The Cutting Garden 2020

fidgetbones

A thread for all those of you who plan to grow some flowers for cutting . What are you going to grow this year?

fidgetbones

I have sweet peas in deep roottrainers coming up in the greenhouse. I put these in the veg patch on a large wigwam.  Gladioli bulbs will go in soon, I stagger these to give some sort of succession. I am also going to grow a line of statice. They dry well , but also make good fillers when fresh.  The dahlia tubers are already potted up, I don't water them until I start to see growth.

Obelixx

Dahlias for me too.  Bishop's Children to sow and, if lucky, last year's tubers will grow when the weather warms up.    Fiery coloured Cosmos to sow too and maybe something white.

Fire

Dahlias for me too - Arabian Night and Bishop of Llandufff. Also cosmos 'Versailles Red' - the only properly dark red, tall cosmos I can find. Up to about five ft. My white cosmos were a flop last year - literally. For some reason they went in waaay too late and never really took off. I missed the huge shot of autumn colour from tall cosmos reds and pinks - so I'm going back that way. Seeing causing a riot on cool October afternoon is such a shot in the arm. I'm planning on a jungle.

I grow roses to cut also. I am putting in a load of umbellifers for bees and cutting, like Ravenswing.

fidgetbones

I have some daucus carota to sow, but they produce the flowers the second year. I might sprinkle them along the row of alliums I have, they should be ready to cut together (next year)

fidgetbones

You would be surprised how many people don't have vases. I think it stems from the minimalist approach.  Clear the decks and send it all to the charity shop. Then people like me pick up cut crystal for a couple of quid.  I tend to verge on the hoarding/messy but organised approach. I have a similar messy garden. When I have loads  of flowers, I give some away, but they usually go in vases and then I get them back before they get the next bunch.As has been said before, if you have no vases, jam jars, pickle jars, even old whiskey bottles will do.

fizzwhizz

I will be growing sweetpeas too but still deciding on variety, my cosmos also a flop last year ☹️ I will also snip a few flowers from philadelphus, roses, lavender and winter jasmine and rosemary for foliage. Last year I had salvia amistad for cutting which looked lovely in the vase for five minutes but the flowers fell off constantly and sprinkled themselves around the house so will leave them on the plant this year... so exciting to be able to start planning in earnest 😁

Astro

fidgetbones said:

The dahlia tubers are already potted up, I don't water them until I start to see growth.

How moist is the soil to trigger some growth @fidgetbones ? I have some tubers that I dug up last year, at the moment I'm just keeping them from drying out. How much heat and light are your tubers getting?

fidgetbones

I found Amistad drop bits too. Some years ago I had some seed of Amaranthus hypochondriacus  from the RHS  seed distribution.(As a pharmacist I found the name interesting, to say the least)  I find they have a habit of popping up anywhere now, easily identified by the red backs to the leaf. They are useful dark red spikes and dark foliage.

Robmarston

I put sweet Williams, Brompton stocks and honesty in the bed last autumn. I have 3 honesty left and the sweet Williams look ok but the Brompton are down to a ropey looking 2 plants. I have ammi, larkspur, Chinese forget me not and one or two cerinthe in the greenhouse. I’ve tried to grow Iceland poppies but I don’t have any luck there. I have lots of dahlia tubers to plant from the past few years. I love bishop of llandaf but they don’t cut well. I have snowball, karma chocolate and a purple Pom Pom type whose name I don’t know. Can’t wait to get started! 

Fire

My Bishop of Llandaf last a long time cut.