How can you have some cut flowers from your small garden?
It’s not easy to balance having something to look at in your garden and to also grow enough to have some cut flowers from your small garden throughout the growing season.
A successful combination – no idea what name they are
Alexandra from themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk wrote a super blog covering all aspects of How to grow really successful tulips and with a huge space for hundreds of bulbs you can imagine gathering bucketfuls of flowers for the house. In Sarah Raven’s catalogue she is pictured clutching great bunches of alstroemerias, tulips, alliums and dahlias. That’s just not possible in our small gardens is it?
Spring means daffodils and tulips
daffodils and tulips coincide in April
I won’t ever have an armful of flowers so have found a way to be very economical with what I’ve got. I’m talking here about daffodils and tulips for this time of year. I plant 25 or 50 of each variety or maybe 12 of special more expensive ones. I’ve written about my choice of daffodils here and my favourite tulips here
Early scented daffodils in a vintage fair vase
I struggle with myself to cut my garden flowers that I’ve waited 6 months to appear as they last so much longer in the garden than in a vase. To then cut them and look at a pot of stalks would be bonkers.
supermarket alstroemerias in a very old family vase
Since January I’ve filled chunky vases with supermarket tulips at £5 a bunch and alstroemerias for £3. They are good value and last very well but now I think I can use my own.
Sainsbury’s tulips in their drinking glass from a set of 4
My answer now is small vases and mirrors.
I have a collection of vases that only hold three or four stems. Most are from my mother and others I’ve bought from charity shops and antique fairs.
Place them in front of a mirror if you can.
Two tulips in an antique vase look like four
Five daffodils are all you need
Two big blowsy tulips in an antique vase
So keep an eye out in charity shops for thin small vases, even short tiny ones like this
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You can see more pics of lovely vases on Instagram londoncottagegarden.
My next challenge is to find some blooms in May and June especially as I don’t have any roses. Happy gardening everyone…….
Lovely pictures and ideas.
Like you, I can’t bear to cut them when they are so much happier in the garden. However…the mirror is such a clever idea!
Great idea about placing the small vases in front of a mirror.
Beautiful
I love your very old family vase! Very useful ideas also. Thank you.
Thankyou Lisa. Useful ideas is my aim, so glad to hear that. Best wishes, Julie
Nice to have vases with memories attached.
I’m afraid my favourite at the moment is a cheap glass one from IKEA which seems good for most flowers.
Dear Belinda Actually I’m now using large pale coloured drinking glasses from Sainsbury’s, 4 for £6. they’re perfect. I could even give the glass with flowers in to a friend and tell her to keep the vase! so I am all for using cheap containers, even milk bottles can be great for one or two stems. thankyou for getting in touch and I hope your vases bring you joy too. Julie (middle name Belinda)