It's Easy to Grow Your Own Flowers for Cutting

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One of the main joys of a cutting garden is the ability to grow showstopping plants - that might look out of place in the garden, but which look stunning in a vase. You will want to get a good balance of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and annuals so that you have plants to cut throughout the year but it can be confusing knowing where to start...

It is important to pick a good site for your cutting garden as you will be working it hard. A sunny area with good soil is ideal. Check that there is a convenient water source, be it a tap, or water butt, and ensure that the plot is not in a frost pocket.

Leading UK garden designer Alice Bowe talks us through her favourite choices for the cutting garden - try it and you'll be hooked!

Step 1:

Plant your permanent planting of shrubs far closer together than you would in a garden border. You will be constantly lopping off limbs to use in arrangements and this will help to contain the size of the plant. Favourite shrubs for cutting include:

  • Chaenomeles 'Nivalis'
  • Cotinus coggyria 'Royal Purple'
  • Cornus alba 'Elegantissima' (or any of the coloured stem dogwoods)
  • Corylus avelana or Salix caprea (for catkins)
  • Acer platinoides 'Crimson King'
  • Prunus 'Taihaku' or other flowering cherries
  • Rosa mulliganii
  • Rosa 'Nevada'
Step 2:

Plant your perennials in groups of 3, 5 or 7. This way, when you cut some of the flowers to bring indoors, you will not leave big, ugly gaps in the border.

  • Astrantia major
  • Epilobium angustifolium
  • Helleborus foetidus and orientalis
  • Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'
  • Dianthus barbatus 'Alice'
  • Eryngium giganteum
  • Phlox
  • Pulsatilla
  • Viola 'Bowles Black'
Step 3:

Annuals are a great way of producing cheap cut flowers but they are much more labour-intensive than perennials. You will need to keep on picking them regularly or they will stop flowering and set seed instead!

  • Antirrhinum
  • Cosmos - great value for cutting! this flowers from late spring until the end of autumn
  • Erysimum
  • Helianthus (sunflowers are always a must)
  • Lathyrus (sweetpeas)
  • Nicotiana
  • Nigella damascena
  • Zinnia
Step 4:

Don't forget the importance of foliage and architectural plants.

  • Acanthus spinosus
  • Alchemilla mollis
  • Arum italicum'Marmoratum'
  • Burpleurum fruiticosum
  • Euphorbia cornigera and E. polychroma (most Euphorbias in fact!)
  • Mollucella laevis
Alice Bowe's picture
About this Author:
Alice Bowe is a leading UK garden designer and writer.  She is also the owner of acclaimed garden accessory store Garden Boutique
View more information and all guides by Alice Bowe

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