← Gardens & Seasonal Planting
A beginner's cut-flower garden and succession planting
Easy flowers to grow for cutting, how to lay out a small cutting patch, and sowing in waves for a longer season.
- Time
- A weekend to set up; ongoing through the season
- Level
- Beginner
You'll need
- Sunny bed or raised bed
- Compost
- Seeds or plugs
- Plant supports or netting
- Labels
- Watering can or drip line
01Easy flowers to start with
Regional note"After last frost" refers to your local average last frost date. Cool-season flowers may be fall-sown in mild-winter climates.
| Flower | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zinnias | Annual (sow after last frost) | The more you cut, the more they bloom |
| Cosmos | Annual (after last frost) | Airy filler; very productive |
| Sunflowers (branching types) | Annual (after last frost) | Choose pollenless varieties for vases |
| Snapdragons | Cool-season annual | Often planted early, as frost-tolerant transplants |
| Sweet peas | Cool-season annual | Need a trellis; prefer cool weather |
| Dahlias | Tender tuber | Plant after frost; see the dahlia guide |
02Lay out the patch
- 1.Choose the sunniest spot you have: at least 6 hours of direct sun.
- 2.Make beds no wider than 4 ft (1.2 m) so you can reach the middle from both sides.
- 3.Work 2–3 in (5–8 cm) of compost into the top of the soil.
- 4.Plant in rows or blocks, close but at the spacing on the packet; install support netting at planting time for tall flowers.
- 5.Water deeply at soil level and mulch to keep moisture in and weeds down.
03Succession planting
- 1.Sow fast annuals (zinnias, cosmos, single-stem sunflowers) in two or three waves, about 2–3 weeks apart, through early summer.
- 2.Pinch zinnias, cosmos and snapdragons when young (remove the top growing tip above a set of leaves) to encourage more stems.
- 3.Replace spent cool-season flowers with a later sowing of heat-loving annuals.
- 4.Record sowing and first-bloom dates; next year's plan will be more accurate.
04Harvesting for the vase
- —Cut in the cool of early morning or evening and put stems straight into water.
- —Cut long stems just above a leaf pair; new shoots grow from there.
- —Pick zinnias when the stem is firm just below the flower head (it doesn't bend when wiggled).
General guidance for beginners. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for products you use, and ask a qualified professional where safety is a concern.