Planning a Cut-Flower Garden

All these photos are from 2020, my first year growing and selling flowers!

A cut-flower garden is one of the most beautiful and rewarding gardens you can plant. Nothing compares to the sight and smell of these gorgeous blooms that you can pick, arrange, and enjoy in your home or give as gifts. To get the most out of your cut-flower garden, it’s important to plan and start small so that you have maximum color and variety throughout the growing season, but also not get overwhelmed.

Start with Your Goals

Before you begin planning your garden, consider what you want to accomplish with it. Do you want to provide flowers for yourself and family? Do you want to add color to an area in your yard? Do you want to attract pollinators to your garden? Thinking through your goals before diving into planting will help ensure that your garden meets your needs.

A great way to visualize what you want your garden space to look like is to make a vision board. This is super simple to make. Just take some seed catalogs, landscape catalogs, or print photos off from Pinterest and glue onto a piece of poster board. Cut out words to that speak to you. Hang this somewhere you can see it each day to inspire you for the season to come!

Choose Your Varieties

Once you’ve determined your goals, it’s time to choose which varieties to grow. Choose varieties that will bloom at different times throughout the season so that there is always something in bloom for cutting. Consider different colors and sizes as well, since these will add interest when arranging bouquets or flower arrangements.

If you don’t want to get overwhelmed your first year, be sure to start with just a few easy growers to get you going. I suggest the following:

Sunflowers

Zinnias

Cosmos

Amaranth

This can be SUPER difficult, because when you are looking at seed catalogs everything looks so beautiful, you want it all! But, I promise you if you try to grow everything you will get burnt out, the weeds will take over, and you will want to throw in the towel. Instead start small, and add to your line-up each year.

Plan Your Planting Schedule

In order to make sure that there are always blooms available for cutting from late spring until late fall, plan ahead by staggering when each variety should be planted. This way, each type will reach maturity at its own time and provide an ongoing supply of beautiful blooms throughout the growing season. Keep in mind that some plants take longer than others to mature—so pay attention to this detail when making your schedule! Don’t forget about prepping your soil too—this is key for healthy plants!

Generally seed packets has the days to bloom on it. You will first want to know when your last frost date is. You can find that out by typing in your zipcode on this website:

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

This will tell you when your approximate date of planting your flowers outside should be. Where the farm is located is zone 6a. I can generally plant out my annuals May 15. If zinnias take 60 days to bloom, I would plant them on May 15 and expect flowers around July 15.

Planning a cut-flower garden can be a fun and rewarding activity, even a stress reliever or creative outlet. By considering what types of flowers will best fit your needs and planning out when they should be planted, you can ensure that there is a steady supply of color and variety throughout the season. With just a bit of effort up front, you can create an amazing cut-flower garden that is sure to bring beauty into any home or business!