There is nothing more satisfying than cutting a bouquet from your own garden. Talk about locally grown, these flowers will be so fresh, they’ll last far longer than any you could buy. They also make wonderful gifts. The next time you’re invited to a friend’s home for dinner, surprise them with a beautiful home-grown bouquet for the centerpiece.

A cutting garden deserves a place in every yard. You could just cut flowers from your landscape but it ruins the display in your flowerbeds. A cutting garden, just like your vegetable garden, is meant for harvesting so you needn’t worry about looks. Turning over some space from your veggie garden for cut flowers is an easy way to start.

Summer flowering bulbs are easy to plant and come back year after year. The rule of thumb is to plant them three times as deep as they are tall. For example; if the bulb is two inches high, plant them 6 inches deep. Just like veggies, they like nice loose soil, full sun, and regular watering until they become established. Try our aluminum garden tool set for all your bulb planting needs.

#1226_Aluminum garden tool set

To keep bulbs and plants well-watered, use our battery-powered sprayer to gently mist your cutting garden.

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Here are some of the best bulbs for cutting gardens:

Allium

Allium come in every shade of purple, pink and white. The flowers are round, ranging in size from quite petite to up to 10 inches across. They add a modern flair to any bouquet. They have sturdy stems that never need staking. Use a precision snip for a clean cut and put the stems in water right away.

#201_201_2PC Value Pack Precision Snip

Oriental Lilies

Oriental lilies have large, dramatic flowers on long sturdy stems, just perfect for the vase. Most are intoxicatingly fragrant. Just a few will perfume a whole room. They come in almost every color imaginable.

Gladiolus

Glads are superstars in the cut flower world. The stems can be four feet tall or more with ten or more flowers per stem. Cut them when the first flowers begin to bloom and the rest will flower while they’re in the vase.

Crocosmia

Crocosmia blossoms are showy and exotic looking. Tall, slender stems hold blossoms in fiery shades of red, orange and yellow. They bloom for many weeks in late summer and early fall and can be combined with dahlias, mums and other late flowers.

Dutch Iris

Dutch iris are exquisitely beautiful. The petals are slightly ruffled and look very delicate. They come in many shades of blue, purple, yellow, and white. Cut them just before the buds open for the longest-lasting show indoors.

Next fall look for spring-flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils to add to your cutting garden. You’ll extend your “cutting season” by months!