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.