Do you dream of your own cut flowers in the flower bed? A cut flower garden is wonderful when you can pick your own grown cut flowers for bouquets all summer long. January-February is a good time to plan your cut flowers for the flower bed, as you can start sowing the first cut flower seeds in February, so it’s good to have a plan ready by then. A cut flower plan is important to know what to sow, how many seeds you need, and how many plants, so that you get a flower harvest all summer and the flower combinations you dream of. In this post, I share my best tips for planning a cut flower garden or cut flower bed.
Cut flower bed and cut flower garden
A cut flower bed or cut flower garden is a garden where you grow cut flowers for bouquets. The flower species in the cut flower bed are often those with long stems that are perfect as cut flowers in bouquets. The cut flower bed or cut flower garden is often planned so that flowers are available in the Nordic countries from spring to autumn. Cut flowers are either those that grow more when picked, and should therefore be picked often for bouquets. Some cut flowers, like sunflowers, produce only one flower per plant.
Good cut flower species
In the Nordic countries, you can grow many different cut flowers. The most common cut flowers are asters, zinnias, cosmos, cornflowers, black-eyed Susans, starflowers, marigolds, carrot flowers, sweet peas, snapdragons, delphiniums, dahlias, poppies, tulips, and daffodils.
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Growing location for cut flowers
If you live in a house or townhouse, you may have your own small garden or plot of land where you can grow cut flowers. If you live in an apartment, you can check if there are rental plots available in your area.
Planning the flower bed
You don’t necessarily need a program to plan your flower bed; you can just as easily do it with paper and pencil, or on the computer in Google Sheets or Excel. It is important to know how large the area you are going to sow is, so you know how many seeds and plants you need. Plan the rows and beds of the flower bed to optimize the space for the flowers, so you get as many flowers as possible in your space. Measure the size of your flower bed and draw a sketch either on paper or in Excel. Calculate how many plants fit in one row. The usual plant spacing is 20 cm, for the largest species 30-40 cm. Calculate and plan which cut flowers you want to grow and write down the names and number of plants for the part of the bed where you want to grow them. Use lots of colors and pictures to better visualize the final result.
A good row example might be like this:
Flower bed width 1.22 cm
Row spacing 0.66 cm
Plant spacing for cut flowers
The usual plant spacing is 20 cm. This suits most cut flowers. But for the largest species like dahlias or isopops, you can reserve 30-40 cm. When you sow the plants densely, you minimize the growth area for weeds and get more cut flowers in the area. Since cut flowers are often annuals, they do not need as much space in the flower bed as perennials.
Sow enough seeds
Remember that not all seeds always germinate, and the plants may die before they reach the bed. It’s good to sow about 20% more than what you have planned for the flower bed. If possible, keep track of how much you have sown and how many plants have germinated, so you can be sure to fill your growing area with flowers in spring and summer. When planting in spring, there is always a risk of night frost, so it’s good to sow more than you need. If you don’t have room for all the plants in the bed, you can always give them to friends.
Pre-cultivation vs direct sowing
Most cut flowers need pre-cultivation. This way, they have time to grow in time and you get a harvest early in the summer since the Nordic summer is short. I myself pre-cultivate about 80% of the seeds and direct sow 20%.
When pre-cultivating, it is good to have a grow light to increase the light so the plants do not become too long and weak.
Cut flower harvest all summer
To be able to enjoy beautiful homegrown bouquets all summer, it’s good to sow in batches so you can enjoy cut flowers all summer when they bloom at different times. When you make a flower plan, also note all the flower species you plan to grow, how many seeds you need, and also when each flower species should be sown. This way, you can keep track and not get confused. Some species should be sown as early as February, others not until May.
Fertilizer for the cut flower bed
If possible, you can do a soil test and measure the values in the soil to know how to fertilize. Usually, in the Nordic countries, lime and chicken manure are sufficient.
Garden tools for cut flower care
It is good to support cut flowers with plant supports or strings and sticks so they do not fall over in the wind and rain. Common garden tools are also good to have when taking care of your cut flower bed. Invest in good garden shears so the flower stem stays as healthy as possible when you harvest flowers for a bouquet. With good shears, it is also easy to cut the stems to the right size for the vase. I have Fiskars scissors, florist shears, and garden shears. A small trowel is also a good tool when it is time to move the plants outside.
Good luck with planning your own cut flower bed or garden! Feel free to share your own good tips in the comments 🙂
Sources:
Benzakein, E. (2017). Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms. Chronicle Books.
Proust, M. (2022). From Seed to Bloom: A Year of Growing and Designing With Seasonal Flowers. Quadrille Publishing.
