The Best Flowers to Grow for Cutting — Roz's Top Ten

Choosing the best flowers to grow for cutting is the single decision that sets up your whole season. Over twenty years of growing on our Buckinghamshire farm, these ten have earned their place on every bed, every year.

Whether you're new to growing, running a small cutting patch in your back garden, or farming flowers commercially, these are the varieties I recommend you start with — generous yields, beautiful vase life, and (mostly) easy to grow from seed.

Ammi Majus

Lace-capped white flowers that add structure and airiness to any bouquet. Grows beautifully from seed and self-seeds once established. A must for natural, wild-romantic arrangements.

Cornflowers

Traditionally blue, cornflowers now come in many more colours — white, pink, almost black ('Black Ball' is a favourite). Cut and come again, long vase life, classic British cottage-garden feel.

Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist)

Beautiful, natural nigella is one of my top picks. Its small equal structure brings a quiet formality to loose arrangements. Seed heads also dry beautifully for autumn use.

Scabious

Annual scabious germinates quickly and is almost unkillable once established. Incredible range of colours, from white to deep burgundy. Pollinators love them too.

Sweet Peas

Perhaps the most iconic British cut flower — heavenly scent, hundreds of cultivars, and relatively easy to grow up canes or pea netting. Sow in autumn for the earliest flowers, or late winter for a steady supply.

Amaranthus

Trailing burgundy or green spikes that add incredible drama and texture to arrangements. Grows huge if you let it — brilliant for wedding installations.

Dahlias

The most diverse cut flower — cactus, pompon, dinnerplate, ball, decorative. All shapes, every colour. Café au Lait remains the wedding favourite on our farm.

Cosmos

Generally the easiest annual flower to grow, cosmos flower as quickly as you can cut them. Good soil gives you a jungle all summer. Hard to beat a vase full of cosmos on a kitchen table.

Tulips

We grow over 30,000 tulips every year. Pick long-stemmed varieties for cutting — standards for the garden won't hold up in a vase. Plant in November, enjoy from April.

Roses

Fragrant, elegant, often surprisingly robust. My favourite is David Austin's 'Queen of Sweden' — long upright stems, repeat-flowering, perfect for bouquets.

Bonus — Mint & Rosemary

If you're growing for cutting, plant plenty of herbs. Mint and rosemary grow fast, smell incredible, and add structure and fragrance to every arrangement.

Where to go next

Need a dedicated bed? Read how to create a no-dig flower bed — my preferred method for quick, sustainable, weed-suppressing beds. Starting from scratch? The absolute beginner's guide to growing flowers is your next stop.