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(515) 294-9915

1/29/01

Contacts:
Cindy Haynes, Horticulture Extension, (515) 294-4006, chaynes@iastate.edu
Elaine Edwards, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-5168, eedwards@iastate.edu

Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning Feb. 2

Clip Into Summer With a Cutting Garden

By Megan McConnell
Horticulture Communication Intern
Iowa State University Extension

With paper and pencil in hand, gather all your seed catalogs and select a color scheme -- it's time to plan a cutting garden. As you are enjoying purchased posies for Valentine's Day, why not plan a garden to keep those vases filled throughout the growing season. From fresh floral bouquets gracing every room to a bright splash of color decorating the landscape, cutting gardens are popular with many gardeners.

Resembling cottage gardens, cutting gardens are a collection of colorful blooms favored by the gardener. Cutting gardens typically consist of a combination of annuals, perennials and bulbs, which can be arranged in soldier-straight rows or haphazardly planted en masse.

Cutting Color

Gardeners are given floral freedom when choosing the specific plants to include in the cutting garden. When selecting plants for the garden, look for those with strong stems, such as lilies (Lilium hybrids) and long-lasting flowers, such as vibrant colored cockscomb (Celosia cristata). Strong stems and lasting flower color will extend the vase life of your cut flowers.

While many plants grown for cut flowers bloom in summer, don't forget annuals and perennials that bloom in spring and fall. There are bushels of spring bulbs to brighten any cutting garden and add a hint of spring to a dull coffee table. Tulips and daffodils (Narcissus sp.) are spring staples; add some spice to the spring garden with fragrant hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis). For smaller vases and brilliant blue hues, try grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) and squill (Scilla siberica).

Extend the bloom period of your cutting garden into the fall by planting a plethora of asters (Aster hybrids), chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) and black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta pucherrima). These perennials have the power to take your cutting garden into the fall season.

Woody landscape plants also are very valuable in filling floral vases. Fragrant blossoms from shrubs like lilacs (Syringa hybrids) and roses (Rosa sp.) will add structure to your indoor arrangement and outdoor garden.

Tame an unruly cutting garden by assigning it a color theme. Personalize your color palette with a favorite color or hue that complements the interior of your home. For an eye pleasing color combination, select a dominant color and its opposite on the color wheel. For example, a predominantly purple or violet cutting garden can be complemented with the addition of various yellow blooms. Remember the cutting garden is the your personal floral shop; so, plant what you like, even if it is a collection of eight different types of sunflowers.

Designing for Blooms

Cutting gardens require bright sunny locations. For best flower color and sturdiest stems, your cutting garden should receive at least 6 hours of sun per day. Loose, workable soil also is an important asset. If possible, locate your garden within reach of a water hose. By the dry days of mid-August your garden will appreciate supplemental waterings.

Begin designing a cutting garden by choosing the shape and size of the bed. Your cutting garden should be large enough to accommodate repeated flower harvests while leaving plenty of flowers behind. When considering how large to make the garden, a garden site that is twice as large as needed for cut flowers is a good suggestion. This formula will provide a good balance between cut-flower use and lasting color in the garden.

There are two common methods of laying out a cutting garden. The typical method features plants lined up in rows like a soldiers. A row layout allows a gardener to move easily through the garden to cut flowers. Although very practical, the row method is not as aesthetically pleasing as an artfully designed cutting garden. A design with masses of flowers flowing into one another will blend the cutting garden with the landscape.

Depending on the width of the cutting garden, a meandering path could be very helpful. A path invites visitors into the garden and serves as an avenue to access the interior of the garden, and also makes maintenance and harvesting easier. A garden path can be as simple as one covered with wood chips or as elaborate as one constructed of concrete pavers.

As the red roses from your Valentine's Day bouquets fade, be sure to save the vases for brilliant blooms from your cutting garden. Your garden will have the vases overflowing with homegrown flowers.

Favorites for Iowa cutting gardens

Annuals
1. Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea)
2. Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
3. Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
4. Larkspur (Consolida hybrids)
5. Zinnia (Zinnia hybrids)

Perennials
1. Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
2. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
3. Peony (Paeonia hybrids)
4. Iris (Iris hybrids)
5. Yarrow (Achilla filipendulina)

Bulbs
1. Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia hybrids)
2. Gladiolus (Gladiolus hybrids)
3. Dahlias (Dahlia hybrids)

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ml: isugarden


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