How to Design a Fast-Growing Cutting Garden
Posted on: 19 March 2020
When you move into a new home, sometimes the landscaping isn't to your liking. Perhaps the yard isn't even landscaped, which is common with newly-built communities. Whatever the reason, you're looking at planting a whole new yard. Perhaps you'd like to include a flower garden to provide bouquets for your new home.
Homeowners often need a quick turnaround for whole-scale yard projects. In fact, some Home Owners Associations for new communities put a time frame on how quickly you must install new landscaping into a bare yard. Below are some steps to devise a fast-growing landscaping cutting garden.
Prepare the Planting Beds
Since you want a cutting garden, you'll need some planting beds dedicated to that task. So, the first task is to mark them out. Your local hardware store should sell spray paint made especially for marking the ground. You can also find spray chalk for that purpose. Experts recommend planting beds no narrower than 42 inches. Corner beds should measure 12 inches in diameter.
If you have existing landscaping, use an herbicide to get rid of the plants in your gardening beds. Otherwise, till the soil and add necessary fertilizer. Right before you actually plant, you'll want to put 6 to 8 inches of topsoil into the bed and water it well.
Plant Fast-Growing Cutting Flowers
Next, it's time to plant your gardening beds. Obviously, the way to an instant garden is to plant already-rooted flowers. You want a mix of flower types for your bouquets — statement blooms, tall plants, and filler flowers. Generally speaking, the following flowers work well to that end:
- Peonies (statement)
- Siberian iris (statement)
- Delphinium (tall)
- Speedwell (tall)
- Pincushion flower (filler)
- Lady's mantle (filler)
If you plant grown flowers ready to bloom, you should have cuttings within a few weeks. You'll also have a garden that looks finished right away if the need is to satisfy an HOA. However, if you also want flowers that replenish themselves quickly, perhaps to maximize the number of bouquets you get, consider the following:
- Pot marigold
- Cosmos
- Mexican sunflower
- Snapdragon
- Marigold
- Poppy
You can get weekly bouquets out of these blooms.
Add a Fast-Growing Shrub
The cutting garden may be sufficient for your landscaping needs. However, many homeowners like to plant shrubs for privacy or added shade. As a bonus, many shrubs bloom, so you have the potential for even more flowers for your bouquets. Since speed is of the essence, look into the following fast-growing shrubs:
- Hydrangea
- Crapemyrtle
- Beauty bush
You can either incorporate the above shrubs into your planting beds or use them as border plants.
Enjoy the best of both worlds — both fast-growing landscaping and a cutting garden. Find a landscape company today who can help you plant and design your cutting garden.
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