Cut Flowers: Bloom Gardener's Guide: Prepare the ground, sow seed, nurture, harvest, fill your vases

by Celestina Robertson

"Cel grows her beautiful flowers with art and soul." 
–– Shane Connolly, floral designer and author

Prepare the ground, sow seed, nurture, harvest and fill your home with beautiful flowers.

Growing flowers can bring colour and life to the garden, and also give you an abundance of  sustainable floral material to use at home . This handbook shows you how to plan a cutting garden, grow the perfect plants for the vase and nurture them so they thrive from season to season. 

Whether you have a few pots or a dedicated patch, you can  grow beautiful blooms and learn how to cut, condition and arrange them for garden-gathered floral designs  all year round, all without the carbon footprint of most shop-bought flowers!

Cut Flowers includes  a directory of flowers, bulbs and foliage  to grow, plus pro advice on creating dreamy designs.

This title is from the  Bloom Gardener's Guide  series, complete and comprehensive gardening handbooks. Bloom is an  award-winning independent print magazine  for gardeners, plant admirers, nature lovers and outdoor adventurers, and winner of the Garden Publication of the Year at the Garden Media Awards 2021. Other titles in this series include  Shade  and  Pots .

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2022

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice gardening book for UK gardeners who are interested in growing cut flowers. I appreciated the many color photos and the inclusion of information like how to treat the flowers for maximum hydration and life span. For instance, the stems of some should be plunged in very hot water while others should be split (never crushed). There is a lot of information on growing the flowers, preparing the soil, etc.

There were a few things that I wish were different. It's written for UK gardeners so it's hard to know which flowers are suitable for my MN zone 4 garden. I also would have liked to have seen far more examples of arrangements and uses for the flowers. Lastly, I would have loved to have some focus on frugal and easy gardening. As a mom of 5 with a very busy life and a very tight budget I am a huge garden fanatic but my garden can never be my first priority as much as I love it. So many garden books remind me of the college professors who assign essays and reading assignments as if you have no other classes, no work and no outside life besides their classes. I can't invest in the "best" flowers or commit the bulk of my time to growing them most of the time. I grow from seed, forage, swap with friends, etc. for lots of my flowers and I'd love it if garden books gave more tips about things like which plants give you the most bang for your buck, flower quickly, can be foraged, are super easy to grow, thrive on neglect, etc.

That said, this is a lovely book that is packed with information for those who want to grow a cutting garden.

I read a temporary, self-destroying digital ARC of this book for review.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you goes out to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

As a gardener, I have for many years had cutting gardens in order to make flower arrangements for my home, dry flowers for wreaths, photograph and watercolor paint flowers. I was interested in this book in order to determine if I could find some interesting ideas or facts that contributed to the growing of flowers for cutting or the preparations for and arranging of flowers.

One thing to note is that the flowers and climate conditions are those of Britain and they may be different from the reader’s own. The photos are nice and the flower recommendations for cutting are useful. Preparation for making bouquets are helpful for the novice as well as experienced flower arrangers. The author makes her case for growing your own flowers rather than purchasing greenhouse grown flowers or those shipped from other countries in order to reduce a carbon footprint.

Just a few new things I took away from this book:
Seasonal flowers always look like they belong together.
Not all flowers hydrate and do well in a vase.
The stronger the flower’s scent, the shorter the vase life.
How to use dried twigs and materials in your arrangements.
How to grow colors for each season.

[Aslyn Lapham · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever thought about submerging your feet in the world of floristry, or have thought about starting your own flower ‘cutting garden,’ do not do either until you’ve skimmed through this book. Everything you need to know about the bones of a bouquet, planning your own cutting garden with attention to seasonality, and the ethics of doing so are right here in these pages. With gorgeous photography to supplement to vast amount of knowledge, it almost feels like an art book as well. One you can proudly display on a coffee table even after you’ve planned your own garden. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up on a page of Magnolia journal as a book to have for the florists-at-hearts, must have, book list.

[Oskar]

The only guide to cut-flower growing and flower arranging you need (granted, the only one I've ever read). Practical, down-to-earth and perfect for an everyday home gardener.