty of cut flowers from spring to fall, and the yellow or purple blooms will make beautiful arrangements. The Calla lily is a superb cut flower which gives elegance to any display. It likes a little acid in the soil and requires more attention, but is worth it. Roses also might need a little more care, but their fragrance alone makes them a must for the cutting garden. Blue mealy sage can be cut, put in a vase with no water and last for months. Yarrow in white, red or yellow make excellent cut flowers and can also be dried. Their fern-like foliage make good filler for arrangements. Foliage plants such as purple fountain grass, Russian sage and artemisia, grow well in our area and add a degree of stylishness to fresh flower arrangements.
Regardless of which flowers you choose, the end result is a pleasurable early morning stroll through your cutting garden, with scissors and bucket in hand, snipping the best blooms for display in your home. Bowls of fresh flowers in every room gives you a feeling of accomplishment as a gardener. This makes gardening a two-fold benefit - indoor and outdoor enjoyment.