Woodie’s Picks: Cut Flower Garden Favorites For Spring
As many plants are beginning to burst with fragrant blooms, it’s only natural to want to dive into the garden with new projects! A long-time gardening trend that will likely never go out of style is that of a cut flower garden. Save money on grocery store bouquets, and have your favorites at your fingertips to create stunning displays all season long when you grow a cut flower garden!
In this blog, we will discuss the key benefits and steps of cutting gardens and share a few of our cut-flower favorites for your garden this April!
Benefits of Cut Flower Gardens
Abundant Fresh Blooms
The most obvious benefit of growing your own cut flower garden is the abundance of fresh blooms available to you! Imagine this: you walk into your kitchen, and the flowers are beginning to wilt. Imagine having the convenience of walking into your backyard and snipping the perfect compilation of blooms to freshen up your bouquet and bring natural beauty to your indoor space!
Support Local Pollinators
Another often overlooked benefit of growing a cut flower garden is the support system you provide to local pollinators! When you plant a mass of fragrant bloomers, bees, and butterflies will flock to your yard like magnets!
Reap Mental Health Benefits
The pollinators aren’t the only ones to benefit from the blooms! You, too, can reap the mental health benefits of growing a garden. In various studies, researchers have concluded that gardening can positively contribute to stress reduction and relaxation. Nature has a profound impact on our nervous system, helping to reduce feelings of anxiety and promote relaxation.
Steps To Starting A Cut-Flower Perennial Garden
1. Planning and Design
The first step to starting your backyard cut flower garden is to select a sunny, well-drained area with rich soil! We recommend mapping out the design in rows for convenient weeding, feeding, and cutting!
2. Soil Preparation
Next, you will want to add organic matter like compost, peat moss, or leaf litter to improve the drainage and fertility of your soil!
3. Chose Your Flowers
After the initial prep, it’s the fun part: selecting the flowers you want to grow! We recommend selecting perennial plants and shrubs so that your blooms come back year after year. Additionally, we recommend considering a range of different plant varieties to ensure your bouquets are diverse! See below for a few of our favorite recommendations!
4. Planting and Care
The final step to creating a cut flower garden is planting and care! Spring is the perfect time to get your plants in the ground. When planting, it is important to space the plants according to their mature size. Your plants will also benefit from the application of a starter fertilizer at the time of planting.
Cut Flower Garden Favorites
Peonies
The timeless and elegant Peony is our number-one choice for cut flower gardens! Coming in a range of different varieties, these early to mid-May bloomers never fail to captivate! Peonies are known for their large, showy blooms that give off a sweet and pleasing aroma. While their blooms are fleeting, the anticipation of their pop each year is entirely worth it! A few of our personal favorites are the Duchesse De Nemours Peony and the Alexander Flemming Peony!
Lilacs
The Lilac Shrub is next on the list of gorgeous plants to grow for a cutting garden! For the less conventional but equally as fragrant option to roses, Lilacs are a top option. These shrubs are low maintenance, deer-resistant, and incredibly breathtaking in the landscape! If you are seeking a more classic look, choose the Miss Kim Lilac. For a more bold look, choose the Bloomerang Dark Purple Lilac variety!
Dianthus
Dianthus is a long-standing favorite in the cut flower garden. Sporting a long blooming period, especially if deadheaded, you have the opportunity to create a mass of bouquets throughout the spring season! These hardy perennials are also relatively easy to grow and require minimal care once established. We love all dianthus varieties, but for those fluffy carnation-like blooms, we recommend the following: Dianthus Cranberry Cocktail, Dianthus Odessa Yellow, and Dianthus Tickled Pink.
Lavender
Last but not least on the list of cut flower garden favorites is Lavender. Lavender is such a gorgeous and well-loved addition to cut flower gardens! The purple bloomers are drought tolerant, pest and deer-resistant, and aesthetically pleasing in a landscape design. For unique beauty and incredible fragrance to add to your spring flower bouquets, consider the following varieties: Phenomenal Lavender, Lavender Munstead, and Lavender Hidcote.
Shop Cut Flower Garden Essentials Online
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting your hands dirty for the first time, a cut flower garden is a rewarding way to bring beauty, fragrance, and pollinator power to your landscape and home! With just a bit of planning and the right plant selections, you’ll be harvesting stunning bouquets in no time.
From classic peonies and lilacs to the charming blooms of dianthus and lavender, there’s no shortage of spring favorites to choose from. Ready to get started? Explore our complete collection of cut flower garden essentials online and grow your own fresh, fabulous blooms this season!