A well stocked cutting garden can be a flower arrangers delight.
The gardener in the family can earn significant brownie points if they can provide foliage to complement the flowers.

What Makes a Cutting Garden

• A part of the garden dedicated to growing plant material for decoration and flower arrangements is called a cutting garden.
• A cutting garden is not meant for display. You can mix colours and plants. You can plant closer together to encourage quick straight growth and feed plants with a view to harvesting as they reach their peak.
• Good horticultural practice of soil preparation, feeding and caring regimes will boost crops.
• Foliage from trees and shrubs should be harvested when the shrub is sufficiently established to regrow.
• Many trees and shrubs will be located throughout the garden. They do not need to be in a special area but take care with the end appearance after you have harvested for your display.

Why Worry about Foliage

• Arrangements often look better if up to half the arrangement is foliage.
• The stems provide a framework and can be used to establish boundaries around floral material.
• Stems and branches on their own can look sculptural.
• Greens and greys do not fight with other colours in an arrangement.
• Green foliage looks particularly good when contrasting strong red flowers.
• Foliage is available from evergreen shrubs even when garden flowers are out of season

Evergreen Shrubs and Trees for Cutting

• Brachyglottis monroi has crimped edged leathery grey leaves
• Bupleurum fruticosum the green leaves & red stems offer double attraction
• Chisya ternata with shiny, pungent leaves is quite prolific
• Eleagnus x ebbingei’s new leaves are bronze coloured
• Eucalyptus gunnii – keep stooled to produce round grey leaves
• Olearea ilicifolia has spiky matt grey-green leaves similar to Holly
• Pittospurnum tenuifolium ‘irene patterson’ has marbled green/white foliage while Pittospurnum Purpureum’s are chocolate to purple
• Rhamnus alaternus alaternus grows small cream leaves on reddish stems

Other Plants for Florists Foliage

• Cornus alba is a dogwood that looks distinctive in a flower arrangement
• Cotoneaster corokiaq has dark wiry stems which are more prolific than the corkscrew hazel.
• Cotinus coggygria pupureus is deep purple and also provides frothy flowers in summer.
• Artemisia  ‘Powis Castle’ is unique in carrying multi-branched stems of silver filigree foliage. It should be  grown primarily for the color and texture.
• Lamb’s Ears have soft furry grey leaves.
• Asparagus fern is a good standby for frothy green stems.
• Coleus produce a wide range of colourful, soft  leaves.
• Hostas have leaves that can be like crinkly plates in greens, yellows and glaucus blues.
• Lavender and rosemary have scented foliage but are more often grown for their flowers.

More Tips on Selecting Woody Plants

• Chose plants that regrow rapidly after severe and frequent pruning and are harvestable early in life.
• Pick plants that grow numerous stems borne over a long period of time.
• Desirable features include stems at least 18″ long, retention of flowers, berries and foliage with a good vase life.
• Boxwood, dogwood, forsythia, holly, hydrangea, jasmine, lilac, pussy willow, and corkscrew willow have long been popular in the floral trade.

Read more on the web site of  The Association of Specialty Cut  Flower Growers

To grow a generic mix of flowers for arrangements and bouquets check out Thompson & Morgan