The English Home - Home-grown Blooms

Da Sotto le querce.

Luglio 2019

The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-1.jpg
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-1.jpg


Live the dream of snipping flowers from the garden and proudly displaying them at home.


Picture stepping out of the house on a summer’s morning, flower basket and florist’s scissors in hand, to be greeted with a garden full of dew-laden, graceful and nodding blooms. The simple satisfaction and pride of selecting flowers to cut oneself and display indoors or proudly present to a loved one is much to be desired.

Creating a cut-flower patch or cutting garden offers the chance to grow exactly the types and colours of blooms preferred for interior arrangements or to indulge a passion for specific flowers. For instance, dahlias, sweet peas, delphiniums and peonies come in myriad varieties, most of which are not available commercially or through florists, so growing them is usually the best way to appreciate them at first hand.

Planning a patch

A cut-flower garden should be sited somewhere sunny, well-drained and away from overhanging trees or hedges that can steal valuable moisture and nutrients from the soil. Look for a sheltered location protected from strong winds that could tear delicate petals. Brick or stone walls will afford not only added protection, but also warmth retained from the sun; this will promote early and steady growth in spring and can lead to earlier blooms.

The size of the plot should be guided by the desired amount of cut flowers. Whether large or small, it is still possible to grow a vast array of blooms, but scale will influence the planting choice. “If your patch is small, grow only cut-and-come-again annuals, biennials and dahlias to give easy, huge production from minimal space,” plantswoman Sarah Raven suggests.

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The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-3-4.jpg

If blessed with a larger space, structure the area in thirds. “I’d suggest dedicating each section to a plant that plays a particular role in floral arrangements,” says Georgie Newbery, co-founder of Common Farm Flowers. “Use one area to grow showstoppers – star blooms such as roses, dahlias and peonies that are the main stars of a display. In another, plant foliage – not just shrubs like pittosporum, but attractive herbs such as pineapple mint and rosemary, and green flowers such as bells of Ireland, zinnias and euphorbias. The final section can be dedicated to ‘fillers’ such as soft grasses, plate-style achilleas and daisy-types.”

Being able to reach the flowers to comfortably tend and harvest them is a key consideration. The most effective layout is a grid formation of beds intersected with paths made from weathered brick, gravel or bark chippings to keep weeds at bay. Bear in mind these need to be wide enough for a wheelbarrow.

Nutrient-rich, free-draining soil is ideal for cultivating most plant varieties, but many hungry specimens such as dahlias and roses will need extra compost and well-rotten manure to perform their best. A simple soil test bought from any garden centre can determine the soil pH and give an indication of what needs to be added to improve growing conditions.

Structure is important in creating year-round interest and providing opportunities to grow climbers such as roses and sweet peas. Try a series of sturdy wooden or metal obelisks to lead the eye upwards and punctuate low-growing borders. Adding a series of wooden posts with rope swags in between is another classic yet beautiful solution, as are wirework arches and pergolas. For further inspiration, The Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend (16–18 August) will see over 100 independent flower farmers across the UK open their gates to visitors, offering the chance to meet the growers and learn how to grow one’s own.

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Caring for cut flowers
  • Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers, Somerset
    “Always plunge cut stems into tepid rather than cold water. Cold water has a higher oxygen content and tiny bubbles can form inside the stems, blocking the flow of water to the bloom. Create a natural looking arrangement by using a grid of woven twigs or chicken wire in the neck of a vase, rather than unenvironmentally friendly florist foam. This way the blooms can drink more readily and last longer.”
  • Jodie Bowman of Walled Garden Weddings at the Walled Garden at Mells, Somerset
    “To help flowers displayed in a vase or jar last longer, place them somewhere out of direct sunlight, stripping the stems of any foliage that will go under the water line and change the water every day.”
  • Judith Blacklock of Judith Blacklock Flower School, London
    “Peonies will only open at their pleasure. You need to purchase them when the buds are plump and showing colour. Immature flowers or those not showing colour will not open and persuading them can be most frustrating. A trick to make buds open more quickly is to swish the heads in warm water containing a drop of mild detergent. This removes the sticky residue that peonies produce when maturing but which prevent the flower from opening. “Dahlias are magnificent flowers and if cut from the garden last well. However, they do not travel well, so when buying check the back of the flower to check if the petals are fresh and not faded or tired. The foliage should be fresh.”
  • Victoria Martin of The Flower Garden at Stokesay Court, Shropshire
    “Plants with sappy stems, such as narcissi and euphorbias, should be cut and placed into buckets of tepid water and kept separate from other cut material for 24 hours. After then, the stems self-seal and they can be safely arranged with other flowers and foliage.”
  • Ruth Posey at Burgon & Ball
    “Sharpen all your cutting tools frequently to ensure a razor-sharp edge. Blunt blades can crush soft green growth, leaving it vulnerable to bacteria, causing both the plant and the cut bloom to suffer.”
  • Polly Nicholson of Bayntun Flowers, Wiltshire
    “Avoid placing tulips in the kitchen or anywhere near fruit as the ethylene emitted can cause the blooms to spoil. Position them in a cool hallway or bedroom where they will last for weeks.”
  • Rachel Siegfried of Green & Gorgeous, Oxfordshire and a tutor at West Dean Gardens, West Sussex
    “If the stems are hollow, as in the case of delphiniums and dahlias, recut the stems underwater to release any air locks.”

Sowing lessons

When it comes to choosing flowers to grow for cutting, it is very much down to personal preference, but it makes sense to plan to ensure ample options for all seasons. Certain species, such as lupins and foxgloves, have very short and specific flowering seasons, often also weather-dependent. Rather than omit them, if they are a personal favourite, be sure to also grow a substitute bloom to enjoy across other months.

Roses have long been favourites in the cutting garden, and there are endless varieties. Choose favourite colours and rich fragrance, and be sure to investigate new releases, such as this year’s favourite, Gabriel Oak from David Austin Roses, which has strong pink, very fragrant blooms. Other roses of note are Roald Dahl, a free-flowering scented bloom in soft apricot, and Vanessa Bell with its soft yellow open-style flowers. “To ensure strong, healthy plants, keep the plants well-watered and mulched to retain moisture and encourage speedy repeat blooming,” recommends Michael Marriott, senior rosarian at David Austin Roses. “Also, resist cutting any flowers in the first year whilst the rose is building up strength so as not to weaken the plant.”

Cutting garden favourites
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CROCOSMIA These flowers produce clumps of erect sword-shaped leaves and brilliant fiery scarlet, red, orange and yellow tubular flowers. DAHLIA Decorative dahlias are a must for devotees of vibrant colours. Explore the collection at Peter Nyssen for endless combinations.
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4d.jpg The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4e.jpg
GLADIOLIS GALAXIAN Trumpet-shaped white flowers splashed with vivid pink and ruby red. Look best when planted in groups. ORNITHOGALUM SAUNDERSIAE Attractive clusters of white star-shaped flowers with a pronounced greenishblack centre.
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4f.jpg The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4g.jpg
PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ‘ALERTIE’ Beautiful peonies with soft pink double petals and a dark centre on shorter stemmed, mid-green foliage. PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ‘SARAH BERNHARDT’ Fragrant rose-pink peonies with double flowers and ruffled inner petals.

Cutting garden favourites
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4b.jpg The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4c.jpg
CROCOSMIA These flowers produce clumps of erect sword-shaped leaves and brilliant fiery scarlet, red, orange and yellow tubular flowers. DAHLIA Decorative dahlias are a must for devotees of vibrant colours. Explore the collection at Peter Nyssen for endless combinations.
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4d.jpg The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4e.jpg
GLADIOLIS GALAXIAN Trumpet-shaped white flowers splashed with vivid pink and ruby red. Look best when planted in groups. ORNITHOGALUM SAUNDERSIAE Attractive clusters of white star-shaped flowers with a pronounced greenishblack centre.
The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4f.jpg The English Home - July 2019 - Home-grown Blooms-4g.jpg
PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ‘ALERTIE’ Beautiful peonies with soft pink double petals and a dark centre on shorter stemmed, mid-green foliage. PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ‘SARAH BERNHARDT’ Fragrant rose-pink peonies with double flowers and ruffled inner petals.

A simple way to raise a cutting patch is to sow a mix of hardy and half-hardy annuals such as cosmos, antirrhinum, cow parsley, marigolds, cornflowers and Californian poppies. These will provide weeks of prolific colour for repeat picking and the plants will self-seed and reflower the following year. They are also great news for encouraging pollinators. This proved an effective approach for Barney and Victoria Martin when establishing their Flower Garden at Stokesay Court in Shropshire. “It gave us the opportunity to experiment with a mix of colours and flower types for very little, and gave us the chance to formulate ideas and colour combinations,” they say.

Jodie Bowman of Walled Garden Weddings is another fan, saying: “You will have to pay for the seeds in the first year, but after that the seeds are so easy to collect at the end of the season that you can carry on growing them for free the following years. These flowers don’t have deep roots though, so you will need to water them more often than perennials. You can keep them flowering more by cutting them back regularly to a newly forming bud, allowing you to enjoy them inside your home too.”

Bulbs and tubers play a large part in many flower gardens. Opinion is divided on whether to grow these once-a-year flowers alone in blocks or to mix groups within seasonal borders, but a key point is to think carefully about how sturdy the stems and flowerheads are, and whether they need shelter from strong winds and driving rain. Some varieties are robust enough to be grown in wasted areas of the garden, as John Amand of Jacques Amand International suggests. “Many narcissi and daffodils are ideal for growing behind outhouses or in forgotten spots, as they will thrive and can be cut to use in the home without taking colour from the main borders.”

Tulip varieties need more careful consideration, though. “We plant both historic and contemporary varieties of tulip and treat them rather differently,” explains Polly Nicholson, founder of Bayntun Flowers. “The more popular and readily available varieties are lifted and planted anew each year, whilst the historically revered varieties are carefully lifted, cleaned by hand and meticulously stored after flowering, ready to be replanted later in November. We are believers in regularly rotating our flower crops to enable the soil to rebalance and to help eliminate harmful viruses such as tulip fire.”

Other popular plant choices are sweet peas, lilies, delphiniums, larkspur and gladioli. They will require strong and sturdy supports tailored to suit their individual growing habits. Look to artisan companies such as Plant Belles, Muntons Traditional Plant Supports and The Wooden Garden Obelisk Company.

Cutting secrets

Harvesting blooms can appear deceptively easy, but there are many tricks to learn that make a huge difference. The choice of tools is a key starting point and one on which many experts have strong opinions. “For cutting flowers, always use specialist florist’s scissors or shears, which have stronger blades than regular scissors,” advises Ruth Posey of Burgon & Ball. “Their fine tips are more precise than secateurs for small-stemmed plants, although for flowers with thicker, woodier stems such as sunflowers, you may need bypass secateurs to cut the fibrous growth.”

The optimum time to harvest flowers and foliage is equally divided between early morning and late evening. “Cut when you can’t feel the heat of the sun on the back of your head,” says Georgie Newbery. It is also crucial to place the stems immediately into tepid water. “When cutting my flowers, I fill numerous florist’s buckets with fresh water and haul them around with me on a garden trolley,” Newbery continues. “This way, I can ensure that the stems stay in tip-top condition. I then place them in a cool storeroom, usually overnight or for at least a couple of hours, before using them in any arrangements.”

Determining the right stage of growth is another key consideration and one that can take many years to learn. “There are a few simple rules to follow, but many plants have their own preferences,” Newbery adds. “Roses are best picked just as the buds are opening, whilst gladioli flowers prefer being cut just as the lowest two or three florets begin to open. Sweet peas respond well to regular picking, throwing out more blooms as a result. Cut stems when the lowest two florets are showing colour.”

Caring for cut flowers
  • Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers, Somerset
    “Always plunge cut stems into tepid rather than cold water. Cold water has a higher oxygen content and tiny bubbles can form inside the stems, blocking the flow of water to the bloom. Create a natural looking arrangement by using a grid of woven twigs or chicken wire in the neck of a vase, rather than unenvironmentally friendly florist foam. This way the blooms can drink more readily and last longer.”
  • Jodie Bowman of Walled Garden Weddings at the Walled Garden at Mells, Somerset
    “To help flowers displayed in a vase or jar last longer, place them somewhere out of direct sunlight, stripping the stems of any foliage that will go under the water line and change the water every day.”
  • Judith Blacklock of Judith Blacklock Flower School, London
    “Peonies will only open at their pleasure. You need to purchase them when the buds are plump and showing colour. Immature flowers or those not showing colour will not open and persuading them can be most frustrating. A trick to make buds open more quickly is to swish the heads in warm water containing a drop of mild detergent. This removes the sticky residue that peonies produce when maturing but which prevent the flower from opening. “Dahlias are magnificent flowers and if cut from the garden last well. However, they do not travel well, so when buying check the back of the flower to check if the petals are fresh and not faded or tired. The foliage should be fresh.”
  • Victoria Martin of The Flower Garden at Stokesay Court, Shropshire
    “Plants with sappy stems, such as narcissi and euphorbias, should be cut and placed into buckets of tepid water and kept separate from other cut material for 24 hours. After then, the stems self-seal and they can be safely arranged with other flowers and foliage.”
  • Ruth Posey at Burgon & Ball
    “Sharpen all your cutting tools frequently to ensure a razor-sharp edge. Blunt blades can crush soft green growth, leaving it vulnerable to bacteria, causing both the plant and the cut bloom to suffer.”
  • Polly Nicholson of Bayntun Flowers, Wiltshire
    “Avoid placing tulips in the kitchen or anywhere near fruit as the ethylene emitted can cause the blooms to spoil. Position them in a cool hallway or bedroom where they will last for weeks.”
  • Rachel Siegfried of Green & Gorgeous, Oxfordshire and a tutor at West Dean Gardens, West Sussex
    “If the stems are hollow, as in the case of delphiniums and dahlias, recut the stems underwater to release any air locks.”