Flowers for cutting and other stuff

[womble]

Bear with me, I know nothing about flowers....

I want to put some in my front garden, its on heavy clay, but I will improve it with garden compost before I put anything in.

What I would like is a plant that will flower at about 3 or 4 feet high, a perennial, one that I can cut for flowers if I so wish, pretty and lastly, if at all possible one that flowers this year.
I don't mind buying one from a garden centre instead of growing from seed. But whenever I go to one I get completely confused and migrate towards my ancient home.......... the veg plants and fruit bushes.

So, if possible could I have more than one type? I already have a tall growing yellow one that looks a bit like a giant marigold, no idea what it is though.......... (a flower?) so another colour would be nice.

Thanks

[shirlthegirl43]

Dahlias come in lots of colours and styles and are good for cutting. You can plant them and get flowers this year.

I have some in an old tumble drier drum and I don't bother taking the tubers up over winter. They have survived 2 winters so far with no care whatever - well necessary for outdoor flowers as far as I am concerned

[womble]

Thanks I've just had a quick search online and it says you have to dig up the tubers each year, but you say you don't. I definitely do not want to be doing that, I want a plant and forget flower.

I'm confused now, you say one thing and websites say another.

Why are they in a tumble drier drum?

[scarey55]

... I already have a tall growing yellow one that looks a bit like a giant marigold, no idea what it is though.......... (a flower?) so another colour would be nice.

Thanks

This might be a calendula. I have loads in my front garden and they grow like mad and drop loads of seeds and always come back every year.

I am trying sweetpeas this year as cutting flowers and, as Shirley said, dahlias make lovely cut flowers. I know there are loads more but I can't think of them at the moment. I think Sarah Raven has mad a cut flower border - might be worth a Google search.

I've also found THIS THREAD on here that you might find interesting.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks I've just had a quick search online and it says you have to dig up the tubers each year, but you say you don't. I definitely do not want to be doing that, I want a plant and forget flower.

I'm confused now, you say one thing and websites say another.

Why are they in a tumble drier drum?

You are supposed to dig them up but lots of people don't bother and have no trouble with them coming back every year. Mine are in a tumble drier drum as I got fed up having a bare concrete patio which was blooming ugly - my neighbour had a new drum in her drier and I bagged the old one, half filled with polystyrene then topped up with compost and planted the dahlias. I now have a pretty display for some of the summer - and I can move it out of sight when it is in its ugly phase over winter My only grouch is that they are all yellow though I bought mixed tubers!!

*note to self - buy some coloured dahlia tubers to bung in soon!

[womble]

This might be a calendula. I have loads in my front garden and they grow like mad and drop loads of seeds and always come back every year.

I am trying sweetpeas this year as cutting flowers and, as Shirley said, dahlias make lovely cut flowers. I know there are loads more but I can't think of them at the moment. I think Sarah Raven has mad a cut flower border - might be worth a Google search.

I've also found THIS THREAD on here that you might find interesting.

It's not a calendula, just had a look online, its a perenial that seems to stay where it is and slightly expand each year, it has simple flower heads with single petals. The flower heads when left have what look like french marigold seed heads after flowering (tried with no success to germinate them) and they have strong thin slightly hairy stems.

I have sweet peas in a hanging basket already.

[terrier]

Low maintenance, 3 to 4 foot high, heavy clay soil, lots of flowers to cut in Summer through to early Winter? Plant ROSES, your choice is endless and bring freshly cut roses into your house, the scent is heavenly

[IgglePiggle]

My only grouch is that they are all yellow though I bought mixed tubers!!

*note to self - buy some coloured dahlia tubers to bung in soon!

Have you tried growing some from the seeds off your plants? They cross easy, my mum gave me some seeds off all yellow ones and I got red, peach and pure yellow! Also had some from Thompson & Morgan and they turned out white with red splashes on the petals!

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks for that IgglePiggle, can't say I have ever noticed the seeds though - will keep a closer watch this year.

[basketcase]

Lupins? Think they're a legume, so they'll put nitrogen into the soil too, won't they?

[Lavenderblue]

Flax.

I know i bang on a lot about flax but they are really pretty, go well on clay, you can collect the seed and keep re-sowing it and you can eat the seed as well. Its well worth trying to get hold of some seed and growing them. I don't have any more spare seed or I would happily have let you have a load. They are super pretty, honestly

[coreopsis]

Irises,helenium,rudbeckia,gaillardia,coreopsis
If you go to parker's website,they have quite big section of perennials-it's divided into tall,medium and small height.Have a look at the names-you may get them growing from seeds as well

[womble]

Low maintenance, 3 to 4 foot high, heavy clay soil, lots of flowers to cut in Summer through to early Winter? Plant ROSES, your choice is endless and bring freshly cut roses into your house, the scent is heavenly

Convince me that roses aren't hard work, catching diseases and needing constant looking after? Thorns?
I don't even like the look of them that much tbh.

I'm not being difficult on purpose, honest!

[Snadger]

I tend to rely on Chrysanths,Dahlias,Carnations, Gladioli and also annuals from seed such as Sunflowers, Larkspur,Cosmos,Lavatera,Cornflower,Calendula,Godetia etc etc etc!

[Sweepster]

Aquilegia - don't need to 'do' anything to them, and they will self-seed. Lavatera? (the shrub version). Other small flowering shrubs like Deutzia? Hemerocallis. Verbena bonaronsiensis (I completely made that last word up, but you know what I mean), though that's a bit taller. Campanulas. Echinacea. Foxglove (biennial but makes babies).