Cut-Flower Gardens - A New Trend in NZ

Take your enjoyment of your garden to a whole new level by starting a cut-flower garden.

 While many flowering shrubs and perennials you may already have growing,  will give you great pleasure to look upon, it is often a shame to cut the flowers to bring indoors or give as a bouquet to a friend. Another aspect of a designated cut-flower garden is so you can cut the flowers when they are in the very early stages of opening, lasting so much longer in the vase. It can be cheaper and more rewarding to grow your own plants from seeds or cuttings, however, it will take time and good planning.

 Before you choose a place for your cut-flower garden, check out the growing conditions of the flowers you want to grow. Some species, like Peonies,  need full sun to flower, or Hydrangeas who like some shade.  Most importantly, it is the quality of your soil that will feed your plants, so take the time to continuously improve the soil through composting, aged manures, mulching and look into easy techniques such as green crops and permaculture. Remember, this doesn’t have to be a show garden, just a very healthy one!

 Choose a place sheltered from the wind, and consider raising the garden to allow easier maintenance, and to build up the soil with plenty of compost, manure and mulches. Many taller varieties of flowers will need to have support, and ensure there is access to water so it is easy to keep the garden well irrigated.

 Plan, plan, plan! Do your homework on the best season for each flower. Select a couple for each season to start with and keep a journal of when you planted and your successes and fails, so you can learn for next year.

 Here are some suitable flowers for cutting to try. Spring: Tulip, Peony, Sweet Peas. Summer: Lily, Rose, Gladioli, Statice. Autumn: Rudbeckia, Dahlia, Chrysanthemum. Winter: Hellebore, Japanese Anemone, Camellia japonica, Leucadendron.

 If you would like any landscape design or garden preparation advice, please call Leaf Landscape Design on 0274 156555 or turn to the contacts page to email your request.