Cutting Garden Design
There’s the utilitarian school that says “put them all in rows” and then there’s the artistic school that has determined it an “artistic exercise” to create a garden design that is both utilitarian and artistic.
From a practical point of view, I confess I fall into the utilitarian camp.
Cutting Garden Design Nightmare
I found when I tried to have a good-looking garden that was both artistic and for cutting, I wound up being frustrated. As soon as the flower would start to look good, it was time to cut it off. The garden wound up looking like a lot of greenery rather than a vision of loveliness. The roses were nude all summer of blossoms rather than full and enjoyable.
What was supposed to be a garden of flowers turned into a utilitarian garden by its function and not its design. This is the biggest bit of advice I’d give newcomers. If you want a garden for cut flowers – create a utilitarian garden for this purpose. If you want a garden for show – create a garden for showing flowers. However - - -
This is a little different than if you’re only to cut a bouquet or two every now and then. In that case, plant an extra rose or two, set in a few extra gladiola bulbs and tall aster plants. You can snip a few bouquets from a garden of abundance with little difficulty. But to constantly snip flowers as they start to show color only allows you to enjoy the leaves from your cutting garden design.
Garden Design
Let me suggest you check out this page on flower garden design to see how to set up a garden to bloom all summer.
This cutting garden design system works equally well with annual as well as perennial flowers or any combination of the two. (it is on my perennial garden website). Excuse the graphics quality – I’m a writer and gardener and have no pretensions to being an artist. :-) You’ll get the idea.
A Good List of Perennial Flowers For Cutting
Acanthus
Achillea
Aconitum
Adenophora
Adiantum
Agapanthus
Agastache
Ajania
Ajuga
Alcea
Alchemilla
Allium
Ampelopsis
Amsonia
Anaphalis
Anchusa
Andropogon
Anemone
Angelica
Anthemis
Aquilegia
Arctanthemum
Armeria
Artemisia
Arum
Aruncus
Asclepias
Aster
Astilbe
Astilboides
Astrantia
Baptisia
Begonia
Belamcanda
Bellis
Bergenia
Bletilla
Boltonia
Bouteloua
Briza
Bromus
Brunnera
Buddleia
Calamagrostis
Calamintha
Caltha
Camassia
Campanula
Cardiocrinum
Carex
Carlina
Caryopteris
Castilleja
Catananche
Centaurea
Centranthus
Chasmanthium
Chelone
Chelonopsis
Chrysanthemum
Cimicifuga
Clematis
Convallaria
Coreopsis
Cortaderia
Corydalis
Cosmos
Crambe
Crocosmia
Cryptotaenia
Cynara
Dahlia
Darmera
Delphinium
Deschampsia
Dianthus
Dicentra
Dictamnus
Dierama
Digitalis
Dodecatheon
Doronicum
Echinacea
Echinops
Epimedium
Epimedium×
Eremurus
Erigeron
Eryngium
Erysimum
Eupatorium
Euphorbia
Euryops
Fallopia
Filipendula
Francoa
Fuchsia
Gaillardia
Gaultheria
Gaura
Gentiana
Geum
Gillenia
Goniolimon
Gypsophila
Helenium
Helianthus
Helichrysum
Heliopsis
Helleborus
Hemerocallis
Hesperis
Heuchera
Heucherella
Hosta
Hydrangea
Hypericum
Incarvillea
Inula
Iris
Jasione
Juncus
Kalimeris
Kirengeshoma
Knautia
Kniphofia
Lathyrus
Lavandula
Lavatera
Leonotis
Leontopodium
Leucanthemum
Leycesteria
Liatris
Libertia
Ligularia
Lilium
Limonium
Linaria
Linum
Lobelia
Lunaria
Lupinus
Luzula
Lychnis
Lymus
Lysimachia
Macleaya
Malva
Mertensia
Miscanthus
Molinia
Monarda
Myosotidium
Myosotis
Myrrhis
Nectaroscordum
Nepeta
Nipponanthemum
Oenothera
Omphalodes
Origanum
Paeonia
Panicum
Papaver
Patrinia
Pennisetum
Penstemon
Perovskia
Persicaria
Petasites
Phalaris
Phlomis
Phlox
Phragmites
Phygelius
Physalis
Physostegia
Pimpinella
Platycodon
Polemonium
Polygonatum
Potentilla
Primula
Pulmonaria
Pulsatilla
Pycnanthemum
Ranunculus
Ratibida
Rheum
Rodgersia
Romneya
Rudbeckia
Saccharum
Salvia
Sanguisorba
Saxifraga
Scabiosa
Schizostylis
Sedum
Senecio
Senna
Sesleria
Sidalcea
Silene
Silphium
Sisyrinchium
Smyrnium
Solidago
Solidaster
Sorghastrum
Spartina
Sporobolus
Stachys
Stipa
Stokesia
Symphyandra
Symphytum
Tanacetum
Teucrium
Thalictrum
Tiarella
Tricyrtis
Trollius
Typha
Verbascum
Verbena
Vernonia
Veronica
Veronicastrum
Viola
Yucca
Zantedeschia
Annuals in the cutting garden design are pretty much anything that gives you a stem over 6-inches in length (for shorter cut arrangements). This includes almost all the easily available annual flowers.
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