A Cottage Cutting Garden
A backyard cutting garden is one of the most charming and rewarding spaces you can grow, full of color, texture, and flowers meant to be gathered and enjoyed. At Laurel Gardens, we love helping Kentucky gardeners create gardens that blend perennials and annuals for beauty from spring through frost that have the added bonus of making your own bouquets! Indoor flower arrangements boost mood, reduce stress, and improve focus by releasing happy chemicals!
Perennials form the backbone of a cottage cutting garden. Favorites like coneflower, yarrow, shasta daisy, tall garden phlox, baptisia, iris and roses return year after year, providing dependable blooms and lush foliage. These plants create structure in the garden while offering long-lasting flowers for arrangements.
Annuals fill in the gaps and keep the blooms coming. Zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons, celosia, and sunflowers grow quickly and produce armloads of flowers all season long. Many annuals bloom even more when cut regularly, making them perfect for bouquets.
Tips for a Successful Cutting Garden
Plant in full sun: Most cutting flowers need at least 6 hours of sunlight for strong stems and abundant blooms.
Mix heights and textures: Place taller plants in the back and shorter ones toward the front for easy harvesting and a layered cottage look.
Succession plant annuals: Replant fast-growing flowers like zinnias every few weeks to keep blooms coming all season.
Water deeply and consistently: Kentucky summers can be hot—steady moisture helps flowers produce longer stems.
Cut often: Regular harvesting of your annuals encourages plants to branch and bloom more.
Feed lightly: A balanced fertilizer or compost will support steady growth without sacrificing flowers.
The beauty of a cottage cutting garden is its relaxed, welcoming style, flowers spilling freely, colors mingling, and pollinators thriving. With the right mix of perennials and annuals, your garden becomes a place to gather flowers and bring the joy of blooms indoors.
Visit Laurel Gardens to find plants perfectly suited for Kentucky gardens, and let our team help you create a cutting garden made for sharing.
