Would you like to enjoy your flowers indoors as well as outside in your garden? Then why not grow flower and foliage varieties that can be cut to be placed into a vase.

This is also a great way for you to get creative with your own floral arrangements. Growing these plants will also help pollinators in your garden to thrive!

The Best Cut Varieties:

Flowers

• Shrubs – Pittosporum, Lilac, Phormium, Hydrangea, Eucalyptus, Cotinus, Elaeagnus, Rosemary, Roses, Hazel
• Perennials – Delphinium, Gypsophila, Peony, Agapanthus, Astrantia, Echinops, Eryngium, Alstroemeria, Dahlia, Achillea, Salvia, Lupin, Alchemilla, Scabious, Veronica, Hosta’s (for foliage)
• Annuals – Zinnias, Calendula, Cosmos, Stocks, Antirrhinums, Nicotiana
• Seeds – Ammi Major, Nigella, Cornflowers, Sunflowers, Sweet Williams, Hordeum
• Grasses – Panicum, Miscanthus Sinensis

Foliage

Foliage can enhance an arrangement and provides structure.

• Eucalyptus: The grey/green leaves compliment a colourful bouquet really well.
• Tree foliage: try hazel in spring, oak in the summer months, birch or beech in early autumn. Holly, ivy and confifer are perfect in winter displays. are great in winter, and mature ivy also features gorgeous plump berries.
• Hedging plants: Many hedges provide all year round greenery. Euonymus, privet and laurel are all good examples, each providing different sized leaves.
• Herbs : Add a sensory fragrance to your arrangement with rosemary or mint.

TOP TIPS:

Decide on a colour scheme before planting.

Choose an area of your garden (such as a raised bed) to plant your cutting flowers.

Choose plants carefully – ‘cut and come again’ plants will keep producing flowers once cut, for example sweet pea, where as others will only produce one flower, for example tulips.

Feed your plants regularly.

Mulching will help supress weeds and keep moisture in the soil.

Cutting Your Stems

When cutting your stems make sure to cut as near to the root as possible to encourage more blooms.

Cut when it is cooler outside and place your stems straight into a vase or bucket of lukewarm water (leave to sit for a while before working with them).

Make sure your snips are sharp and clean.

GAP Photography

Arranging Your Flowers

• Select the right vase – think about size and shape to help support your flowers.
• You can create a basic hand tied arrangement for a vase or use chicken wire or a pin holder to hold your flowers together.
• Spread out your flowers and snip the bottoms at an angle (around 45 degrees) and remove any leaves that would sit below the water level.

GAP Photography

GAP Photography

• Add foliage/greenery to your vase first. The height and width of the foliage are very important – the taller the foliage, the wider the arrangement.  The foliage shape is the backbone of the whole arrangement.

• Add the largest flowers next and place them evenly and slightly proud of the foliage. Follow with filler flowers (small, multiple headed).

GAP Photography

• Rotate the arrangement to check there are no gaps to fill.

GAP Photography

Homemade flower preservative:

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Bleach

2 tsp Lemon juice

All in 1litre of water

TOP TIPS – Always use tepid water (slightly warm), recut stems if the flowers start to wilt and keep away from direct sunlight.

For artificial arrangements, please read our ‘How to’ guide.