How to grow flowers in abundance

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 |