Cut Flower Garden for Beginners

A cut flower garden is an area used for growing flowers that are especially well-suited for cutting and using in floral arrangements. Also called a “cutting garden”, a cut flower garden can be created in a small section of a garden, a single bed, or even a large planter —any space large enough for growing a sufficient variety of flowers for you to create interesting arrangements.

A well-planned cutting garden produces different flowers that bloom at the same time and combine to form beautiful, display-worthy arrangements. When choosing flowers, you’ll also want to consider the longevity of the blooms. Some cut flowers hold up better than others and you’ll want to select flower varieties that suit your intended use. Delicate blooms or those with a short vase-life may be better for a one-time table centerpiece whereas long-lived blooms are better for a gift arrangement, that the recipient can enjoy for a week or so.

Let’s explore the key concepts for growing a cut flower garden, including plant recommendations and tips for using cut flowers.

Why Grow a Cut Flower Garden?

Fresh flowers bring beauty and positive energy to a space. These flowers are even more enriching when they come from your own garden. Reasons to grow a cut flower garden include:

• Produce homegrown fresh flowers for vases, bouquets, and gifts.
• Plan perfect color and texture combinations for special occasion arrangements.
• Add color and fragrance to your garden.
• Attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Avoid the chemicals that are often used in commercial flower production.

Types of Cut Flower Plants to Grow

A cut flower garden should include different types of flowers that will combine well together to form attractive floral arrangements. The ideal plants to include in a cutting garden are those that:

• Offer visually appealing and prolific flowers (or foliage).
• Can be pruned off without impacting the overall plant’s health.
• Survive well as long-lasting cuttings.
• Provide a variety of flower forms in colors that will pair well together.

Keeping in mind their eventual use in vases or bouquets, you may also wish to include plants in your cut flower garden that cover these three categories:

• Colorful focal point flowers.
• Tall flowers to create layers of height.
• Filler plants to add volume around the focal points.

Here are a few suggestions for choosing cut flower plants for color, height, and filler.

Best Cut Flower Plants for Color

The colorful focal points in a flower arrangement often come from the most popular garden varieties, such as carnations and zinnias. These are typically plants with large, bright flower heads.

Cornflower, Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus)

Cornflower is an annual plant, native to Europe, but is now an established wildflower in many parts of North America. It is common to see this plant along roadsides or growing amongst the weeds in abandoned spaces. When used in the garden, it adds a soft, meadow-feeling. Attracts bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

Daisy-like blooms atop sturdy stems make gerbera daisies an excellent choice for bringing color and definition to plantings. The blooms are incredibly long-lasting whether growing in the garden, a pot, or using as cut flowers. Color selection ranges from pastel to sunny bright.

Garden Peony, Chinese Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)

Large, lush blooms bring grace, beauty and often fragrance to the late spring and early summer garden. Varieties are available that offer single, semi-double or double blooms in a range of shades. Excellent for planting along a fence, wall, foundation, or in a mixed flower border. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)

This is the classic, cheerful daisy with white petals and a yellow center. Shasta daisies have a long bloom period to bring a long season of color to beds, borders, and cutting gardens. Shasta daisies can also be grown in containers. The cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)

Dianthus caryophyllus carnations produce fragrant, loosely tufted blooms sure to catch the attention of nose and eyes. Varieties bred from this species give the gardener a selection of heights and branching habits to fit a range of gardening needs and space; from large cutting gardens to lush planters on a patio.

Dahlia (Dahlia hybrid)

Native to the mountains of Central America, Dahlias are a garden favorite throughout the world. The huge selection of varieties provides for a multitude of flower forms and colors to choose from. Dahlia tubers can be dug and stored for reuse, but careful attention to timing, moisture and potential fungal infection is needed. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens. Perfect for all kinds of containers. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Calendula, English Marigold, Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)

Masses of sunny yellow or orange blooms are produced well into autumn. Calendula is an excellent backup for your garden favorites that have shorter bloom times. Calendula often self-seeds, providing you with bonus plants that are easily enjoyed, or easily removed for sharing. An ideal choice for beds, borders, cutting gardens, and containers.

Common Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

A favorite of gardeners and butterflies alike, Zinnias bring long-lasting, bright color and rich texture to any planting. Removal of spent blooms will assure the most prolific and ongoing floral display. Use in beds, borders, containers and window boxes. Provides long lasting cut flowers.

Garden Phlox, Summer Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

The Phlox paniculata species is an upright growing phlox perfect for bringing color and height to mixed perennial plantings. Large, fragrant bloom clusters are produced from summer into autumn. Remove spent bloom clusters to encourage continued flowering. Effective in borders and cutting gardens. Ideal for specimen, foundations, and mass plantings. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

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Best Fresh Flowers for Height

To reflect a lush, garden feel, a floral arrangement requires cuttings with varying heights. This can be achieved by cutting stems to different lengths, but the process is easier when some of the varieties have longer stems to work with. Height can also be achieved with flowers that have long, vertical flower blooms, such as snapdragons.

Spike Speedwell ‘Blue Bouquet’ (Veronica spicata)

Provides a brilliant show of lavender blue flower spikes in summer. Brings vertical interest to mixed plantings without being overwhelming. Expect lots of butterflies and bees to visit when the plants are in flower! Very dependable and undemanding! The perfect choice for beds and borders. Ideal for all kinds of containers. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Tall Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

A must-have for gardeners who enjoy creating their own cut flower arrangements. The long-lasting blooms add great height, texture and fragrance to mixed arrangements. In the garden they make a great background plant. Also effective planted in small groups to create dramatic focal points throughout the landscape. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens. Suitable for container plantings but may require staking.

Gladiolus (Gladiolus hybrid)

The perfect plant for bringing a bold vertical line to the garden. The name Gladiolus is derived from the Latin word meaning “sword” and it reflects the erect, sword-like appearance of the foliage. The tall flower stems increase the dimension of a garden by bringing color to eye level. Great for mixed borders, naturalized areas, and for strong vertical accent. Impressive in large groups. Provides long lasting cut flowers.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)

Black-eyed Susan is a hardy North American native plant capable of thriving in just about any sunny location. The cheerful yellow flowers are excellent for cut arrangements. Bees and butterflies flock to the blooms and birds enjoy the seed heads after the flowers fade. Old blooms may also be removed to encourage more flowers. A great choice for naturalized areas.

Tumbleweed Onion, Ornamental Onion (Allium schubertii)

This allium is so unique it could qualify as garden art. A great spray of lavender florets forms a spectacular globe of color held high in the garden on a thick, tubular stem. Give plants plenty of space so that each enormous bloom can be appreciated in its full splendor. Perfectly sized for rock gardens and border fronts. Excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried arrangements. Combines beautifully with small ornamental grasses.

Larkspur (Delphinium hybrid)

Modern hybrid versions of an old-fashioned favorite. Perfect for adding height to a traditional perennial or cottage garden. Tall spires of densely packed flowers are held on strong stems. Unsurpassed for providing a dramatic, eye-catching display in the garden or the vase. Makes a dependable mixed border plant. Ideal choice for cutting gardens. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)

This old-fashioned favorite adds nostalgic charm to the garden! Hollyhock produces tall, stately spikes of colorful flowers. Blooms may be single-petaled or dense, ruffled, ball-shaped flowers. Adds a touch of class to any garden planting. A perfect background plant for beds and borders or for planting along fences and walls. A terrific choice for butterfly gardens.

Garden Lupine, Big Leaf Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)

This lupine species is native to Western North America. Dozens of tiny, pea-like blooms cluster on upright stalks in an attention demanding display. They thrive in light, acidic soil and cool summers. Makes a dependable mixed border plant and an ideal choice for a cutting garden.

Oriental Lily (Lilium hybrid)

Oriental lilies are fragrant hybrids originally derived from three Lilium species native to East Asia. Their leaves are more lance-like and the bloom clusters a bit less orderly than those of Asiatic lilies. Lots of flower colors and plant heights are available. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens, and larger patio containers. Best planted in groups.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Tall, strong-stemmed plants produce huge, richly colored blooms. The flowers are packed with seeds that attract songbirds! One of the easiest and most satisfying flowers for your garden. Sunflowers are resilient and generally stay insect- and disease-free. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens. Cut sunflowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Hybrid Tea Rose (Rosa hybrid)

Tea Roses, named for their tea-like scent, produce an abundance of large, full blooms all summer. A wonderful choice for fresh cut bouquets. Best with winter protection in cooler zones and hard pruning to encourage more blooms. An excellent specimen, foundation, or border plant.

Common Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple coneflower is a prairie native that makes a tough, self-reliant garden plant. The flowers attracts butterflies to the garden and if you don’t deadhead the blooms, birds will visit to feed on the seeds. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets. Perfectly suited to informal, naturalized settings.

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Best Cut Flower Plants for Foliage and Filler

In a floral arrangement, filler plants are used to cover up the gaps around the feature flowers and give an arrangement a fuller look. Filler plants should exhibit dense growth that fills in all of the arrangement’s empty space.

Foliage or flowers can be used for filler. Filler plants should be attractive but may be less showy or colorful than the other plants in the arrangement.

Filler offers an opportunity for creativity, especially when it comes to selecting plants with complementary hues. All sorts of plants can be used, such as herbs, wildflowers, and plants with interesting foliage, such as variegated hostas.

Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis)

Bells of Ireland is one of the best plants for adding vertical interest to a flower garden. The flowers are produced on tall sturdy spikes with each tiny bloom surrounded by a cup-shaped calyx. The resulting combination looks like a stem covered with green bells. Bells of Ireland is a must-have for anyone planning a cutting garden. The stems are long-lasting and add great height to flower arrangements.

Florist Silver Dollar Plant ‘Baby Blue’ (Eucalyptus pulverulenta)

The silvery, blue-tinted foliage and open branching habit of ‘Baby Blue’ eucalyptus make it a striking addition to any landscape, whether viewed from up close or at a distance. This is a tender perennial that should be treated as an annual in regions with freezing winters. Eucalyptus foliage is high in aromatic oils that release a refreshing fragrance in the garden or when used in cut flower arrangements.

Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata)

Baby’s breath is familiar to many as a result of its popularity as a “filler” in cut floral arrangements. Countless tiny blossoms seem to float amidst a delicate tangle of stems. Lends a light, airy appearance to the garden and fills in space among more substantial plants. An ideal choice for beds and borders. Excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried arrangements.

Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria)

Dusty Miller is a versatile plant prized for its silvery foliage and exceptional tolerance to heat and drought. The finely-cut foliage adds texture and dramatic contrast when planted among green-foliage plants and bright flowers. Small blooms appear in summer. Removing the flower stalks as they appear encourages vigorous foliage growth. Perfect choice for beds, borders, containers and hanging baskets. Excellent for combination plantings.

Helenium, Bitter Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum)

A familiar site in the eastern United States where this plant is a native. Fine, needle-like foliage adds an interesting texture to the garden. The bright daisy flowers are wonderful in the garden or naturalized in wild, open areas. Attracts bees to the garden. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens. Perfect for all kinds of containers. Cut flowers are long-lasting in fresh bouquets.

Astilbe, False Spirea (Astilbe x arendsii)

Astilbe is an excellent selection for moist shady areas. Flowers are available in shades of pink to red and bring great texture and high-impact color to dreary shady spots or woodland gardens. Very well suited for waterside planting, along streams or ponds. Plant in small groups or in a large mass for best effect. Finely cut foliage and feathery flowers add a soft texture to borders and woodland plantings.

Hosta, Plantain Lily ‘Assorted’ (Hosta hybrid)

Hosta are the go-to plant for many gardeners dealing with shade. They do well with morning sun in Northern zones, especially gold-leaved varieties, but are best in all day shade in areas such as the southern U.S. With thousands of named varieties available, you’ll find an abundance of options for plant sizes and colorful leaf combinations. Hosta are ideal for specimen, foundations, and mass plantings, and woodland gardens.

Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

Goldenrod is a fast spreading, upright perennial perfect for providing a casual, quick-filling patch of color. Clusters of many tiny flowers form golden cones of bloom above fine-leaved stems. Perfectly suited to informal, naturalized settings. Excellent for use in difficult spots where nothing else can survive. Provides long lasting cut flowers.

German Statice (Limonium tataricum)

German statice forms an attractive, low rosette of pale green, lance-shaped leaves. This plant is especially showy in summer when tall stems covered with loose sprays of tiny blooms appear. Although small, the flowers are long-lasting and  add a soft, delicate texture. German statice performs best in areas with hot, dry summers. Ideal choice for beds, borders, and larger patio containers. Excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried arrangements.

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Adding Interest to Your Cut Flower Arrangements

If your space is limited for growing a cut flower garden, you may want to focus on just growing a few of your favorites. You can purchase additional flowers or seasonal plant material from a florist or the farmer’s market to complete your arrangements.

You might also enjoy foraging for interesting flowers, branches, berry clusters, or grass seed heads found elsewhere in your landscape or in the wild. Just be sure you have permission to harvest the plant material and that any wildflowers you are interested in cutting are not endangered species.

Tips for Growing and Using Fresh Flowers

Your cut flower garden can be an entire garden, a single bed, or various plants distributed throughout a border garden. The key concept to keep in mind is timing—if you want to use certain flowers together in an arrangement, you need to ensure that they’re blooming at the same time. This is particularly true of flowering perennials or shrubs that bloom for small window of time each year, such as hydrangeas or lilacs.

Annual flowers typically bloom over a long season. Be sure to check the blooming period for all of the flowers you want to grow to ensure their blooming periods overlap.  

If you have a large garden space dedicated to growing flowers for cutting, you may find that planting in rows offers the easiest access to the plants for cutting.

To encourage the maximum flowering possible be sure to fertilize your cutting garden each spring. You can use a granulated slow-release fertilizer, liquid, or compost. Choose a formula with a high phosphorus content to stimulate flowering.

When it’s time to harvest your flowers, practice proper cutting to preserve the health of the plant. The best time of day to cut flowers is in the morning, when they’re hydrated and not stressed by midday heat. Use a sharp tool (knife or shears) and make a clean diagonal cut. Cutting the stem at an angle of around 45 degrees increases the surface area available for water absorption. It also ensures that the cut ends of stems aren’t sitting flat in the bottom of a vase, unable to uptake water.

Cut stems should be placed in water right away. Carry a bucket, vase, or other container of water with you as you harvest cut flowers and place each flower stem in the water as you go.

After collecting your cuttings, it’s time to prepare your flower arrangement. This is the culmination of the garden planning that occurred months earlier. If you’re a beginner in flower arranging, our how-to guide is a great place to get started. Adding a flower preservative to the water can help your cut blooms stay fresh longer. Flower preservative can be purchased, or you can make your own flower preservative with a few common household ingredients.

Make the Most of Your Homegrown Flowers

Making summer and fall flower arrangements entirely from your own plants is a rewarding and practical way to bring your gardening efforts full circle each year. Another fun use for the blooms from your cut flower garden is fragrant potpourri. Learn all about how to make your own in our guide: How to Make Potpourri with Natural Ingredients and enjoy the lingering colors and sweet scents of summer in any season.