THIS MONTH Growing cut flowers
There’s never been a better time to go self-sufficient. In our ongoing series, Sally C oulthard shares tried-and-tested tips from her Yorkshire smallholding
Growing cut flowers is an exercise in letting go – every year is different. Some seeds will flourish, others will flounder. So I adopt a laidback approach and let nature decide what kind of ashow she’ll put on. There are, however, some tricks to help ensure you get more than a handful of blooms by the end of the season.
Let’s start by saying that there’s no precise definition of what constitutes a cut flower. My rule is, if you can cut it and stick it in a vase and it doesn’t immediately die, you’re onto a winner. I also use many kinds of plants as cut flowers, from herbs to grasses, bulbs to shrubs. Even poppies, which traditionally flop as soon as you look at them, now have plenty of varieties that can cope with life in a vase. Cut flowers also tend to love sun and hate wind, so bear that in mind when it comes to siting your bed.
When I’m planning the cut-flower area, I treat the whole thing like an artist’s canvas. Variety is key – I want a glorious riot of colour and a heady mix of flower shapes. I also want differing heights including tall exclamation marks such as foxgloves or larkspur. Visually, I also think about what I want in my finished flower arrangements. I grow a mix of large dazzling blooms, like dahlias or roses, and intersperse them with plants that produce multiple, smaller flowers such as cornflowers, love-in-the-mist or Ammi majus. Sweet peas are always a showstopper if you train them up a plant support and, like many summer blooms, flourish the more you pick them. Gorgeous foliage or zingy green flowers such as euphorbia or bells of Ireland also bring a bouquet to life. For extra impact, I also grow something enticingly dark (burgundy scabiosas, chocolate cosmos, deep purple lupins) and at least one variety that likes to droop downwards, such as cerinthe or love lies bleeding.
I’d like to say I have a grand plan when it comes to sowing and planting. In reality, I take a scattergun approach. The cut-flower bed already contains a handful of perennials – they come back every year, never let me down and include verbena, roses, salvias and euphorbias. Depending on what the seed packet tells me, I sow most of my annual flowers (those that bloom just once and then die) directly in the soil in April or May. When the last of the frost has gone, I’ll also plant out any plug plants I’ve bought or seedlings I started off in the greenhouse. I draw a rough sketch of what I plan to plant where, so I can remember where I’ve sown and what I’m aiming for in terms of colour and balan
