The Curriculum

• 1. Cutting and using plants from your own garden

  Discover the benefits of growing your own flowers for cutting, the different types you can grow to be sure of having something to cut at any time of year, and how to harvest them so they last as long as possible. Understand how different plants grow and where they produce flowers. 
Explore different types of plants that can be grown as cut flowers. 
Choose whether to use part of your garden as a cutting patch. 
Grow plants in suitable conditions, such as sheltered, warm well-lit positions. 
Identify the correct stage of development to cut flowers. 
Understand the best time of day to pick flowers. Know where to cut on the plant when harvesting. Understand the importance of plunging cut stems into bucket of water. Know how to re-cut stems to length in the appropriate way. Appreciate basic ‘balance’ in a simple floral vase arrangement. Learning what cut flowers need to last in a vase.

• 2. Sow plants from seed

  Learn about the different types of annuals and tender plants that can be grown from seed in a single season, how to sow them – either indoors or out – and the best place to grow the plants you’ve raised from seed. Identify the benefits of growing these plants en-masse for cutting. Understand the importance of successional sowing to create a regular supply of flowers to cut. Explore the different types of summer flowers and herb varieties that can be grown from seed. Understand what a seed is and the conditions required for germination. Discover the benefits of sowing in pots and protected sowing. Identify suitable annuals for sowing direct in the open ground. Choosing suitable compost, additives and preparing for sowing pots and containers. How to fill pots and trays with compost ready for sowing. Methods for sowing seed in containers. Which seeds to cover and which to leave uncovered. Watering methods for different seeds. Choosing the best place to grow summer flower and herbs in your plot. How to seed directly in the soil. Transplanting seedlings and young plants into their final positions. Caring for your crop of cut flowers.

• 3. Choosing herbaceous perennials to grow for cut flowers

  Identify the benefits of growing herbaceous plants, ornamental grasses and bulbs to provide material for cutting, choose the best places to grow them and make more plants so you’ve got plenty of flowers to pick. Understand what a perennial plant is and the meaning of herbaceous. Learn about the different types of bulbous material that can be grown for cutting in spring and summer. Select appropriate herbaceous perennials according to suitability for cutting. Build up a knowledge of suitable plants in this category to flower at different times of year. Discover the importance of ‘right plant right place’ when choosing Learn methods of extending the flowering season/period for these plants. Discover simple ways of propagating suitable herbaceous perennials to provide more flowers for cutting. Identify different plants that can provide seedheads and dried foliage for autumn and winter arrangements.

• 4. Growing shrubs and roses for cutting

  Learn how permanent plantings of garden shrubs and roses can provide useful foliage and flowers, discover the best way to prune them to get the right growth for cutting and find out how to treat the cut stems so they last in the vase. Identify the benefits of using foliage in floral arrangements. Discover the best types of trees and shrubs for foliage that are also decorative or perform a useful function in the garden. Select roses for repeat-flowering and other attributes that make them good for using as cut flowers. Harvest material from shrubs correctly so as not to damage the stems or the plant. Deadhead roses to encourage the production of a succession of blooms. Identify roses and shrub varieties that will go on to produce hips or berries for autumn and winter arrangements. Choose places in the garden to grow shrubs for foliage cutting. Discover how to prune suitable trees and shrubs to promote the growth of abundant, good quality foliage or coloured stems. Learn how to prune roses to encourage good stem length for cutting. Identify the best stage of flower development for cutting roses to bring indoors. Discover ways of cutting stems when harvesting and preparing for foliage or flower to extend their vase life.