Wednesday 2 April 2014

The Cutting Garden

Chancing upon a vase of flowers in a home always gives me a thrill. When I say flowers, I mean those cut from a garden close by, so fresh they awaken all the senses. I have long aspired to have a cutting garden so I was delighted to receive a request to review The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley.

One of the reasons I don't have flowers in the house more often is the guilt I feel about bringing in a thriving bloom which fades once in the vase. I may not be the only one who frets about this as it is one of the first issues Louise addresses in the section on what makes a great cut flower. All the flowers included in the book will last at least five days, some up to two weeks, before beginning to flag. This section also covers abundance and length of blooming.

The Cut Flower Patch is divided into the following chapters:

Planning a cutting patch-the darling girl has planting plans, from easy to advanced, and shopping lists
Recommended flowers with extensive information about each and a colour photograph:
Annuals & biennials

The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley
cornflower
Bulbs, corms & tubers


The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley

Foliage & fillers
Dianthus barbutus 'Green Trick'



Making your cutting patch

A page from Chapter 2 of The Cut Flower Patch



  • Caring for your patch
  • Cutting time
  • Showing off

The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley



The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley






The invaluable tips page takes any stress out of flower arranging-Louise is a proponent of quick and simple.


Rich pickings-plants to pick for each season
The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley
opium poppy seed heads
A year on the patch-Louise takes us through a year in her own cutting garden
It is hard not to be effusive about this book. Louise is a master of her craft. The book is crammed with detailed practical steps however her writing dances lightly across the page making it easy to absorb. The images, a delight for the eye, are used well and complement the text.

As with all books written on one side of the pond or the other, Louise is in England, resources are specific to that country. Don't let this put you off, however, as the book has a depth of knowledge which will be appreciated and useful to gardeners everywhere. All the plants mentioned grow well in most parts of the northern hemisphere.

Louise is the writer behind wellywoman a respected blog out of the U.K. The beautiful and abundant photographs in the book, some of which are featured in this post, are by Jason Ingram.

For anyone who understands the destruction caused by the commercial cut flower industry, but still wants flowers in the house, this book is the answer.

The Cut Flower Patch
Author: Louise Curley
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Frances Lincoln (March 6 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0711234752
ISBN-13: 978-0711234758
$21 average price

14 comments:

  1. As you know from reading my blog I love flowers in the house - this book sounds ideal for increasing my range.

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    1. Your blog inspired me to set aside time to bring flowers into the house.

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  2. Hi Susan,

    I use to feel the exact same way about bringing flowers into the house. I just couldn't bring myself to cut them until a few years ago. I'm so glad I made the change. They bring so much cheer and enjoyment. I also get to enjoy some of them before the bunnies snap the blooms off ... LOL!

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    1. I'm looking forward to having flowers in the house this year. We are surrounded by trees and one of my problems is finding somewhere light to place them.

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  3. I love cutting gardens. I have not exactly a cutting garden but I plant seedlings on every empty spot I can find in the garden for I love flowers in the house.

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    1. A great idea. I often have left over seeds and tuck them in other areas.

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  4. I want this book! And I too have a hard time buying flowers after what I have learned about where they travel from! I am off to look into this book friend! Thank you for sharing it! Nicole xoxo

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    1. The wellywoman blog has some interesting posts on the cut flower industry. It seems we can trust nothing.

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  5. I love flowers in the house, too and have always liked the idea of a cutting garden or patch. One day soon I hope to create one!

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    1. Having a dedicated patch was way down on my list but after reading this book I'm raring to go.

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  6. I love flowers in my home too, but I still feel "not-just-right" when I cut them to bring them in. In time, I may bring them in but for now I sit and see them out the windows in the sunroom (when Summer is here) and delight in that. JC

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    1. In summer I would do the same. I'm also working on where to put seating areas in the garden.

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  7. I grew up with cutting gardens and have them myself. There is nothing sweeter than the heady aroma of hand grown flowers. I love the cheeriness they bring to a room and it is always an expected surprise to enter a room and there they are.

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  8. I have longed to make a cutting garden but it will take planning so I will have time to read the book and prepare.

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