The title says it all, really. I have a flower farm now, but before that I had a garden microfarm, and before that I had a single bed, filled with sweet peas and cosmos. The summer of lockdown came, and with bright sunshine and nothing better to do I dug up half the garden, filled it with flowers and ended up with far more than I could ever use. I sold a few and one thing led to another.
Now I’m digging up a much bigger garden, but the home plot is where it started. Believe me when I say you can grow flowers even if you’ve never gardened before, and you can grow more flowers than you think possible. Now is the perfect time of year to start.
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The first thing is not what or how to grow, but where. To grow cut flowers easily, you need the sunniest spot you can find. Don’t worry about what’s in that spot for now. On any day the sun shines, where does it hit your outdoors space for the longest? (And that means any outdoor space you have, not just conventional garden space - balconies, patios, courtyards, etc all count.) If you want to get technical, rev up the compass app on your phone and find South. Then see what space you have that faces that way and isn’t in shadow from buildings, trees, etc. This is likely to be your best spot, but spend a sunny day keeping an eye on it to make sure. Remember to look at the other side of your home if your main space is North-facing or obviously in shade; your front garden or even your doorstep may be the best sunshine you’ve got.
Once you’ve found where the sunshine is, you can look at what’s there just now. Is there earth that you can put plants into, even if it’s got other stuff like pesky grass growing in it just now? If not, growing in pots is likely to be your way forwards. If so, this is the best spot for your cutting garden. Find the area that will be the easiest to clear if needed, you only need a metre or two of space to grow a whole load of cut flowers.
For our purposes, which is to grow cut flowers as easily and prolifically as possible in a small area, a dedicated space is best, rather than trying to fit flowers for cutting amongst everything else in the garden. If you’re lucky enough to have a lot of sunshine and a choice of spaces, picking an area that is separate to your main garden is usually a good idea if possible (lots of reasons I may expand on later, but trust me).
If container growing looks like the way forwards for you, you’ll need some containers! This needn't be expensive. Try your local FB bartering/buy nothing or gardening groups - I’ve gotten lots of garden gear from both for minimal or no cost. If you’re buying new, you don’t need huge pots to start, as most annual cut flowers don’t have deep roots. Sweet peas are an exception, and if you think you’d like to grow them, some deeper pots are a good idea; ditto for dahlias. Get a big bag of the best multipurpose compost you can afford, and you’re in business.
If you’re growing in the ground, mark your space with sticks or string. Clear it out; dig up all the grass, weeds, other plants, any rubble or big stones. If there are plants already there, stick a photo in your FB garden group and tell folk they’re free to take them if they come and dig them up. If you’d like, you can easily find out what soil type you’ve got with no gardening know-how required - this is the simplest explanation of soil type and how to test it that I could find. There’s no rush to get it ready, we won’t be putting anything in the ground for a while.
In the meantime, get inspired! Do a bit of Pinterest and IG diving, save pictures of the flowers and floral arrangements you like. What colours are you drawn to? Do you know any specific flowers you’d like to try, or recognise any flowers in the pictures you’ve saved? Ask gardeners you know to have a look to help with identification (or feel free to ask me!).
