I've tried for the last couple of years to grow a cutting patch at the allotment, flowers which I can cut and bring home for the house. I love seeing flowers in the garden but hate to cut them for indoors so this seemed to be the perfect solution. It hasn't quite worked out though, as once the growing season gets going, I tend to devote most of my time to my veggies. Space is also a concern as starting vegetables from seed can take up quite a bit of room on the windowsills, starting flowers off too just adds to the problem of where to put them. This year I'm going to try direct sowing the flower seeds. Sarah Raven's Kitchen and Garden catalogue can be really inspirational. I just love the Amethyst and Sapphire Cut Flower Mix bouquet on the right hand side, and the information states that the seeds can be scattered in a sunny corner of the garden, sowing this way would certainly alleviate some of the problems I have when growing cut flowers. I shall go through my stash of flower seeds and see which ones can be sown this way.
One must have flower, which is perfect for cutting for the house because of it's wonderful scent, is the sweet pea. I didn't get round to sowing any last year and I really missed them. I've still got my red onions and shallots to pot up so I shall make sure that I sow some sweet peas at the same time. I'm hoping to get round to doing that this weekend, but it's my son's birthday on Sunday so I may run out of time. It'll get done soon though.
I only have one flower border in my garden, and that's not very big. I planted it up three years ago with native flowers, but some of them have now outgrown their space. This year I want to revamp this area. Bilbo Waggins from The View From Bag End left a comment on one of my earlier posts which really got me thinking. She told me that the late, great, Geoff Hamilton had suggested going to a nursery once a month and buying something for the garden which is in flower, then you'll have flowers in your garden every month of the year. I think that's a great tip and one which I'm going to take on board, I keep saying that I need more colour in the garden in winter, so doing this will really help.
What a great idea to have a cutting patch, at the moment we tend to pop flowers between the veggies to help keep bugs off the veg :-) Oh the sweetpea, you know how I love them :-) Remember to plant them in old toilet rolls as they don't like their root disturbed x
ReplyDeleteGod luck with your flowers Jo. I tend not to have flowers in the house as the pollen in enclosed spaces sets off my allergies. I do have bedding plants in the garden but my Mum grows these and I stick to the veg!
ReplyDeleteWe mix our cut flowers in with the fruit which seems to work. Like you I don't like cutting flowers from the garden. I do tend to sow my sweet peas much later though and always buy varieties that claim to be highly scented as some hardly have any perfume - if any!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the cutting patch and have been very successful over the last few years - this year I am going to sow more native flowers and annuals for lots of colour and to bring more buzzy things into the garden.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry if you don't get round to sowing any sweet peas this weekend. I plan to sow my second batch in March and have sown in March before and have had a really good crop. I love Sarah Raven's catalogues, really inspiring. Have a lovely weekend.
I made a half-hearted attempt at a cutting bed last year and all I am saying is that I 'must try harder' :)
ReplyDeleteI like the nursery tip :)
ps I'm struggling with the word veriification, it's hard to read! ;)
When your cutting patch is in full bloom be careful not to get into the "they're too nice to cut" syndrome.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous idea! So glad I read this :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.badbarbara.com
What a lovely idea! And at this time of year, I always get to thinking about gardens and flowers and veggies. The idea of getting a flower each month is a good one! I just hope this year it isnt too hot for anything to flower like it was last summer...
ReplyDeleteHope that your cutting patch produces plenty for picking this year Jo. An excellent idea to pay monthly visits to a garden centre - must whisper that suggestion in himself's ears :)
ReplyDeleteI'm also primarily a veg-gardener, but I do admit that it would be nice to have more colour in the garden. Time for a Potager??
ReplyDeleteJo, the Anonymous comment was from me- Mark. There is something seriously wrong with the commenting mechanism on Blogger this morning!
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Stopping by to say hello. There is never enough hours in the day for a busy gardener.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I grow lots of flowers but the only ones that I actually cut to bring home are the sweet peas.
ReplyDeleteI sow all mine direct which can be a bit hit and miss but generally I don't do too bad with them.
Flighty xx
I keep saying that I'll learn more about companion planting, Scented Sweetpeas, but apart from the more common things, I still don't know that much about it. I need to do some more research.
ReplyDeleteI sympathise, Tanya. I was terrible with allergies when I was young but I seem to have grown out of them, though I can still have the occasional do. It's good that you do the growing between yourself and your mum, it sounds like it works out well for you.
I have a perennial sweetpea in the garden which isn't scented, Sue. I too look out for scented varieties for cutting as they make the house smell so nice.
I noticed a huge difference in the wildlife attracted to the garden when I planted my border up with native flowers, Elaine. I installed a (very) small pond too which also helped. I'll look forward to hearing about the plants you choose.
I know I'm going to be really busy on the sowing front in March and April so I thought I'd get the sweetpeas done sooner rather than later, Wellywoman, though I've sown them later in the year myself and had good results.
That's two of us then, Mo. I don't like the new double word verification, one of the words always looks terribly jumbled up.
I had to laugh at that, Martyn. That sounds just like something I'd do.
Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, badBarbara. I think it's a really good idea and something I'm going to try and do this year.
I'm looking forward to taking a trip to the nursery to pick my February flower, Heather. I think it's a great idea, and one which I'll be only too happy to follow through.
I don't suppose it will take much to convince any gardener to buy a plant each month, Anna, but I rarely buy anything in winter, that'll be why I don't have much winter colour in my garden.
Sorry you've been having problems with comments, Mark. These went in to the spam folder so I suppose it's something to do with Blogger again. Potagers seem to be the in thing at the moment. I wonder if it's to do with gardeners recognising that flowers are beneficial to bring in more pollinators, or whether it's people in the public eye, like Alys Fowler, making them trendy.
You're right there, Don't unplug your hub. I should really be fitting some gardening in now, even if it's just getting my shallots potted up, but I'm here on the computer while I've got a few minutes instead.
Your flowers always look so good, Flighty, so I think it's safe to say that sowing direct can certainly be successful.
Unfortunately I'm allergic to the scent of sweetpeas so have stopped growing them. Most of my flower border is devoted to Dahilas. Good luck with the cutting patch this year.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo,I start my sweet peas off on a bit of moist kitchen roll folded over the seeds like an envelope on a saucer in the kitchen.I know everyone says you dont need to do this anymore but I am sure it was Geoff hamilton thing fom years ago and old habits have stuck.This way I only sow the ones shooting and also sow into toilet rolls-again a Geoff tip.I save all my own seed and if you look at my blog there is a photo of sweet peas I picked from my garden in DECEMBER!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Geoff Hamilton. That is such a good tip! I went to the garden centre and (I never go very often as I don't have transport) and I was seduced by a gorgeous fritillaria. I have always wanted one. But then I decided to give it away to a friend who I thought needed it more than me as she's been having a hard time lately.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good idea, I am planning on lots of sweet peas this year
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tip from Geoff Hamilton...I wish he were still the host for Gardener's World. RIP
ReplyDeleteIt's such a shame that you're allergic to such a wonderful scent, Damo. I'm sure your dahlias more than make up for the sweetpeas though.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that you were still picking sweetpeas in December, Flowerlady. We all seem to have our little habits and ways of doing things.
What a kind gesture, Lorna, especially when you've had your eye on a Fritillaria for a long time. I'm sure she really appreciated it.
I hope both our sweetpeas do well for us this year, Grace. I'm planning to grow ones which are scented so that I can bring them in the house.
Geoff Hamilton seems to be many people's favourite Gardener's World presenter, Tanya. He certainly had some good tips.
Hi Jo, sorry I am so late commenting on this post. Very best of luck with your cut flowers and especially with your sweet peas.
ReplyDeleteI tried to grow Sarah Raven SP's last year with very little success. What was more irritating was the "don't give a stuff" attitude of the company when I contacted them. I did a post about it in April but never followed up with the full story even though I've written a draft . . . perhaps I should do some editing and publish it.
I think the Sarah Raven catalogue is wonderful, Bilbo. I get so much inspiration from looking through it, but I must confess that I've never bought anything from the company. I find everything so overpriced, like most things, you're paying for the name. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have any success with the seeds you purchased. I should definitely do a post about it, I always try to give companies credit where credit's due, but I think it works the other way round too, if companies give bad service they should expect the customer to let their friends know.
ReplyDeleteI do wish Geoff Hamilton - I loved visiting his garden and bought some plants for there years ago which are still strong.
ReplyDeleteI might take up that idea getting a plant in flower every month - it's trying to find a place to put it in.
I really want flowers again on my plot this year - I must make more of an effort
I think it's great advice from Geoff Hamilton to buy a plant in flower every month, Lottie. I really need more winter flowering plants so I shall be following his advice.
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