Planning a cut flower garden is a great way to bring joy and beauty to your garden.  Imagine walking outside, gathering blooms to decorate your dining room table, or putting together a bouquet to sell at your roadside farmstand.

Start the Plan

To plan your cut flower garden, consider factors such as sunlight, soil quality, and climate, as these will influence which flowers you can successfully grow. Next, select flowers that bloom at different times of the year to keep the blooms going.  Design your garden layout by grouping plants by height, color, and blooming season.  If you want early blooms, you can grow some flowers under cover, as in a high tunnel.

Early Blooms

Giant Snowdrop

snowdrops in the snow in bloom

Snowdrops are a welcome sight when spring seems like it’s a far-off dream. Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to flower, and will even flower in snow. Some early blooms you can combine with snowdrops are crocus, evergreen cuttings, and hyacinths. The giant snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) is a favorite for its large blooms.

Daffodils

orange and white daffodils in a mug

Is there anything more uplifting than the sunshine of a yellow daffodil on a blustery spring day? Daffodils make an excellent cut flower.  Plant a row in the fall and await that first glorious bloom. Daffodils come in many sizes and variations of yellow, white, and orange.

Ranunculus

orange ranunculus flower in a vase

Ranunculus is known as “the rose of spring” since it resembles a rose. These flowers love cold weather and it will go dormant when the temperatures go above 80 degrees F/ 26 C. Flowers bloom in a rainbow of colors.

Spring Bloomers

Tulips

Pink and white tulip in a vase

In the fall, plant a mass grouping of tulip bulbs to display in vases in the spring. There is such a wide variety to choose from, and some are early- to late-spring bloomers. Plant different varieties to maximize the tulip season.