Anyone growing flowers for cutting?

[californiaburrito]

...and interested in doing some seed swapping?

This will be my first year, having only just removed six skips of concrete and hardcore and replaced it with 17 tons of topsoil. I've just got two beds and some ground next to the trampoline, so not a lot of space. I've just totaled up my wishlist which has come to nearly £50 in seeds!!!

Clearly, I am greedy.

I am useless at growing from seed but, like you, would love to grow flowers for cutting. I'm going to go for plug plants.

Do you have a seed swap near you? They often share space with local potato days.

Local potato days? Don't know what that is but it sounds awesome. I'm in London so most people I know don't do much growing.

Potato days are where aficionados go to buy their seed potatoes as they have dozens of varieties, unlike most garden centres. A pal of mine used to organise one in south London, but that seems not to be happening this year, possibly because the (wonderful) RHS has muscled in.

There's quite a big horticultural scene in London, if you know where to look!

I am and have bought LOADS of seeds. What are you interested in? I don't actually think I have anything left on my wishlist though!

Thanks for the info about the potato days MaudantWit. I can see I've got lots of investigating to do...

silversixpence this is my current wish list. If you see anything on it that you'd like let me know. I'd love to hear what you've got, just for curiosity's sake.

Cosmos- Sweet sixteen
Centurea- Black ball and Blue ball
Nigella- hispanica and Africa Bride
Linaria maroccana
Scabious- Burgundy Beau and Ping Pong
Sweet pea- Macatuna, Painted Lady, Midnight
Cobea- not sure about which color
Rudibeckia- Cherry Brandy
Cerinthe Major
Zinnia- Sarah Raven's pale zinnia collection
Feverfew
Honesty
Ten week stocks
And the flower of my people the California poppy- probably "Ivory Castle" as I'm not a huge fan of orange.

Is honesty easy to grow? I've always loved it (child of 70s!)
I'm doing roses... because they're already there

Medoc I'm not sure if it's easy but being a child of the 70s as well I'm absolutely compelled to give it a go.

I'd love to have some roses but it will have to wait until I get the middle bit of the garden done. All I was left with is a dandelion meadow masquerading as a lawn and heaps of pampas grass.

I see we have similar taste :)

I have the Sarah raven pale zinnia collection, all the sweetpeas, cerinthe major, Sarah raven nigella double white and rudbeckia cherry brandy. I'm interested in scabious ping pong and linaria, and was also considering helichrysum from higgedy gardens.

The sweet peas cerinthe and zinnias only came with a few seeds so will need to check how many I need.

You do have excellent taste....

I could totally go for some helichrysum. I'll put them with the honesty in my nostalgia garden.

If you feel you have enough seeds to swap, let me know, but no pressure.

ok I've just checked and there are 12 each of the sweetpeas and 30 of the pale zinnia collection, so I am sure I'll have some to spare. I also have night scented stocks and some other type of stocks and nigella from Aldi. The Nigella came up fine last year but I didn't try the others. Let me know when you're ready to swap and what you have and we can work something out.

Bumping for more cutting flower chat if anyone's interested?

I have about 25-30 types of flowers I'd like to grow. Can't really work out how much space to dedicate at the allotment and how many plants of each I need. Using Sarah raven as a guide, she suggests 3.5x4m for about 100 seedlings. Not sure I will have that much space available without sacrificing a lot of space for veg.

What is everyone else doing?

I was a bit inspired by Rachel de Thame's cutting garden so I bought a load of seeds in Wilko a few months ago, and they were all reduced to clear - mainly sunflower varieties, cosmos and livingstone daisies. Have also got tons of seeds collected from my Nicotiana and Cosmos last year, so am hoping for a bumper crop of those if they haven't got too damp in the cold frame! I haven't decided whether to clear a patch for a cutting garden, or to scatter guerilla style and hope for the best....

Garden already has about 7 different rose varieties, Buddleia, crocosmia, Aqualegia, Feverfew, Achillea and Day Lilies.

My wish list is stocks, sweet peas. I'd love to grow delphiniums and lupins, but the slugs keep getting them so I've given up!

I am this year after having a fair few vases from my new border last year.

I've got some snapdragon on the window sill and just sown sweet peas and that is as far as I am so far. Just dug out some anemones which need soaking. Loads of seeds in a drawer that I've collected over thd past year which I must sort out.

Went to a closing down sale today and have loads more roses to go in plus some veronica. I really need to organise myself a bit. Also I need some Dahlias which I haven't sorted yet.

Also looking for a Eucalyptus tree to put in for foliage.

Eucalyptus tree is more of a bush currency and now in the ground. Couldn't cope with £40 for a big tree.