There is an extra feeling of enjoyment that comes from a bunch of flowers that you have grown and cut from your own plot, above and beyond bringing some home from the shops. Many perennials make ideal cutting flowers, whether through a dedicated cutting patch at the end of the garden, on an allotment or adding a few extra plants into a border or pot. I always like to think of it as a few for the bees and a few for me, although I’m not sure they always agree.

Astrantias growing in the garden

Starting at the blue end of the spectrum asters in delicate shades of lilac make a gorgeous vase of daisies, Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ or the more delicate flowers of Symphyotrihcum ‘Little Carlow’. Added to these the bell-shaped Campanula lactiflora ‘Prichard’s Variety’, a pale blue-lilac flower that are almost translucent in places and the slender stems of Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ with its tiny lilac flowers and yellow stamen. Wallflowers such as Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ will standalone to make a beautiful bunch of flowers or mixed in with other blues, whites and lilacs. There aren’t so many true shades of blue in the garden, one of the few is Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’, architecturally striking with its spiky globe and the bees love them too.

Echinacea and Asters

Whether on their own or added as an accent white flowers will give a dazzling display from Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ with its big open flowers to, Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ looks as good in a vase as it does in the garden, the waving flowers of Gaura lindhherii ‘Whirling Butterflies’ dancing over the rest of the border or posy. Umbels are particularly good to give added shape and texture, Valeriana officinalis is white with a pretty pink tint. Actaea simplex has stunning dark purple-red foliage with tall white spires.

Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’

Acid greens of Alchemilla mollis, with its small frothy flowers will suit smaller vases perhaps mixed in with Astrantia, aquilegia or Knautia arvensis, the delicate blue field scabious to make a posy. Some of the new dianthus and Chrysanthemums also come in acid greens, I love Chrysanthemum ‘Froggy’ not only for its small vivid flower heads but for its name as well. Chrsyanthemum ‘Green Mist’ has long slender petals that combine to look like a firework as does Dianthus ‘Green Trick’. If I could sum up autumn in one colour it would be Chrysanthemum ‘Misty Bronze’, a large rusty coloured flower, even better mixed in with Misty Red and Dutchy with its small orange flowers.

Alchemilla mollis

This time of year is perfect for planning which flowers you would like to add to your cutting patch, either dividing up large clumps of existing perennials to increase numbers of plants that you like or ready to plant up in spring. Chrsyanthemums are planted out later, once all threat of frosts has passed. It is worth measuring out the area that is going to become your cutting garden or looking at how many gaps you have in the borders to work out how many plants will fit. It is all too easy to get carried out away when browsing catalogues or visiting flower shows with all those amazing new varieties and then struggling to fit them in. This is just a quick skim through the range of perennials that make brilliant cut flowers, the varieties and combinations to choose from are immense. I’d love to help you create the garden you’ve always wanted and this is a great time to get planning. Just get in touch and we’ll get your consultation booked in.