Cutting Garden Ideas

A cutting garden allows you to take as many flowers as you like for bouquets, drying or preserving without using flowers from other parts of the landscaping. You won't have gaps in your blooming borders because you picked the flowers. Flowers for bouquets should have long strong stems, stay open once they've bloomed and last for at least five days after cutting. Put them immediately in ice water after picking so they will hydrate.


One of the joys of bringing flowers into the house is their fragrance. Flowers with a strong scent include oriental lilies, nicotiana, roses, jasmine and honeysuckle. Jasmine and honeysuckle don't have long stems since they're vines. Cut a portion of the vine with the flowers and drape the flowers over the edge of the vase. Oriental lilies are up to 6 inches across when they're fully open. The flowers bloom in white, pink and red in mid to late summer. When cutting lilies leave at least two-thirds of the stem and leaves in place. Nicotiana have tube-shaped flowers with a flared opening in shades of yellow, white and pink. Roses run the gamut of colors with the exception of blue. Old roses and David Austin roses are highly fragrant.


The Victorians sent messages through the flowers they included in posies and nosegays. The meaning of a flower could be changed by what other flowers were included with it. Even the colors of the flowers meant something. Red roses meant romantic love, white meant purity, pink roses said innocence. Put red and white roses together and it means unity. Many flowers have meanings including alstroemeria for friendship, anemone for anticipation, chrysanthemums mean fidelity, gladiolus is strength of character and hydrangea means heartfelt. Plant a cutting garden that's beautiful and communicates your feelings.


Wildflowers have to be tough to grow in the wild. They need no pampering, fertilizing or extra watering except in times of drought. They re-seed themselves and generally require nothing from you except your admiration. Plant wildflowers indigenous to your area in your cutting garden. Some examples include Joe Pye weed, Queen Ann's lace, black-eyed Susan, Marguerite daisies and purple coneflowers. Consider the bloom time of the flowers so you'll always something ready to pick in the cutting garden. Obtain seed from a reliable source. Some species of wildflowers are protected, so never take the flowers or seeds without permission. If you have extra seed at the end of the season, give it to neighbors and friends.

Keywords: cutting garden, flowers for cutting, cut flower garden

About this Author
