The southeastern United States is the perfect climate for year-round foliage and flora, which also makes cutting gardens a viable possibility. Imagine being able to trim and cut your own fresh flowers for arrangements, centerpieces, and bouquets – any time you choose! The mild climate and warm weather make it feasible to clip and create floral displays any season, when you keep a couple things in-mind.
Grow your own cutting garden for fresh flowers and creations year-round:
Can you grow a cutting garden?
If you live in South Carolina, of course you can! A cutting garden is simply a garden that yields flowers, filler, and herbs that are suitable for arrangements and bouquets. You can grow a cutting garden in rows, like vegetables, or in containers or beds, which makes them ideal for any greenspace.
Cutting is good for your flowers.
Did you know that cutting the flower heads from your garden makes your plants healthier and produces more blooms? Also, cut the ‘dead-heads’ to prevent slow flower production and prevent seeds from forming. If not cut, deadheading spent blooms from plants, such as zinnias and marigolds, will be necessary. If left on the plant, flower production slows, and seeds will begin to form.
Use care when planting.
Naturally, you will need to provide routine care for a full and healthy cutting garden. This can begin with a pre-plant fertilizer and soil test to determine what your soil needs. Mulch around your plants and flowers to conserve water and protect the roots of your flora.
Try tiers for fresh floral displays.
Create equal access to the sun by using tiers to plant your flowers by height. This avoids pockets of shade that can stunt your smaller varieties. For instance, plant your tall blooming plants behind ornamental grasses with shorter marigolds or daisies in front.
Plan a season ahead.
To cut year-round, you will need to be thinking about the season ahead and plant accordingly. Use plants and seasonal varieties that will thrive in the coming weeks.
Some examples include:
- For spring bouquets, plant daffodils, tulips, crocus, lilac, lilies, and dogwood, for filler.
- Summer cuttings include roses, lavender, peonies, gladiolas, and dusty miller.
- With fall arrangements in-mind, plant sunflowers, zinnia, asters, dahlias, calendula, and collect beautiful maple leaves for foliage.
Talk to a landscape professional to determine the best time to plant bulbs and seeds for the coming season.
What are the benefits?
If you are unsure about the benefits of maintaining a year-round garden, consider the cost savings from buying your own fresh flowers to arrange, display, and share. It is easy to create your own distinctive floral designs when you grow your own blooms; give it a try!