Comments on: Planning a Cut Flower Garden

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 18:19:03 +0000

Great post – really sums up my disappointment and my attempts to make a cutting garden that will yield flowers for pins I've collected. I would love to see recommendations on easy to grow groupings of flowers that bloom at the same time with pictures of flower arrangements that can be done with those groupings.

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:26:29 +0000

Nanne,
your idea of creating arrangements from only garden flowers reminds me of my childhood too – when my mom would grow all of the flowers just for the house ( or for church, or for neighbors). I never saw florist flowers until I was a teenager, just assuming that everyone picked plant material from their gardens and woodland. Your southern plant material sounds so exotic to me, I'm a bit envious!! I also remember working at an estate as a teen, and the owner creating massive arrangements just with different colored foliage from trees and shrubs.

By: nanne

nanne — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:56:25 +0000

love this post & am so eager for the other installments!

i think that so many people, whether they garden or not, don't realize that they may actually have actually have a cutting garden.

i was born & raised in the south (transplanted 4 years ago to t he midwest). back in the day when i was growing up down south, when you had a big occasion that required something pretty in the house, you did not call a party planner or a florist. you foraged in yours & your friends' yards.

everyone had hydrangeas, camellias, gardenias, various iris, glads, day lilies (only for daytime events), daffs & roses. there were magnolia trees that were used somewhat for their blooms, but mostly for the gorgeous greenery.

and, greenery is what is often overlooked as an addition to the cutting garden. down south, of course the magnolias…but great, weedy vines that grew everywhere such as smilax & lace vine. lots of cultivated jasmines. you can make a great green arrangement just from these.

here in the midwest, i do not have my magnolias or smilax…but, there are fabulous evergreen trees, ivy, viburnum, etc and, in the fall, tree limbs with brilliantly colored leaves.

i wrote 500 paragraphs when i just should have said, you don't have to have a dedicated cutting garden in order to find cuttings to make beautiful arrangements. 🙂

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:18:02 +0000

Hi Ms. Wis.
Thank you so much for your nice words about my blog. It's always great to hear what people think. In many ways, florists have it so lucky, with essentially flowers from all over the world in bloom at the same time. But we gardeners can grow many plants that florists never could have.

By: LINDA from Each Little World

LINDA from Each Little World — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:02:58 +0000

This was a great post! I'm very good at looking at garden pix and figuring out what ideas might work in my garden. But until you said it, I realize I've never done it with those gorgeous floral bouquets. I look at them and know they contain flowers that don't bloom together etc. However, it never occurred to me to use them for color concepts etc. Thanks for a huge eye-opener. Your posts are always gorgeous and informative, but this one really hit home. Looking forward to the rest of your ideas on this topic.

By: Lonnie Thaler

Lonnie Thaler — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:04:43 +0000

I learned so much after reading this great article. I'm not a good floral stylist and I really need to gain more knowledge to improve and refine my creativity skills. Thanks for sharing! 😀

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:31:05 +0000

Hi Laurie! I can't imagine what it would be like to be able to cut delphiniums for the house ( I grew a crop a few years ago, and they were tall and beautiful, but far to precious to cut – you are so lucky!). As for the zinnia, the variety on the lower left is Benary's Salmon Rose, available from Johnny's Selected Seeds. They carry separate colors, which is helpful. Good luck!

By: Laurie Brown

Laurie Brown — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:13:16 +0000

Great article!

While delphiniums may be somewhat unrealistic for a cut flower garden, I find that my plants (fairly old ones) make enough flowers that I can cut what I need from the landscape and no one is the wiser, as long as I leave that first, longed for spire alone and wait for the later ones!

Do you know what that salmon colored zinnia is, at the lower left of the stylesheet (can't view the post from this page so I'm guessing here) I've grown Miss Willmott, but it is always darker than the one in the picture. I long for that color!