Minneapolis is in a state of worship. Every alley, sidewalk and forgotten yard has big luscious heads of peonies bowed, petals pooling. At $10.99 a bunch, why not cut? Yet it can be strangely difficult to actually harvest our own flowers - even in a cutting garden.
What do you think? And what's in your cutting garden?
We plant cheerful, grandmotherly and highly prolific flowers that are easy to grow like zinnias, dahlias, daisies and weird forms of sunflower.
But before our own flowers are up, the early waves of wasted lilacs and peonies in this short northern summer make us want to take to the street with shears.
Yes, we asked a neighbor if we could grab some low-hanging alley dwellers. He said well, ok, sure... a few.
a pile of fallen flowers in SW Mpls
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Uh, what's up with the last photo/caption? Context??
view JG's profile
Oh I agree. Chop away. They're going to die anyway, and as long as you don't kill them all, take them inside to live with you for a while!
Having fresh flowers in the house is a luxury we only get when they are our own, not shipped in from Columbia. Happy cutting!
view TannerAdair's profile
Yum, peonies are great inside where you can smell the lovely fragrance without breaking your back.
I, too, have difficulty snipping flowers from my garden beds. Having a water-loving cat doesn't help any (I can't use table vases, but have luckily found some wall vases). It seems sacrilegious to cut them.
I just planted four types of flowers in my "vegetable" garden, specifically for cutting. Zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and Gomphrena globosa. Let's hope I stick to my plan!
view Moryse Heron's profile
Don't chop...you are depriving others of the chance to see their beauty, too.
view Elle B's profile
this year is my first cutting garden and it will be interesting to see if i actually feel like i have "enough" flowers to cut at will! wish me luck...
view pinko's profile
I know the feeling, especially when your garden is young and you're torn between enjoying the beauty outside or in ... but keep in mind that many flowers will rebloom if you cut them (think of it as deadheading early). Even if it's a plant that won't rebloom, like liliacs or peonys, pruning is good for the overall health of the plant and will encourage more blooms next year. So have fun, cut away, and enjoy!!
view soapR's profile
My rule for cutting is that any flower that's less than horizontal (i.e. drooping to the ground) is fair game for cutting, which is especially nice as my faves--daffodils and peonies--tend to droop! That gives the more upright ones a chance to fill out and be seen before I grab 'em.
That said, if there are only a few flowers I let them stay--unless they're completely on the ground. Oh, and absolutely don't forget to "dead head" once the blooms are gone!
view rockypondgirl's profile