Interior and exterior confidence
Create Academy has been such a great resource. I'm in the middle of renovating a bungalow with a very large garden and the courses have offered a wealth of inform...
Harvey
Jun 10, 2026
Cut and Come Again Masterclass
How to grow flowers in abundance
with SARAH RAVEN — Acclaimed English gardener, cook and writer. Host of the UK’s No.1 gardening podcast.
Lesson 3 of 48
Subscribe to watch
In this lesson, you’ll learn about the most productive cut-and-come-again flowers and how to create a cutting patch that produces an abundance of flowers throughout the year.
From the Lesson Workbook
How to Grow Flowers in Abundance
If you want to get the most out of your cut flower patch, or you are thinking of growing flowers commercially, then it is vital that you consider the cost of growing cut flowers. While all cut flowers are beautiful, they are not created equal.
When I first set out on my cut flower journey, I was determined to work out the best flowers to grow, and for me that meant choosing blooms that were simple to produce and would grow in abundance.
To highlight this I looked at peonies, cosmos and dahlias and compared the amount of flowers I could get per square metre. As you can see from the table below, the difference between peony production and cosmos production is stark. This was a real lightbulb moment for me and made me realise that we should only grow a particular flower if it is financially worth growing.
| | PEONY | COSMOS | DAHLIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time from planting to harvest | 3 years | 12 weeks | 16 weeks |
| Duration of harvest | 3 weeks | 20 weeks + | 22 weeks |
| How many milk pails per m2? | Half a bucket | 50 buckets | 30 buckets |
| Vase life | 10 days | 7 days | 5 days |
| Is it easy to grow? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Does it have remarkable characteristics? | Scented | Foliage | Range |
| Cost | Expensive | Cheap, 2p | Mid |
| FINAL SCORE | 2/10 | 10/10 | 8/10 |
Get the full workbook, video lessons, and more with a Create Academy subscription.
Subscribe to access the full workbookAlready a member? Sign in to watch
Rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot
479 reviews
Read moreAbsolutely love Create Academy
Absolutely love Create Academy! The instructors are extremely informative, and it is beautifully filmed. Create Academy is great value for money and plan on renew...
SG
May 31, 2026
Magic in small spaces
Butter's creativity is stunning! Her ability to incorporate brilliance in small gardens is magical!
Carla
May 30, 2026
The best adventure
The best adventure. I like all the courses, but my favorite are both Rita Konig interior design courses and Anna Jones. Excellent!
Karolina Kluczewska
May 20, 2026
Interior and exterior confidence
Create Academy has been such a great resource. I'm in the middle of renovating a bungalow with a very large garden and the courses have offered a wealth of information to dive into and explore new ideas. I'm...
Harvey
Jun 10, 2026
Absolutely love Create Academy
Absolutely love Create Academy! The instructors are extremely informative, and it is beautifully filmed. Create Academy is great value for money and plan on renewing my subscription yearly because there are ...
SG
May 31, 2026
Magic in small spaces
Butter's creativity is stunning! Her ability to incorporate brilliance in small gardens is magical!
Carla
May 30, 2026
Your Instructor
Sarah Raven
Acclaimed English gardener, cook and writer. Host of the UK’s No.1 gardening podcast.
Sarah Raven is a renowned English gardener, cook and award-winning author. She is an inspirational and passionate teacher - combining her decades of experience with her scientific approach to growing (she is medically trained) - and has been running cooking, flower arranging and gardening courses at Perch Hill, her 90-acre farm in East Sussex, and around the UK for over 30 years. She has written for a host of major publications - including House & Garden, The Saturday Telegraph, Country Living, Gardens Illustrated, Gardeners’ World Magazine and The English Garden - and presented on TV shows including Gardeners' World and BBC’s Great British Garden Revival. Her gardening and cookery books have won numerous awards including ‘Best Specialist Gardening Book’ for The Cutting Garden and ‘Cookery Book of the Year’ for Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook. Sarah is married to the writer Adam Nicolson, Vita Sackville-West's grandson. She also has an online shop that is a brilliant destination for plants, bulbs, seeds, tools and all things garden.
Access to all courses