WHEN deciding what plants to grow for cut flowers there are some excellent guides to be found on paper but also online, writes TOM ATTWOOD. To start with you’ll ideally need a good piece of ground or a dedicated raised bed to grow your plants in order to get the best results. Poor soil will invariably lead to lack lustre results and with cut flowers you want healthy vibrant growth. If your soil hasn’t been mulched or fed for some time then it would be worth investing in some soil conditioner to boost the fertility and improve the overall structure of the soil.

There will be many recommended plants that are either annual (those plants that complete their life cycle in a single season) or perennial (plants that will become dormant each winter and shoot back every spring). Both options are good and I’m not going to single one out over the other. I tend to favour plants that by cutting their flower heads will encourage more to be formed be they annual or perennial. Personal favourites have to include the following hardy perennials who will last for many years: hellebore, astrantia, lythrum, crocosmia, echinacea (white forms), delphinium and achillea. Some of the flower heads will last significantly longer than others once cut and it’s only down to trial and error that you’ll gauge which ones work best but that’s part of the fun. Many annuals make superb cut flowers and include the sweet peas, sunflowers, cosmos, zinnia, nicotiana, dahlia and snap dragons. I love combining the cut stems of both annuals and perennials (an approach I take with not only cut flowers but permanently planted containers in and around the garden where the two plant types can jostle for space and create a magnificent display). If you have space for a shrub or two to give a reliable source of foliage then I would go for either a smoke bush (Cotinus) or eucalyptus; keep them cut back hard and they’ll produce masses of new growth for you to use but it also keeps them in check avoiding them encroaching on other plants and areas of the garden.

Next week: marvellous magnolias