If you are anything like me, you love a vase of cut flowers to brighten up your home.
For me it is a way of bringing the outside in, when the weather is dull, and you can’t get outdoors.
Obviously, I grow enough for the wildlife to have their share of pollen and will always make sure there are a few blooms left for them to enjoy.
But for those who are thinking of growing your own cut flower garden, here’s my top 5 best cut flowers to grow in the UK.
Alstroemeria – One of my all time favourites, this can flower late spring to mid autumn if the weather allows. It comes in a variety of colours and the blooms last weeks indoors. A little hint, do not “cut” these, just pull from the base and they will keep coming all summer long.
Dahlias – To be specific you need the dinner plate or pom pom variety to give you long strong stems for cut flowers. Another long flowering period of June to October makes them another winner for me.
Chrysanthemum – A favourite of the supermarkets, these will bloom later in the year from august to October and will last a good couple of weeks once cut.
Cosmos – Another one that will flower June to October as long as you keep feeding and deadheading. They are a daintier flower with feathery leaves and don’t last quite as the others in the vase. But they are prolific so can be changed on a regular basis, I think they are a great addition to your cut flower garden.
Sweet Peas – Every garden should have a patch of sweet peas. With so many colours available it is hard to choose. If you do two sowings (autumn and Spring) you can have a late Spring to Autumn flowering period. You must keep cutting for them to do well, and the vase life isn’t very long. But the scent from each bouquet makes them a real cut flower favourite.
Just remember…
Remove all lower leaves of your cut flowers before you put them in water. Otherwise, your flowers will decay and have a shorter shelf life.
With most summer flowering plants, the more you cut the more they come back.
I’ve chosen these 5 best cut flowers to grow in the UK, from experience of growing them myself and knowing they give good value for money.
A long flowering period is most important and if they stay fresh in the vase for more than a week that’s an added bonus for me.
I would love to know what your favourite 5 best cut flowers to grow in the UK are, let me know in the comments below.
