Flowers for inside and outside
Grow your own cut flowers and be blessed with stunning floral displays both outside and inside your home.
Many garden plants can be enjoyed as cut flowers and foliage for inside the home. Often cut flowers we buy from shops and supermarkets are air-freighted thousands of miles across the globe. They are usually grown intensively using harmful pesticides and fertilisers. Often grown in poor countries at great environmental cost.
Grow your own
Growing your own organic cut flowers is easy and brings colour, scent and wildlife into the garden. Borders can be adapted to provide cutting material throughout the year. Or you may prefer a cut flower garden with easy access for picking. Use a mixture of spring bulbs, perennials, biennials and annuals. Add a few well-chosen shrubs and grasses to provide interesting foliage.
Most flowering plants prefer a sunny spot with shelter from strong winds. In dry summers watering may be necessary long stems. Use a mulch of 5-7.5cm (2-3in) of grass cuttings, composted straw or bark to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
Cutting tips
To keep flowers fresh pick early in the morning, or in the evening. Put straight into tepid water. Remove all leaves below water.
People often think cutting flowers for indoor displays ruin the floral displays in your garden. With the exception of bulbs, the more you cut flowers from annuals and perennials, the more flowers they will grow. Giving you an extended season of bountiful blooms.
Cut flowers at the National Botanic Garden of Wales
Some cut flower varieties you will be able to see in the Wallace Garden this year include Ammi visnaga, Cerinthe major, Bupleurum rotundifolium, Dahlia sp. and Cosmos sp.
In the Growing the future garden you can also see; Dianthus barbatus, Astrantia major, Amarantus caudatus, Centaurea cyanus, Salvia horminum, Helianthus annus, Lathyrus odoratus, Echinaceae purpurea, Verbena bonariensis, Lunaria annua and Calendula officinalis.
Learn on our course
To learn how to grow your own cut flowers book on to the upcoming course. You will learn how to select your site and plan what to grow where and when. Find out which varieties are best, and learn tips on sowing, planting, growing and cutting.