:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/need-to-know-about-flower-food-getty-0523-6ddec05d17b64295b1b7ee89c90e3f4f.jpg "If you grow your own garden, you will have beautiful bouquets all season long.")
Every spring I cut the fragrant lilac stems from the two bushes growing on either side and put them in a vase at home.
During the summer, some of my hydrangeas and roses also grow indoors and their flowers attract attention in a vase on my dining table.
Most any flower can be cut and enjoyed indoors, but growing a proper cut garden requires some planning, and the first step is to treat flowers like crops. In the same way that certain types of tomatoes are preferred for use in gardens, some flowers are cut and arranged better than others.
For example, those with short stems are not suitable for a second job in pots. The same is true for weak flowers that dry at home during the day.
Seed catalogs offer the widest selection, and their descriptions often indicate that flowers are suitable for cutting and sorting.
You can grow both annual and annual flowers in the garden. Annuals complete their life cycle in one year, but usually bloom in abundance during the summer. To ensure a constant supply of cut flowers, use "rotational planting" by planting seeds or a few seeds or seedlings every two weeks.
Perennial species return year after year, but are often not as prolific as annuals. Some flowers only for two or three weeks; Others bloom frequently. Read the description of the plant carefully.
Although annuals produce many flowers in a year, perennials grown from seed usually do not bloom until their second and sometimes third year.
Annuals for cutting include celosia, cosmos, amaranth, larkspur, sunflower varieties, Queen Anne's lace, annual sage and zinnia.
Perennials that can be grown and cut include astilbe, lemon balm, black-eyed Susan, chrysanthemum, echinacea, foxglove, garden phlox, gladiolus, lily, peony, buttercup, rose, perennial sage, chamomile shasta and yarrow.
Another class of plants called tender perennials are technically perennial because their life cycle does not end in one year. Hardness zone. .
The best tender perennials for cutting are marigolds (hardy in zones 9-11), California poppies (hardy in zones 8-10), snapdragons (hardy in zones 7-11), immortelles (zones 9-11- evergreen) and immortelles. . (hardy in zones 9-11).
Bulbs, tubers and tuberous plants such as onions, daffodils, tulips and dahlias should also be considered.
And don't forget the fillers: ferns, gypsiphila, bells of Ireland, dusty millet, tobacco flower, oregano, willow, silver dollar plant, and attractive twigs and branches will elevate your bouquets to a professional level.
Both annuals and perennials can be grown in the ground, in raised beds or even in containers. If you have enough space, growing in separate beds makes it easier to plant every year, but it is not necessary; If the space is tight, plant flowers where you can, even if it can be hidden among greenery or other garden plants.
Most flowers need fertile, well-drained soil, regular watering and at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day. You can use plants purchased from a nursery, grow your own plants from seeds at home, or sow the seeds directly into the garden.
Add a lot of fertilizer to the planting hole to feed the plants. Or if you plan ahead, add 2 to 3 inches of compost to the soil in the fall and the bed will be very fertile in the spring.
Beds should be no more than 3 to 4 feet wide so your crops can be easily reached from all angles. When planting, place tall flowers in the back of the bed, medium-sized plants in the middle, and short plants in the front so they are easily accessible.
Be sure to plant according to the recommendations on the seed bag or plant label. Overcrowding of plants often leads to plant diseases.
After planting, apply a slow-release fertilizer and 2-3 inches of compost, then water well. If you are sowing the seeds directly in the garden, plant and fertilize when the seedlings are 4 inches tall.
Three weeks after planting, apply a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus liquid flower fertilizer, such as the 1-34-32 label, and repeat every two weeks.
