Over a week ago, Mr. McGregor’s Daughter invited us to share “The Best and the Worst of This Year’s Annuals” This meme tied in with a post that I have been intending to write for a while about the latest bit of garden here in “An Artist’s Garden” – a small cutting garden.
Until I moved here, I never picked flowers from the garden, the reasons for this were varied, but mostly because I never had enough flowers in the garden and I never had the right vase, a clear bit of table to put vase on – not to mention that I am rubbish at flower arranging.
So it was a surprise, that way back in February, Shedman and I were deciding what to do with this area of garden …..
… And we decided to turn it into a cutting garden!
Personally I blame Carol / May Dreams Garden and Emma T both of these bloggers have done memes, which have involved me picking flowers from the garden and plopping arranging them in vases to be photographed
This is the area after we had cleared all the undergrowth, moved a few shrubs, and given away or relocated a row of very prolific blackcurrant bushes.
Even though there is a row of greedy laurels along the left hand boundary wall – we were left with a fair sized space. (Note my next door neighbours green roof over her kitchen)
Surprisingly for this garden there was some fairly decent soil, so we divided the area into four long thin beds. Three with an OK depth of soil, the front one is really stones and a bit of earth.
For the paths Shedman broke up the roofing slates from our re-roofing project and we laid these over a weed control fabric.
And so the cutting garden was started. This year it’s looking a bit thin on the ground as I was late in sowing the annuals and I am still working my way through flowers that I really want in there – but they must be annuals, good in vases (in a relaxed kind of way, as I only do relaxed) and colourful.
This year I have planted, Sweet Peas, Sunflowers, Amaranthus “Caudatus Green”, Cosmos “Polidor”, Zinnia Yoga, Eschscholzia (California poppy) Cornflowers, Rudbeckia “Cherry Brandy”. Plus a couple of Dahlias “Arabian Night”. Not annuals I know – but they are great for cut flowers.
Which brings me back to Mr. McGregor’s Daughters post “The Best and Worst of Annuals. I grow a few annuals around the garden here – because we are in the process of planting up the garden and so have lots of areas which need a quick sprinkling of flowers to be going on with.
Top of my list are annual poppies, both the large Papaver somniferum and the lighter “Shirley” poppies, whose tissue paper blossoms dance like ballerinas through the garden. Although once you have introduced them, you will have poppies forever! I enjoy adding to the self seeded mix and this year I introduced a black peony type (Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum) Next year it will be seeds from a scarlet / orange variety that a customer gave me …. except yesterday, after harvesting the seeds I left the envelope outside and it rained in the night. I found them swimming in water this morning.
Cosmos is another of my must have annuals, although I don’t get them to self seed very well. My favourite is Cosmos “Purity” and I will grow it again next year. I am reserving judgment on the cosmos “Polidor” it doesn’t look much yet, but we have had a cold wet spell here and I think it is in need of some sunshine and warmth.
For the past three years I have grown an annual Rudbeckia – a different variety each year and so far I have enjoyed them all and will continue to work my way through the seed lists of these essential late flowering plants.
Two things that I have tried which are new to me are Zinnia’s and I think they are quite nice! They do look sweet in a jam-jar on the kitchen table and I will certainly give them another go next year.
And Dahlias. This is my surprising “annual” which I am definitely going to grow again. In the spring I sowed a packet of Dahlia “Bishops Children” and a packet of Dahlia “Pompon Mixed” And I love them. The Bishops Children are scattered around the garden – including a few in pots, where the dark foliage sets off the brighter colours of the pelargoniums. The pompons are in the kitchen garden adding some colour to the edges of the veg beds. They are great for picking. I am not going to get precious about these plants and they are not mollycoddled in any way – and at the end of the season they will be consigned to the compost heap, after saving some of the seed for next year.
So the above are all on my “must have” list, I also sow dill – the colour can add such a zing to the border, Cerinthe, Sweet Pes, and Marigolds, an essential in the kitchen garden. The self seeders are Nigella, Cornflowers, Nasturtiums and painted Sage (Salvia viridis var. comata)
The one thing that I will not be growing again is the Amaranthus – it is a giant and is aiming for total garden domination. Also, it is much loved by every nibbling bug that passes through the garden. Although it is recommended as a good cut flower – I have no idea how to include it successfully in an arrangement.
I only started exploring annuals when we moved here just over three years ago – before that I had very little time for them, but some of them have earned their place in my garden.
If you have any suggestions for annual flowers for my “Cutting Garden” do leave me a comment and don’t forget to visit Mr McGregor’s Daughter and find out what other folk are growing.
Okay, what use is cerinthe in the kitchen garden? I am growing this lovely annual for the first time, and I’m trying to learn all about it!
Oh RobinL, sorry, perhaps I phrased that badly, I meant the Marigolds were essential in the kitchen garden.
Cerinthe, is one of my favorite plants, and it is wonderful for attracting bees, I sometimes sow a few seeds in the Autumn – then they seem to have a “head start” in the spring.
I did notice a few self sown seedling this week, so I will be moving them to a “more appropriate” location for next year.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
K
That combination of colours is absolutely spectacular! These are the colours I would fill my garden with — bright and cheery! Gorgeous!
Thanks Nancy – I think I have surprised myself with how I am moving towards these bold colours!
K
Wow! You aren’t going to be able to keep enough vases around. Everything looks so great! I always have that battle with myself…to pick (enjoy in the house) or not to pick(enjoy in the garden). A gardeners dilemna! You’ve done a great job on that garden.
Thanks Teresa – It is quite a strange feeling having such an abundance of flowers designated “For picking” I keep wondering who I cna give them too!
K
It’s hard for bright flowers not to be pretty – and plonking them in a jar or a vase often gets better results in terms of ‘arranging’ than does fiddling around with them in a self-conscious way.
Lucy
Hi Lucy and thanks – I agree
K
I have never got into flower arranging or picking flowers for a vase. I think it is something to do with flowers dying in front of me. Illogical I know as they would be dying in the garden anyway. If I did take it up plonking a bunch into a vase would definitely be my style!
Hi Easygardener, You know – after I pick the flowers, and put them in their jam jars, I quite often forget to bring them in the house, I don’t think your feeling is illogical – because they look better dying in their jam jars outside than they do on the mantelpiece!
K
They look beautiful. As for the jam jars if you pop into any charity shop, the one thing they always have is vases. I guess loads of us have cupboards full of them. As for plonging or was it plopping them into a vase I thought that was how you did do it!!
Hi P – I love that, I shall use “plonging” for when I put flowers in jam jars
K
What a good idea. I grew Bishops Children a few years ago and kept the ones I really liked and they are still flowering 3 years later. I agree with you about Amaranthus – horrid thing make sure you get rid of the flower heads before it seeds everywhere, still pulling up seedlings from growing it a couple of years ago.
Hi Helen – thanks for the warning about the Amaranthus seedlings, I shall watch out for that, actually maybe I will just pull them all out now
K
What a great cutting garden. I had plans for one end of the allotment to become my cutting garden but only managed to get as far as daffs and tulips. My annuals are either still in seed packets or straining to get out of seed trays. I too have enjoyed growing Bishop’s children.
Hi HappyM – yes I have been pleasantly impressed with the Bishops children – great fun. If I had an allotment, I would fill it with tulips for cutting, oh and beetroot.
K
What a nice sized cutting garden, the slate tiles in the paths add an interesting texture too. I normally don’t bring too many bouquets into the house since I prefer to have the color in the garden. But having a designated spot for growing annuals for this purpose would be great. Cornflowers, Cleome, Annual Salvias and Baby’s Breath all make great cut flowers too.
Hi Racquel, I have been wondering about growing Cleome – I will put that on my list for next year I think. Thanks for all your suggestions, much appreciated.
K
It is so amazing what one can do in a small parcel of earth. Beautiful journey.
Thank you – if I lived closer, you could teach me some basic flower arranging!
K
Your little bouquets are charming! That is quite an improvement in the area your cutting garden now occupies. Congratulations!
Thank you Sheila, it is better, and I think it will be quite flexible if I ever want to change things around.
K
Lovely Karen! I agree, dahlias are delightful. I don’t have a beautiful cutting garden like yours … just simply cut whatever is lookin’ good! Love hosta leaves as a filler and evergreen pachysandra in my rose bowl.
Hi Joey – very envious that you can use hosta leaves as a filler – mine are all lace by this time of year!
K
Great idea! I’d never thought of growing beds specifically for cutting.
At the moment I do have a vase full, although the colours are a bit mixed, it’s better than nothing! In it is: Cosmos, Montbreita, Coneflower, Sweet Pea, Lavender and Shasta Daisy. It’s mostly pink/purple with the exception of the Montbreita.
I would definitely never be without the Sweet Peas, everything else are things I’ve cut along the way if they’ve been damaged or are nearing the end and I’ve been dead-heading.
Hi Liz – thanks for reminding me about Shasta daisies – they do really well here – your vase sounds a delight.
K
How wonderful to have such a space to dedicated purely to cut flowers! I am envious! I will be growing more cutting flowers next year, but on a small scale as there isn’t a lot of space. But my favourites are stocks, sweet peas, cosmos, nigella, and really anything with a shaggy cottage garden look.
Happy cutting!
Thank you Denise, it still feels a wonderful luxury to into the garden and cut flowers! Stocks – that is another thing that I must put on my list for next year.
K
Teresa, did you not notice that those “vases” were in fact jam jars! I have to agree with easygardener. The only flowers I have in the house are sweet peas. I too prefer them in the garden. They don’t die so quickly (hopefully). I am also a girl who plops stems in a vase when I do have flowers. Really do not like the rigidity of some arrangements. Lovey post Karen.
Thank you Dobby – Do you want flowers in your room when you come to Merlin sit? If so which
K
Ooh, I like Cosmos polidor – not seen that one before. And I like your orange and purple arrangement – I am a sucker for orange flowers.
I don’t know which annuals are suitable for cutting – like several others I prefer my flowers in the garden – but the ones I’ve grown over the last few years are dwarf Helianthus, Eschscholzia, Papaver rhoeas, Calendula, annual Centaurea, climbing Tropaeolum, Glaucium corniculatum, and Nigella. Limnanthes won’t grow for me – I’ve tried it several years and it never germinates – but in my parents’ garden it runs wild and fills a whole flower bed and is constantly covered with hoverflies. This year I’m growing Tagetes (naughty marietta) for the first time and they are easy, long-lasting, and fabulous colours – I’ll be getting those again. But I won’t be getting any more Papaver somniferum seriously scarlet – they turned out to be shocking p*nk!
Hi Juliet – I have to say that now we have had a bit of sun, the cosmos polidor has come on leaps and bounds, and looks fantastic with crocosmia. (in a jam jar) What a great list of plants that you have grown over the past few years.
K
Thanks for joining in! I don’t cut any flowers because I never have enough blooming in the garden, so I can only imagine what a luxury it must be to have a dedicated cutting garden. Your arrangement of groups of jars/vases is lovely. The Dahlias are such divas.
Hi Mr. McGD – it was a fun meme to do, thanks for starting it off. Yes, the Dahlias are such divas, you are so right, I may have to get another one next year!
K
Wonderful transformation! great to see and your annual cut flowers are fabulous! Great Colors!
Thanks Carol – Glad you liked the colours, I am definately getting brighter colours in the garden for late summer, they are so happy!
K
Brilliant! Thank you! You’ve inspired my next project as I love flowers indoors and never have enough to pick. For vases I save different shoped jam jars as my children and husband have broken all but one vase and it’s a waste of money replacing them, jam jars do the job just as well, and if you need big ones buy catering size and share with friends!!!Yeh yeh I’m a skinflint, I know!
Hi Heckety, I actually like the simplici of summer flowers in jam jars, I dont think it is skinflint -, now I am just wondering what I can buy in a catering size jar – good idea!
K
So glad that you decided to plant a cutting garden and what joyous harvests you’re reaped from it already. Isn’t gardening fun? Not to mention colourful?
Yes Yolanda Elizabeth …. Garden is such fun
K
cosmos and dahlias have become favored flowers for me too. I never used to cut fresh flowers, but now I do (my assistant motivated me) and we sell small arrangements around the school. it also means less dead heading. we use the leaves of our yarrow as greenery.
Hi Wayne, we only have one flower shop which covers quite a big area, so I do hope that down the line some local folk will come to me if they want jam-jar flowers in the summer, I think I will call it that;- “Jam-Jar Flowers from An Artist’s Garden”
K
A small planting of zinnias from several year ago has refreshed itself in the garden every year. But the plants require midsummer warmth to germinate for me, and the plants never get to much size before they pass on for the year. They’d be worth starting early in a warm windowsill. Your amaranthus story sounds like mine. I planted Hopi Red Dye amaranth, partly for its interesting ethnobotanical links with the Hopi tribe in our southwest. It also helped that the plants and seed were edible. But boy did they come back from seed for several years…
Hi Karen. No need to cut me a flower for one night. I have decided that the sun is going to shine all day, so I will probably spend most of the evening in the garden! Well, a girl can always hope.
Love your cutting garden. I started one last year too and love the luxury of having flowers that I am meant to cut. Sweet peas are my number one and I have loads of them. I love cosmos too and also have some longstemmed pinks (not sure about those) and some echinacea. I am beginning to think that the echinacea would be better in the garden proper but the place that I would like to put it in has poorer soil than where it is. I also grow gladioli, used to hate them but have come round to their over the top gorgeousness. I am inspired to try zinnias and Bishops Children after reading this, thank you.