A Cutting Flower Garden

When a bouquet of flowers can easily cost $50-60+ to buy, you can understand the desire to have plants in your garden that you can pick flowers or foliage from throughout the year.

Whether it is picking to display in your home or to giveaway, there are plenty of options to give you lots of variety to choose from.

It is a good idea to consider what shrubs or perennials are good for picking as these are long term plants and will give you more material to pick each year with little input.

Bulbs are great in that they come back each year but they are generally only available for a limited time span so you need to plant different varieties that will flower at different times.

Annuals are the candy store where you get to choose what colours and varieties to plant each year. There are many varieties that are available in seeds that you can’t buy as seedlings, and you can try out new colours or shapes in an economical way. You may be able to collect the seeds off some varieties for free seeds to grow the following year.

Foliage is a flower picker’s best friend as it provides the backdrop for the flowers, and it fills out the bouquet, so you don’t need as many flowers. Think colours and textures when it comes to selecting foliage and the overall feel that you are after for that particular bouquet. Foliage is often available year-round, making it invaluable in winter when other pickings can be scarce.

Trees for foliage

• Olive tree
• Eucalyptus tree
• Feijoa tree
• Bay tree
• Evergreen Magnolia

Shrubs for foliage (F) and flowers (*) and berries (B)

• Leucadendron -F
• Proteas *
• Leucospermum (pincushion flowers) *
• Phyllica (Flannel flower) - F
• Brachyglottis (Senecio) - F
• Pittosporum – F (Pitto Tobira has scented flowers as well)
• Osmanthus pearly gates -F, *
• Rosemary – F, *
• Nandina – F, B
• Ozothamnus (Rice flower) -*
• Flowering japonica (ornamental quince) - *
• Roses - *

Perennials for flowers

• Alstroemeria
• Scabiosa
• Chrysanthemum
• Dianthus/ carnations
• Delphiniums
• Achillea (ornamental yarrow)
• Eryngium (sea holly)
• Lavender
• Queen Anne's lace
• Geums
• Gypsophila (Baby’s breath)
• Monarda (Bee Balm)

Bulbs / tubers for flowers

• Dahlias
• Lilies
• Freesias
• Peonies
• Tulips
• Anemones
• Ranunculus
• Lily of the valley
• Daffodils

Annuals for flowers

• Sunflowers
• Zinnias
• Sweet Peas
• Didiscus (Ornamental carrot)
• Amaranthus
• Antirrhinum (Tall snapdragons)
• Aquilegia (Granny’s bonnet)
• Corn flowers
• Cosmos
• Gomphrena
• Nigella

These lists are only a starting point as there are many varieties out there that are good for picking. To extend your picking options as long as possible;

• Use plants that readily rebloom after picking – sweet peas, alstroemeria, iceberg roses etc
• Choose plants whose flowers last a long time in the vase. This is an asset in a picked flower! Alstroemeria, chrysanthemum, lilies, zinnia, peony and protea are all long lasting blooms.

Don’t forget to consider the months when you run out of picking options. These are good times to visit public gardens to see what they have in their seasonal flower displays, to get some inspiration. Alternatively visit your local garden centre as they will usually have the plants that are flowering at that time in stock. Bulbs are the exception to this rule, spring flowering bulbs are available in stores from February and summer flowering tubers like lilies and dahlias usually appear from July onwards. You will need to get these bulbs/tubers during those times.

If you are intentional with adding flowering plants in the months where you have little or no picking options, you will over time, develop a year-round picking garden.

One of the best things you can do is start keeping notes on what you grow, noting how long they flower for, when they flower during the year and how long they last in the vase. Details like if they open from a bud once picked are useful to know. It is difficult to keep track of all the individual details in your memory, so a picking flower diary is a useful tool to have.

Remember that even if you don’t pick the flowers to use, keep deadheading them as they finish blooming to encourage more blooms to follow. Some plants will flower right through summer and autumn if you do this regularly.

Picking your own flowers for you or someone else to enjoy is such a satisfying activity. Try it yourself, you might be surprised how addictive it can be! 

Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)