Starting a Cut Flower Garden

 I am finally going to do a….

    I have begun planning (and purchasing) flowers to create a cut flower garden for 2022.  Yes, I said 2022, I am a big planner.  As you all know, I create and sell wreaths and have found so many inspirational accounts on instragram from my hobby turned business account.  I follow many different individuals, all bringing knowledge and inspiration on a variety of topics that interest me, one of them especially being gardens.  One account that I love post a picture of her cut flower garden and asked in the caption, "What are you waiting for?"  And that was all I needed to be asked.  What was I waiting for?  I am not really sure honestly.  I have always had a garden and my landscape beds, but all for ornamental purposes, not for cutting flowers.

    If you read some of my previous blogs, you know I have a 50 ft by 7ft veggie garden.  In addition, I also just did a pie shape cut out that has some peonies, dahlias, lilac, and pampas grass in it.  I talked to a few friends about my thoughts and to get their opinions and one made a great point.  He said that I always have an overabundance of veggies that I wind up giving away or sometimes having to throw out.  Soooooo...... I decided to cut back my veggie garden to 30 feet (still being able to do a crop rotation) and will plant the majority of my flowers in the 20 feet of garden space and some in my pie shaped garden.

    Ready to hear what. I am doing?  I am so excited!  I am expanding the pie shape cut out by three feet.  I am removing the dahlias from there and planting a total of 12 peonies: 2 Sarah Bernhardt, 2 Karl Rosenfield, 1 Alexander Fleming, 1 Duchess De Nemours, 1 Coral Charm, 1 Lady Alexandra Duff, 1 Pink Hawaiian Coral, 1 Peter Brand, 1 Candy Stripe, and 1 Kansas.  They are mixtures of bright reds, pinks, whites, and corals.  The pampas grass, white and pink, (fingers crossed they survive the winter will remain, along with the compact lilac bush.  

    In the 20 foot by 7 foot garden space I am doing a variety of double petal tulips, gladiolus, purple dahlias, the Cafe au Lait collection, anemone (windflowers), daisies, ranunculus, rose lilies, andddddd two showstopper roses: The Memorial Day Rose and Peace Rose.  Both of these roses are known for their fragrance, many petals with the roses being 5 inches, and continuous bloom throughout the whole summer.  

    Here is in grow zone 7, I will have to pull up the gladiolus bulbs, dahlia bulbs, and ranunculus bulbs in the fall. My local nursery told me if I pull them, dry them out, then store them in a brown bag with peat moss in the basement, they will be good for next season.  He said I will also have to mist them once a week and hopefully will even be able to divide the bulbs to make more!!!!!  The pampas grass, on the other hand, is a different story.  It is safe in zones 7 to 10.  Where I am in NJ, it is risky, and if our winter is bad, they will not make it.  I have the option of bringing them indoors, which could be a struggle, or covering them with pine branches and keeping my fingers crossed.  I will update you once I actually figure it out.  

    I am so excited for this garden to come to life.  The thought of actually being able to walk into my backyard and cut flowers for my weekly Sunday vase is going to be amazing.  Besides the fact, that in time it will save my money, I will also be able to always have my favorite flowers shown in my home and will also be able to give some to loved ones too.  I cannot wait to update all of you as I embark on this new journey!