Topic: cut flowers / bee friendly flowers

[eastybeasty]

hi everyone :)

only posted a couple a times on here and the last time was a while ago! basically i need the advice of far more knowledgeable people than me! My husband started off growing veg last year and left me in charge of the flowers as i was to pretty the place up. it was more guesswork really by buying mixed seed packets and hoping for the best!

I'm trying to be more organised this year (organisation is definitely something that doesnt come easily to me!). My aim is to grow flowers that I can use to make wee bouquets (I said to my mum I'd give her fresh flowers but apparently hadnt considered that pansies / violas / etc cant be used for cut flowers!    . I'd also like to get some flowers that are bee / butterfly friendly to try and attract them into the garden. Scented flowers would also be lovely. I had some last year that were night scented but other plants that carry scent during the day would be nice too.

The trouble is when I've looked in garden centres I get a bit confused on where to start with this! The back garden is south east facing, with a clay soil. I've got a pond too that I'd like to line with flowers again, I had violas there last summer which gave the area a nice bit of colour but would be open to other suggestions for this part.

I've also got a front garden which is north west facing. I've got got quite as much room as in the back but planning to plant flowers in an L shape in 2 of the borders.

If anyone can give me any thoughts or any suggestions for what I'm trying to achieve I'd really help a nudge of a push in the right direction! :):)

[rugbypost]

You will get on well with these they will give you a garden to be proud of, and you you Mam will have a few for her pots. Try this lot back and front gardens, dig the patches where you are going to plant add some cheap, and good compost to lighten up the soil, add chicken pellets, plus some horse manure,( good if you get it free) Don't get down hearted it all takes time but you will be right proud of yourself. African marigolds mix sunspot, white vanilla marigolds, Antirrhinum crown mix, Aster carousel blended mix, Aster super princes, Zinnia dahlia flowered mix,and some Dianthus sweetwilliam double mix. Be careful not to attract to many butterflies into your garden the veg wont thank you you will have to keep everything covered  all your cabbages will be eaten before you get a chance to cook them You can buy most of these seeds at seedparade.co.uk. You can fill in areas with seasonal plants from Aldis, Lidils, Home bargins, they wont cost you a fortune but you will have loads of colour. Then start to plant Annuals they come every years and will also save you money, Good luck and enjoy yourself Rome not build in a day

[manicscousers]

Hi, easybeasty,
Last year I invested in a couple of sedums and penstemon to add to the phacelia, borage, marigolds and sweet peas to bring in the bees and insects. This year, I'm taking cuttings and splitting them to get more plants. 

[ACE]

Can't go wrong with nicotiana.

[Digeroo]

For me sweet peas are lovely cut flowers.  You can sow four to a pot and start them off soon.  Sun flowers are nice, you only need one cut at a time, I like the ones with multiple heads.  Dahlias are nice cut too, you can start those off in pots soon as well.   Cosmos and cornflowers are easily to grow from seed scattered.

Honesty is nice for a bit of autumn interest, but takes two years.  Sweet Wiliams and pinks are also nice cut but also take two years from seed but then can last several years.

For bees phacelia is great and very easy to grow, can be dug in as green manure as well, bees love it.   I find it simply buzzes with bees I never knew there were so many types of bumble bee.  Also poppies, I just love seeing them almost swimming in them.

[eastybeasty]

hi everyone

sorry about the late reply. thanks for all the suggestions, going to look into them and get a plan together. not exactly had any experience of flower arranging for bouquets so it may be an erm interesting bouquet or two that my mum ends up with! looking forward to seeing the flutterbyes and bees zooming around too :D:D

[eastybeasty]

cant seem to modify the post. just read the bit about the butterflies, yeah thats a good point the veg wouldnt thank me and neither would my husband! 

[Deb P]

All Agastache are fab, especially  liquorice blue or the golden leaved variety, bees love them, the foliage smells of aniseed and mine have lasted the last four years so seem to be reliably perennial.

[sunloving]

I can recomend a few perenials easy to grow from seed if nec
Echinacea purpurea (purple cone flowers), Lupins any, buddleia, Ivy great for winter feeding insects and dark walls, Wallflowers lovely for spring cutting, rudbekias any!

Good luck finding things you like oh and cornfowers brilliant and long lasting in a vase.

x Sunloving