3. Plant Types

Know what the plant is = know when to sow = know when it'll flower

Planning Checklist

1. Reviewed what plants you already have growing ✔

2. Written a wish list of plants ✔

3. Edited wish list using the ‘flower seasons guide’ ✔

Now in week 3 of the planning your cut flowers, we get down to details.

Catch up on the previous weeks here -

1. Where to start planning your cut flower growing.

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2. The Flower Seasons

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Before I used this planning process, I would sow everything somewhere within the time frame the packet gave me. This often meant I ran out of room when I was pricking out seedlings. Now where for them to grow on under cover. I also had everything flowering at the same time. Armfuls of flowers for a month then very little.

If you are growing mostly annuals from seed, you are going to want my ‘planting calendar guide’ below. A ready reckoner for when to sow your annual and when to expect flowers.

Using the ‘Flowering Seasons’ lists from last week, under each ‘season’ is are plant suggestions, categorised by their type.

Here is a brief guide to the types -

Hardy Annual

A plant that germinates, grows, flowers and sets seed all in one year. Hardy Annuals can tolerate periods of cold, therefore ‘hardy’ and can be sown before or after winter.

Hardy annual cornflowers sown in the late autumn and flowering in May.

Half Hardy Annual

A plant that germinates, grows, flowers and sets seed in one year but cannot tolerate cold.

Zinnias - a great Half Half Annual

Biennial

A plant that germinates and grows foliage in one year and flowers the next. Biennials are sown in the summer, planted out in the autumn, flowering the following late Spring or early Summer.¹

Biennial Foxgloves and Honesty

Bulb

A rounded underground storage organ. There is a flowering bulb for every month. Usually perennial.

A March bridal bouquet almost exclusively made with spring bulbs with forsythia (shrub)

Perennial

Plants that continue to live for several years.

A handful of perennials

Most perennials will return year after year, with more plants gained with division in future seasons. Annuals will be ready to cut in just a few weeks! I recommend that if you are planning on making a garden for longer than just a season, that trees, shrubs and perennials are essential. With unpredictable weather, these plants are more resilient to extreme heat, cold, drought or wet. I treat annuals now as a true luxury despite the value of a seed packet. They require resources to grow (more on this down the line on growing undercover v. direct) but they can change up your cutting palette each year with just a few additions to a permanent planting scheme.

Cut, conditioned and ready to arrange July perennials.

Annuals can be sown at different times of the year, meaning that depending on the location, you can be cutting from April through to October.

There is no forcing or manipulating of plant growth. Annuals are just so quick to grow and several successional sowings are possible each season. With hardy ones, can cope with overwintering outside and blooming extra early, and far bigger due to unseen root growth for many months before.

Think about it.

Sow them in late August or September, they’ll flower in May. Then those will self sow and potentially flower in the late summer (or sow your last succession in May too). Add another sowing in March and you’ve got cornflowers from May till October. These could self sow too, and over winter, flowering in May and so the cycle continues.

This process I call planning in 4D.

Adding in the element of time. In the same location, something else will be planted and flower (the same is for vegetables of course). We’ll be coming on to plot planning in the next few weeks. Stick with the process! You’ll have a plan and sowing list in no time.

Next steps on planning your cut flowers

1. Label all your plants on your combinations wish list, now edited down, with what type of plant it is (hardy annual (HA), half hardy annual (HHA), Biennial (B) Perennial (P), Shrub (S) or Tree (T) and Climber (C).

The type of plant will determine your options - when to sow and when to expect flowering.

2. For both half hardy and hardy annuals, use the flowering calendar chart below to see what flowering time options you have depending on when you sow it and how. You have already decided in your wish list, which season you wanted an annual to flower for cutting. Note down what type of plant it is, and which season it will flower.

This will be the difference between sowing in September for May and May sowings for September and everything in between.

Using the chart below, it might be obvious which flowering season you want your annual to flower in, but not how you’ll sow it. Will you start earlier by sowing under cover, or is it better to sow direct? Will look at this next week so stay tuned!