There’s nothing quite like walking out to your own garden, snipping a few blooms, and bringing them inside to brighten your table.
I can hardly imagine a summer without cut flowers.
If you’re dreaming of popping bouquets into every corner of your home, then welcome!
This is your all-in-one-guide to growing flowers for cutting, whehter you’ve got raised beds, a small in-ground border garden, or just a few sun-drenched pots on the patio.
I’ve pulled together some of my best posts on growing beginner-friendly flowers, tips for designing a flower garden, and practical advice for harvesting and arranging flowers so that you can enjoy or give them away.
Take a look and decide where you want to start!
Start Here: Beginner Basics
These posts are the best place to start if you’re new to cut flower gardening.
- How to Start the Cut-Flower Garden of Your Dreams. Everything from site selection to soil prep to planting.
- Small Cutting Garden Plan for Homegrown Bouquets. Complete layout and 5 different color schemes in just 16 square feet.
- 7 Essential Garden Tools for Cut Flower Gardening. Beginner-friendly tools that make growing and cutting easier.
- How to Sheet Mulch Lawns into Thriving New Gardens. Flip grass into a new garden bed. This works for flower and vegetable gardens.
- The Magic 7 Cut Flower Garden Plan. My done-for-you, beginner-friendly plan for growing a cut flower garden from seed to harvest.
Choosing Flowers to Grow
Decide which flowers you need to grow in your garden before you start planting. If you’re not sure what your options are, browse through these roundups of my favorite focal flowers, filler flowers, and foliage.
Choose a few of each. This way you get bouquets that are balanced and beautiful.
- 7 Filler Flowers to Grow for Lush Bouquets. Fillers matter more than you think in bouquets.
- Fragrant Garden Herbs for Cut Flower Bouquets. Plenty of foliage options and, as an added bonus, everything is scented!
- Best Sunflowers for Cut Flowers. I list my favorite sunflower varieties for cut flowers.
- How to Grow Incredible Zinnias from Seed. Learn to grow zinnias and see which are my favorites.
- 21 Best Perennial Flowers and Shrubs for Cut Flower Gardens. Plant once and they’ll come back year after year.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Where to Buy Seeds, Bulbs, and Dahlia Tubers
You can find good cut flower seeds from any reliable seed seller. I avoid places like Amazon and Etsy unless I know and trust the seller. There are plenty of great seed companies out there, and the ones below are places I’ve ordered from trust.
If a listing you’re interested in doesn’t specifically say the seed is good for cut flowers, look at the height of the plant. Choose plants that get over 20″ tall for long stems.
- Botanical Interests: good variety of flowers, good info, and they often run sales or specials
- High Mowing Organic Seeds: great company and source for organic seeds
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds: great source for cut flower seeds; you can get very specific varieties here
- The Gardener’s Workshop: good selection of specific cut flower varieties sold by a cut flower farmer
- Pinetree Garden Seeds: excellent variety of flowers, reasonable pricing and good germination
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: specializes in unusual and heirloom varieties; always free shipping
Dahlia tuber sources – I can only add a few dahlias to my garden each year, so I’ve really only tried these few sources!
- Hudson Valley Seed Co: They grow their own tubers on their farm in new York and sell dahlia and other flower seeds.
- Longfield Gardens: Another source I’ve used for dahlias. Not my favorite as I’ve gotten the wrong tubers before and they’re not always packed well.
- Costco: If you have a membership, visit often in the spring to get dahlias before they sell out.
Growing and Caring for Flowers
Tips on growing and caring for specific cut flowers in your garden.
- How to Grow and Harvest Cosmos Cut Flowers
- How to Grow Sunflowers for Cut Flower Bouquets
- 8 Tips for Growing the Best Zinnias
- How to Prune Every Type of Hydrangea
Dahlias
Dahlias are the queen of the cutting garden and so deserve their own section!
- How to Divide Dahlia Tubers to Get More Plants
- How to Propagate Dahlias with Cuttings
- How to Overwinter Dahlia Tubers to Grow Next Year
Arranging Cut Flowers
Arranging cut flowers is why we grow them after all. These are all the tips and tricks I wish I would’ve known a few years ago.
If you want to see some of my worst bouquets, they’re in one of the sections below.
Creating Bouquets
A few of my tutorials on arranging flowers.
- Easy Mason Jar Bouquets Straight from the Garden
- Peachy Pink Cut Flower Bouquet Ideas for Summer Gardens
- Tips and Tricks for DIY Fall Flower Arrangements
- How to Make a Spring Flower Arrangement
In the Vase
Tips and tools for long lasting flowers in the vase.
- 8 Simple Tips to Make Fresh Cut Flowers Last Longer
- Favorite Tools for Cut Flower Gardening and Flower Arranging
My Best and Worst Bouquets (Try Not to Cringe)
- Ranking My Best and Worst Cut Flower Arrangements from 2025
- Ranking My Best and Worst Cut-Flower Arrangements from 2024
- Ranking My Best and Worst Cut-Flower Arrangements for 2023
Beyond the Vase
A cut flower garden is more than just pretty—it’s practical too! These posts will help you see beyond using flowers in the garden and vase.
- DIY Floral Resin Charms with Garden Flowers
- How to Make DIY Bag Charms and Keychains
- Ribbon Bookmarks with Floral Resin Charms
- DIY Lavender Wreath: A Simple Summer Craft
Cut Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
Growing cut flowers alongside vegetables helps attract pollinators and beneficial insects and creates a healthier garden.
Ready for More?
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I’m always creating more printables and plans and am open to your suggestions for what you want to see!
Hope to see you there!