Bring colour home

Cut Flowers

Compact, container-friendly cut flowers — palettes, bulb lasagnes, arranging.

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22 vase-tested cut flowers

Every flower in the catalogue has honest vase-life in days, the exact stage to cut at, and how to condition each stem — sorted by longest-lasting first.

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Why grow cut flowers?

Flowers brighten rooms, mark the seasons, and offer mindful, steady routines — sow, water, pick, arrange. They also feed bees and hoverflies, making edible crops nearby more productive.

Low-cost joyPollinator-friendlyMindful routineAny space works

Make flowers last longer

What to add to your vase (and what to skip)

There's a real chemistry to keeping cut flowers fresh — sugar to feed the bloom, a mild acid to keep water flowing up the stem, and a touch of bleach to stop the bacteria that block it. Skip the pennies, vodka and hairspray you'll see online — none of it outperforms what's already in your kitchen.

Make your own flower food

Per litre of cool water: 1 tsp sugar (food), 1 tsp white vinegar OR 2 tsp lemon juice (acid, helps stems drink), and ¼ tsp household bleach (kills the bacteria that clog stems). It outperforms most sachets and costs nothing.

Refresh every 2 days

Empty the vase, rinse off any slime, refill with fresh food-and-water. Cloudy water is bacteria — and bacteria is the single biggest reason flowers wilt early.

Re-cut stems at a 45° angle

Cut 1–2 cm off every stem at a 45° angle under running water before they go in the vase, and again every refill. The angle gives more surface area to drink; an underwater cut stops air bubbles blocking the stem.

Strip any leaves below the water

Submerged leaves rot fast and turn the water into bacterial soup within a day. Take everything off the bottom third of the stem — even if it feels brutal.

Keep them cool

Out of direct sun, away from radiators, off the top of the TV. Florists store flowers at 2–5 °C overnight; mimic this by moving the vase to a cool hallway or porch before bed.

Away from the fruit bowl

Ripening fruit (bananas, apples, tomatoes especially) gives off ethylene — a gas that signals petals to age. A bouquet next to a fruit bowl can die in half the time.

Spring bulbs like cold water

Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and ranunculus last longest in cold water — and tulips will keep growing in the vase, so leave room for them to stretch 5–10 cm taller.

Start with a spotless vase

Scrub the vase with hot soapy water (or a quick swish of bleach solution) before every arrangement. Last week's bacteria film is invisible — and it'll halve the life of your fresh stems.

One caveat: daffodil and narcissus stems leak a sap that's toxic to other flowers. Stand them on their own for 6 hours in fresh water before adding to a mixed arrangement, and don't re-cut once mixed.

Grow anywhere: containers beyond pots

Improvised and upcycled containers work beautifully — sturdy tins and food buckets with 4–6 drainage holes, wooden fruit crates lined with hessian, colanders and old drawers, even guttering runs on fences for trailing violas and alyssum. Stability first: use wide bases and ties for balconies and rails, and add bricks in the bottom for wind safety.

Container sizes that work

Container	Best for	Count
Window box 3–5 L	Calendula, cornflower, nigella	3–5
10 L bucket	Snapdragon dwarf, scabious	3
20 L tub	Cosmos tall, rudbeckia	3
40 L tub	Single dahlia or tall sunflower (stake)	1–2
80–100 cm trough	Mixed annuals + mesh support	8–12

Soil mix & feeding

A reliable container mix: 60% peat-free compost, 30% fine bark or composted wood fibre, 10% perlite or grit for drainage, plus slow-release fertiliser (10–12 weeks). Feeding rhythm: water only for the first 4 weeks, then weekly liquid feed at half strength. Heavy feeders like dahlia and zinnia want twice-weekly feeds in hot spells. Top-dress mid-season with 1–2 cm of fresh compost.

What to grow — compact, pot-friendly

Hardy annuals (cool-tolerant): calendula, cornflower, nigella, ammi, scabious, dill, larkspur. Autumn sow in mild regions; spring sow elsewhere.
Half-hardy: cosmos, snapdragon, rudbeckia, zinnia (warm), celosia (very warm), dwarf sunflowers. Plant out when nights stay above 8–10°C.
Perennial & biennial stars: salvias (nemorosa, microphylla), wallflowers, lavender, sweet William, compact foxglove. Salvias bring long bloom and pollinators; wallflowers bring spring scent.

Bulbs, corms & tubers

Spring: tulips (plant November for tall stems), narcissus, alliums.
Summer: lilies (stake), gladioli (stagger plantings every 2 weeks), dahlias (1 per 40 L tub).
Drainage: pot feet and deep soaks — never let them sit in water.

Bulb lasagne — one pot, months of colour

1Choose a 30–40 cm deep pot with large drainage holes.
2Base layer: 10–12 cm compost, then your largest bulbs (tulips), points up.
3Middle layer: 5–7 cm compost, mid bulbs (narcissus).
4Top layer: 5–7 cm compost, small bulbs (crocus, muscari).
5Finish with 5–7 cm compost, water in, and add winter violas on top if you like.

Stagger bloom times: early crocus → mid narcissus → late tulip for a rolling show.

All-year colour

Spring: tulips, narcissus, wallflowers, early alliums.
Summer: sweet peas, cosmos, cornflower, calendula, salvias.
Autumn: dahlias, rudbeckia, late salvias, chrysanthemums.
Winter: berried stems, evergreen foliage, hellebores in pots.

Simple colour palettes

Pastel Meadow

Sweet peas (pinks), cosmos 'Apricot Lemonade', nigella, scabiosa.

Hot & Happy

Zinnia mix, rudbeckia, calendula 'Indian Prince', salvia 'Hot Lips'.

Cool Calm

Cornflower, ammi, white cosmos, lavender, salvia nemorosa.

Pick one base + one accent + one highlight and repeat across containers for cohesion.

Arranging — from mini to statement

Mini jars & posies: sweet peas, violas, small cosmos, herbs. Cut in the cool; strip leaves below the water line.
Kitchen jug: cosmos, salvias, calendula, wallflowers, ammi. One 'air' element (ammi, grasses) keeps it light.
Statement vase: dahlias, gladioli, lilies. Add foliage structure first. Odd numbers (3, 5, 7) of focal stems work well.
Conditioning: re-cut stems under water, rest 2–4 hours cool. A pinch of sugar + citric acid + tiny bleach makes a passable preservative.

Sowing & planting calendar

Shift timings 2–3 weeks later in colder/windy regions, or 2–3 weeks earlier in mild conditions or under cover.

Plant	Sow indoors	Sow direct	Plant out	Bulb / tuber	Notes
Calendula	Feb–Apr	Mar–Jun; Sep*	Apr–Jun	—	*Autumn sow only in mild areas.
Cornflower	Feb–Apr	Mar–May; Sep	Apr–May	—	Full sun; good drainage.
Nigella	Feb–Apr	Mar–May; Aug–Sep	Apr–May	—	Hates root disturbance — sow in final pot.
Ammi majus	Feb–Apr	Mar–May; Sep	Apr–May	—	Stake early; cool-tolerant.
Scabiosa	Feb–Apr	Apr–May	May–Jun	—	Guard against slugs.
Cosmos	Mar–Apr	May–Jun*	Late May–Jun	—	Pinch at 15 cm for bushier plants.
Zinnia	Apr	Late May–Jun (warm)	Late May–Jun	—	Heat lovers; nights > 10°C.
Snapdragon	Jan–Mar	Apr–May (south)	May–Jun	—	Cool-tolerant blooms.
Sunflower (dwarf)	Mar–Apr	Apr–May	May–Jun	—	Stake from planting; 1 per 20 L+ tub.
Wallflower	Jun–Jul	Jun–Jul	Sep–Oct	—	Scented spring.
Sweet William	Jun–Jul	Jun–Jul	Sep–Oct	—	Great for spring cutting.
Salvia nemorosa	Feb–Apr	—	May–Jun	—	Trim after each flush; bee magnet.
Lavender	Feb–Mar	—	Apr–May	—	Gritty mix; full sun.
Tulips	—	—	—	Oct–Dec	Plant 2–3× bulb depth; 20 cm+ pot.
Narcissus	—	—	—	Sep–Nov	Compact types excel in pots.
Allium	—	—	—	Sep–Oct	Deep pots; underplant with violas.
Lilies	—	—	—	Feb–Apr	Stake early; free-draining.
Gladioli	—	—	—	Apr–Jun (stagger)	Plant in 2-week waves.
Dahlias	Feb–Apr	—	May–Jun	Apr–May	1 per 40 L; lift in cold regions.

Shortcut

When in doubt, sow later. A strong May planting often beats a weak early start.

Browse all 22

See every cut flower with full vase-life data

Now you've read the theory — see all 22 vase-tested cut flowers, each with honest vase-life in days, the exact stage to cut at, and how to condition each stem.

Open the cut-flower catalogue