My cutting garden has slowly faded away as the days and nights have grown colder.  Yesterday, my husband made me a sweet bouquet from the last of the zinnias.  The sunflowers stopped blooming weeks ago, although I have been saving the seed heads for winter food for the birds.  The cosmos and black-eyed susans have just a few scattered flowers.  The coneflowers, daisies and all the rest are completely gone.  Saying goodbye to the cutting garden is hard but all gardeners know that the garden needs a time of rest just like we do.

At the end of the growing season I like to assess how the garden grew this past year and then make plans for an even better garden next year.  If you grew a cutting garden this year, then you’ll also want to take some time to determine what worked and what didn’t.  So let’s look at some of the areas that might need adjusting.

Cutting Garden Assessment…

Flower Production

How well our plants produced flowers is our first consideration.  The main reason we grow a cutting garden is to have those beautiful flowers to cut.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

• Did you get enough of each type of flower that you grew?  Should you grow more or less?
• Were the flowers healthy with large blooms?
• Did the flowers have sturdy stems that held up well in your bouquets?
• Was there a good mix of colors for making attractive arrangements?
• Did you enjoy working with the mix of flowers that you grew?
• Were they beautiful in your garden as well as in a bouquet?

Related:  How to Create a Cutting Garden

Garden Space

Where we grow our cutting garden is usually out of sight.  But not out of mind.  I spend a lot of time in my cutting garden, deadheading, weeding and just relaxing.  Here are some questions to ask yourself about where you grow your cutting garden.

• Did you have enough space for all the plants you grew?
• Were your plants too crowded and difficult to get to?
• Did you have enough flowers for making bouquets?
• Would you like to expand your cutting garden area for next year?
• Do you have a place to sit in your cutting garden to enjoy the blooms, birds and bees?

Types of Flowers

The mix of flowers that you grow will affect the attractiveness of your bouquets.  It’s nice to have some full blooms, some tall spires and some wispy flowers.  Ask yourself these questions to see if you need a different mix of blooms.

• Did you enjoy the types of flowers you grew?  My advice is to only grow flowers that you love.
• Were there any fussy and difficult to grow flowers?  Garden life is too short for any problem flower.
• Were the flowers long-lasting in a bouquet?
• Did you like the look of your bouquets?
• Are there any new types of flowers that you want to grow?
• Did you grow any plants with attractive foliage?  This makes a nice contrast to your flowers.

Related:  Simple Tips for Arranging Flowers

Other Concerns

You might have noticed some problems with your cutting garden.  Take some time to think about the garden overall and ask these questions.

• Did you have any special pest issues with your flowers? You don’t want to give away flowers covered with aphids for example.
• Were you able to easily access your flowers to cut?
• How easy was it to water and maintain your cutting garden?
• Did you enjoy having a cutting garden?
• How much work is the end of season?  Most plants can just be pulled up and composted.  But if you grew bulbs like dahlias, then they will need to be dug up and stored for the winter.

Once you go through these questions and assess how the cutting garden went this year, you will be better able to plan for next year.  That means that you can get a head start next year because you will know exactly what you need to buy.  You will be able to get your flowers growing sooner and that means more flowers to enjoy.

Having a cutting garden brings so many wonderful joys to your life and those who benefit from our flowers.  With a little planning and preparation you can grow a beautiful garden of flowers.  If you have never grown a cutting garden but you want to get started then you can also use this assessment to help plan for next year.  To make it easy to keep track of your answers, I created a cutting garden assessment form that you can use.  Just sign up above for my email and instantly get the free Garden Assessment Form.

Print out a copy of my garden assessment to make it easy to answer these helpful questions.  Then you will be all set to go for growing your cutting garden next year.  I can’t wait to get started!