There’s something very special about a bouquet of your own home-grown cut flowers, whether it’s for your own arrangements or as a beautiful gift with a personal touch. Cut flowers are often easy to grow from seed, and here are a few of our favourites.
Sweet peas
Sweet peas make fabulous cut flowers, filling the room with their heady fragrance. They can be sown in pots in a greenhouse in early spring, or directly outdoors from mid-spring. Train the seedlings up a wigwam of support canes or against a trellis, pinch out the growing tips to produce bushy plants, and feed and water regularly. Pick the flowers frequently.
Nigella
Also known as love-in-the-mist, Nigella is one of the easiest hardy annuals to grow and self-seeds easily, giving you flowers year after year. Sow the seeds directly outdoors in March and April in well-prepared soil and water regularly until the seedlings are established. Both the deep blue flowers and the striking rounded seed pods that follow them look fabulous in bouquets.
Cosmos
Cosmos will flower for months from summer well into autumn, and regular picking or deadheading will ensure a long flowering season. The big, colourful daisy-like flowers and ferny foliage add a touch of softness to flower arrangements. Sow cosmos indoors in pots or seed trays in early spring and plant out once the frosts are over.
Ammi majus
With its frothy white flowerheads on long slender stems, Ammi majus makes a beautiful contrast to bolder flowers in vases and bouquets. The seedlings don’t like to be transplanted, so this hardy annual is best sown direct outdoors from March to May or in autumn for overwintering. Feed and water regularly.
Dahlia
Dahlias make fabulous cut flowers, adding spectacular impact to bouquets and arrangements. Start dahlia tubers off indoors in pots in early spring and plant out in summer. Feed and water regularly, and stake the larger varieties to stop them flopping over. Regular picking will keep the plants flowering well into autumn.
Cornflowers
Cornflowers are easy to grow from seed and the rich blue flowers look stunning contrasted with orange poppies, or teamed with white shasta daisies for a cool, tranquil effect. Sow them outdoors from March to May in a sunny spot for flowers from June to September, and pick regularly to keep the flowers coming.
Tithonia
Also known as Mexican sunflowers, these gorgeous bright orange flowers make a big impact both in the garden and in flower arrangements. Held on long stems, they’re perfect for cutting, and regular picking will keep the plants flowering for longer. Sow the seeds indoors in March or April in pots in a propagator or on a sunny windowsill, and plant out once the frosts are over.
Growing your own cut flowers is very rewarding and you’ll find a fantastic range of flower seeds and seedlings in our centre. Visit us today to start growing your own bouquets!