With a little imagination and creativity, you can incorporate the beauty of cut flowers into your existing borders, vegetable gardens and herb gardens. Think about selecting butterfly, hummingbird, and pollinator friendly plants, including a mix of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and naïve species into your yard that support a variety of beneficial wildlife.
Take a walk through your garden and identify spaces where you can incorporate cut flowers. Look for gaps within existing plants or areas where you can add height and color. Choose a mixture of plants that bloom at different times throughout the gardening season to ensure a continuous supply of cut flowers.
Use long blooming annuals such as zinnias, salvia, ageratum, and snapdragons. Interplant them with native perennials such as coneflower, black-eyed susan, helenium, aster, goldenrod, and agastache. Not only do they attract pollinators, but they also make excellent cut flowers. Best of all these native plants support local ecosystems and provide essential food and habitat for butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.
In and around your vegetable and herb gardens are other potential areas to consider. These are perfect places to add cosmos, bee balm, borage, sunflowers, calendula, and marigolds. Herbs such as chamomile, mint, basil, parsley, and dill make excellent fillers and add sweet aroma and texture to your bouquets. These flowers will not only add beauty to your garden but will also increase pollination, leading to better yields for your vegetables. While harvesting herbs regularly will encourage more growth and will help maintain their health.
One of the joys of incorporating cut flowers into your existing garden is the freedom to wander around your yard and cut what you love for a unique bouquet. Explore your garden space and discover new, unexpected, and creative combinations. Mix and match colors, shapes, and textures for arrangements that reflect your personal style and don’t forget to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. Get out and start creating unique and beautiful bouquets right outside your door all season long. Our team is happy to help identify areas in your yard and provide the perfect plants, just right for cutting!
Text and photos by Christine George, Director of Garden Care at Sweetgum Horticulture. Copyright Sweetgum Horticulture 2024.
