How to Design a Cut Flower Garden
Having a beautiful garden to brighten your outdoor scenery is always nice—but wouldn’t it be lovely to bring all that garden color indoors? You can if you grow a cut flower garden! By choosing flowers with tall stems and long-lasting blooms that hold up well after cutting, you can create your own beautiful custom bouquets.
What Do You Put in a Cut Flower Garden?
No need to splurge at the florist when you have a whole floral department right at home! Here are eight gorgeous flowers you can grow in a cutting garden in Orange County.
Cosmos
Bring the “Summer of ‘69” vibes to your garden with colorful, flower-power cosmos! We especially love the bright pink and orange varieties. They bloom in the summer and fall and reach up to six feet tall!
Lavender
You’ll love how the soothing aroma of lavender fills your home when you add them into cut bouquets. This drought-tolerant plant is so easy to grow in California—especially if you’re trying to be mindful of water conservation—and our local pollinators adore it!
For more information about Lavender plants, watch and learn All About Lavender and Lavender • Fall is for Planting.
Black-eyed Susan
Another water-wise perennial that loves the sun, Black-eyed Susans always make a statement with their sunny golden petals and dark, contrasting centers. We love using them in late-summer bouquets with ornamental grasses and berries for a harvest-inspired arrangement.
Lilies
There are so many gorgeous lilies you can grow for cut flower gardens, like pink speckled Stargazers and a large array of hybrid lilies in almost every color imaginable. If you have pets at home, remove the pollen-covered pistils before you bring your lilies inside — they can make your pets sick and they may stain your clothes.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus have densely packed, silky smooth layers of over 100 petals on every flower! There are many lovely varieties in creamy pastels and delicate shades, but the dark burgundy varieties are particularly striking and dramatic.
Alstroemeria
One of the best and longest-lasting cut flowers, the alstroemeria, or Peruvian lily, can last for 2–3 weeks in a bouquet with proper care; they are so easy to grow and bloom for months. We love giving away alstroemeria bouquets as gifts because the lucky recipient can enjoy them for so much longer!
Dahlias
Dahlias are an excellent option for a remarkable showstopper in your cut arrangements. They have dense, large blooms with strong stems and come in a wide variety of colors and gradients. Some have very dense blooms, while others radiate with elegance.
Ornamental Grasses
Foliage cuttings are always an excellent addition to mixed bouquets, and ornamental grasses are perfect for just that! Not only do they produce slender, sleek leaves, but they also have tufted blooms like feathers or fuzzy tails, adding luxe texture to floral designs.
For more information about Grasses, watch and learn Using Grasses to Soften Your Garden.
Tips for Starting a Cut Flower Garden
Here are some suggestions to ensure your cutting garden gives you plenty of gorgeous blooms to enjoy from spring to fall!
Plant for Every Season
When the bloom times are staggered in your cut flower garden, you can create bouquets throughout spring, summer, fall and winter. Try planting:
- bulbs in the fall for spring blooms
- summer-blooming bulbs in late winter or early spring
- late-blooming perennials for fall color
Cut Your Flowers While They’re Fresh
Some flowers like lilies and peonies are best cut while their buds are still closed, but there’s visible color. Others like Black-eyed Susans are perfect for cutting the moment they begin to open.
Practice Proper Cut Flower Care
Cut your flowers from the plant with clean shears at a 45° angle, then cut again right before you put them into water for the first time. Clip the leaves from the base of the stem—if they remain submerged in water, they’ll get mushy and gross. Replace the water in the vase and trim the bottoms of the stems every two days. You can add special fertilizers or “flower food” for cut flowers to help extend their life.
Start your cut flower garden in Orange County by visiting Roger’s Gardens! We have a fabulous mix of bulbs, small plants, interesting perennials, and seeds to fill your landscape with dreamy, fragrant blooms that last.