Planning your cut flower garden - Part 4: Planting into wilder areas

Planning Your Cut Flower Garden

Part 4: Planting into Wilder Areas

You can pick flowers from February until Christmas in areas of long grass, on lawns and in orchards provided that you plant your bulbs there six months earlier, between the end of summer and early autumn.

Our favourite bulbs for wilder areas are as follows:

• Snowdrop (Galanthus) - best planted 'in the green' when still in flower; you have a choice of the popular 'Galanthus officinalis' and the more expensive, tall Galanthus 'S. Arnott'.
• Crocus (Crocus) - the first to flower brightly after the winter months, crocuses multiply easily and perform well under deciduous trees; they prefer partial sun and well-drained soil.
• Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) - bears pink flowers in late October/November; prefers alkaline soil.
• Daffodil (common name: Narcissus) - we grow Narcissus 'Actaea', a much-loved classic, commonly known as pheasant's eye, and Narcissus 'Joan of Arc' - a showy, yellow, sun-loving daffodil, long-lasting in water.
• Camas (common name: Camassia) - a good companion to 'Actaea' and 'Joan of Arc', Camassia flowers in late spring/early summer, likes damp ground, and performs well in long grass.
• Tulips (Tulipa) - our favourite varieties are 'Queen of the Night' and 'Spring Green'.
• Fritillary (common name: Fritillaria) - perennial, pollinator-friendly, full sun-loving, exotic-looking plant.

Plants to grow from seeds:

• Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) - produces tall, delicate flowers in April/June and spreads by seed and root sections.
• Scabious (Cephalaria gigantea) - a tough, very large plant with pale yellow flowers.

Note:

• Bulbs and seeds are low-maintenance. They multiply easily and provide cut flowers for much of the year.
• Trees and shrubs add interest to wilder areas; they need to be planted in winter to blossom in the spring. We recommend apple and cherry trees, quinces and wild (species) roses in particular.
• You can find more information on planting bulbs and on low-maintenance flowers suitable for grasslands in the 'Spring' and 'Autumn' sections of the course.