Cutting from the garden - part 1

Cutting from the Garden - Part 1

Master your flower-cutting skills with this lesson as you learn how to choose and cut the best flowers.

If you use different varieties of tulips, they'll flower at different times. The pot gives a month, if not more, of tulips. Therefore, it's beneficial to plant a wide variety of tulips instead of one variety.

Choosing Which Flowers to Cut

It pays to pack your bulbs in the pots every autumn so that your pot doesn't feel sparse when you cut your flowers.

Stay Loyal to a Colour Palette

The white tulips don't go with the other colours in Arthur's pot, highlighting why you should stay loyal to your colour palette to make it look more harmonious to the eye.

Choose Flowers to Match the Scale of Your Containers

It's about matching scale to pot. Arthur has used a large container so needs clouty flowers to emphasise its depth and size. Picking bold flowers is crucial in creating an overall show with your flowers.

My Sissinghurst-Style Copper Pot

Although this pot is really expensive, it does last for a very long time, unlike a galvanised pot. The wallflowers help to create a canopy of colour and scent. They have a unique scent, acting as a great accompaniment to tulips.

Choosing Which Flowers to Pick

When cutting for a pot on display, you need to be selective. You want to see what you can get away with cutting and what you can't. Arthur is cutting seven, initially looking at the overall perspective and what groupings of colours are dominant.

Discover More

You can purchase the same Sissinghurst Castle Garden Copper Planter from the National Trust. You can also buy a cheaper alternative on Rutland Garden Classics, or on eBay and other second-hand sites.

Plant Directory

Tulip 'Ballerina'

Tulip 'Palymra'

Tulip 'Blue Parrot'

Wallflowers