Hello, I'm Roz Chandler from Field Gate Flowers. You are listening to the Cut Flower podcast. This is for you if you want to learn more about growing your own cut flowers. We'll cover loads of subjects things like setting a patch, your soil, manure and compost, seeds and germination, perennials and biannuals, foliage and so much more. We'll have some exciting guests along the way. Thank you very much for listening. 

Hello. Today I thought we'd talk about growing cut flowers and some tips for having your own cutting patch. And I think we need to start with the why. Why do you want to have a cutting patch? Is it for your personal use to make bouquets and arrangements for your house, give away flowers to friends or are you starting out in your journey of a business? Or actually, are you an experienced flower farmer? So lots of different reasons about the why and really the why determines what you're going to do. 

So first of all, some tips. So planning your cutting patch. Planning, someone always said to me was the key to success or planning is 99% of the key to success. I must look up who actually said that. I'm not even sure. Yeah, I'm not sure who said it. But when I was a child when I was doing my exams, everyone used to say to me planning is the key to success. And it's just stuck in my brain. 

So question, how much time you have? And what you want the flowers for? And are you in business? And all of these things change what you grow and when you grow. So are you a wedding florist and you just need additional large stock in the summer months? Or do you handle bouquets all season long? Or are you just doing it for enjoyment? There are lots of different reasons why people grow cut flowers. And that will determine what you decide to grow and when. So I would start with a plan the size of your plot. Plan it out on a graph piece of paper, measure it all up. Then look at what you'd like to grow. I always say to people to grow what you love. Look at the RHS website for spacing of plants so you can actually plot out what you're actually going to grow. So number one, the planning is key to success. 

Number two, as a flower farmer, we plant in rows and we tend to grow in colours, because that suits the way we're going to pick and what we're using the flowers for. When it comes to your garden or a cutting patch, you might be doing it for lots of other reasons. It might just be part of your garden, in which case it needs to look fairly beautiful. It might be a patch that's at the side of your garden. You're growing purely for cut flowers, in which case you can grow in rows. We've been doing some experiments this year actually, in three raised beds. One is in rows, one is in grids, and one is really random. And we'll be showing on our Facebook groups these experiments later in the year so you can have a look. But have think about what you're doing it for and that will help you decide how you're going to plant. 

Number three, most cut flowers prefer rich soil. You know, they like it to be well drained, they like it to have the addition of manure. So think about what soil you've got. If your soil isn't great, obviously there are ways of improving it and adding in manure, and there is another pub cast on Muck, muck and more muck. So I suggest you listen to that. But it's really about understanding your soil. You can buy a pH metre very cheaply on eBay or Amazon and just try and do some soil analysis of your patch. You can actually go to the RHS who will do it for you. I think it's about £30 and analyse your soil. But know what you're dealing with. You know, there are ways of growing cutting flowers, you can grow them in a no dig method, or you can grow them in cutting beds, raised beds. So look at your soil before you make any decisions. 

Number four, the aspect. Is your site windy? Is it shady? Is it sunny? Where are you going to put your flowers you know is it raised beds? Think about where the sun comes from and where the rain generally hits, the direction of the rain when it comes. It's a case of standing out there having a compass and having a look at the aspect of your sight. 

The next one is to think about what flowers are right for your space. So we always say right plant right space. So if you only have your plot or garden for a short time, maybe annuals are the best thing for you. They're easy to grow and very rewarding. You can sow lots of them directly. And many of them produce summer flowers all summer long. What wouldn't you want to do with annuals? If you're going to be there more permanently, you can think about investing in shrubs and perennials. And if you think they take longer to establish, and you need to be thinking a bit more long term. If you're looking at eucalyptus, for instance, which is tree really in effect, you're not really going to be able to harvest eucalyptus properly until about year three. So think about your situation, and what you're trying to get out of a cutting patch. 

And I've just put some ideas together for them must have cut flowers in a cutting patch. If it's my cutting patch, these are the ones I'd recommend. They are as follows. These are Cosmos, Queen Anne's Lace, Amaranth, Nigellas, cornflowers, the lovely, lovely scented sweetpeas, zinnias, sunflowers and scabious. They would be for me, the must have cut flowers and we grow all of those every year. 

And then I like I say, it depends on your situation and planning but if you're growing for the long term, look at perennials and shrubs. So my top favourites are roses, of course the wonderful heritage David Rustin roses. We're growing a lot here. Dahlias, echinacea, peonies, verbena, achillea. We grow lots and lots of mint, lots and lots of rosemary, fennel, smoke bush. And that's just for starters. So they're your perennials. 

And then one thing I would absolutely, my number one tip is, to think lots and lots of foliage. Don't underestimate how much foliage you're going to need. We grow a lot here. We grow Pittosporum, we grow Viburnum Tinus, we grow Common Ninebark, we grow Eucalyptus. Seven lots of mint, rosemary sage, bay. We use the leaves of raspberry as well. So think about all of your foliage, and how it's going to take you through the year in your cutting patch. So thank you very much for listening. 

Thank you for listening. This has been the Cut Flower podcast. Please do join us on our Facebook group, the Cut Flower Collective for lots more hints and tips. Thank you.