a STEP-BY-STEP PLAN FOR CREATING A PICKING GARDEN
- Depending on your outdoor area, choose a suitable spot for your picking garden. Do you have a large garden? Then you can make your picking garden in a spare flowerbed. Do you have a small garden, balcony or patio? Then create a picking garden in pots, containers or boxes. Whatever you do, choose a sunny spot, as that is where annual picking garden flowers grow best.
- Think about what plants you like, what colour combinations make you happy, what smells you like, and then adjust your choice of plants accordingly. Create a mix of richly flowering perennials, bulbs and annuals which will also remain beautiful in a vase for a good long time. Think, for example, of a combination of perennials such as delphiniums, sundew, knotweed, gypsophila and climbing roses, together with annuals such as cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds and snapdragons.
- Finished your wish list? Then go shopping! Don't just think about the plants, but also other necessities, such as a sharp pair of secateurs to pick your flowers with.
- Prepare the soil, container, box or pot for planting - get some tips here. Would you rather sow your own plants instead of a ready-made picking garden? Then mark the spring of 2023 in your diary, because that is the best time to sow.
- Enjoy your picking garden and reap the benefits! And don't forget: gardening is all about patience. It is a matter of trial and error, of picking and revising. Not all plants will grow equally well in your picking garden. It takes some time to discover what works best.
tips for creating a picking garden
Once you have created a picking garden, you will naturally want to enjoy it to the full. We will give you a few tips to maximise your picking pleasure:
- Don't have much room for a picking garden? Then combine cut flowers from the florist with a few flowers from your own garden. This will produce a surprising and playful bouquet, such as the one in this colourful bouquet of flowers and plants.
- Pick flowers in the early morning or late evening, when it's cool. Use sharp secateurs for this. Make sure to cut long stems, so you can cut all the stems of your bouquet to the same length.
- Place the plucked flowers in a clean vase with fresh water as soon as possible. Remove any leaves that get into the water to prevent them from rotting.
- Pick flowers that have just opened. Flowers with long spikes, such as delphiniums, should be picked when about half of the flowers have opened.
- Do not place your bouquet in bright sunlight or near a fruit bowl, as this will reduce its blooming time.
- Tip: to enjoy your flowers even longer, you can dry them yourself. It's easy to do this on the washing line! See our instructions here.
A PICKING GARDEN FOR CHILDREN
Gardening with children is fun, but can also be a challenge. Before you know it, your carefully arranged planter has been turned into a sandpit and flowers have been deadheaded a bit too enthusiastically. It's very possible, however, to create a little garden for your little ones which is made just for them. Here's how to create a picking garden for children:
- Involve your offspring in the whole process and give them responsibility. Decide together what the picking garden will look like. What are their favourite flowers? What are their favourite colours and scents? Visit a garden centre and get to work together.
- Create a separate, mini picking garden where children can do their own thing. It's a win-win for everyone: you will have less to worry about your flowers being cut too early, and chances are the kids will blossom from being responsible for their own colourful blooms. They will be proud of the bouquets they can make for grandpa, grandma, friends, neighbours or for themselves!
- If your space is limited, try playing with height instead. Choose flowering plants in hanging baskets or place pots on a plant rack. In the example above, we used red sunflower, carnation, lavender and salvia.
- Is your kid really not a fan of flowers (maybe they make them sneeze!) or you're looking for activities with more structure? These 6 outdoor activities for children always do the trick.
- After exertion comes relaxation! Retreat into the kitchen with your offspring for a well-deserved thirst-quenching fruity drink, or try making these vegan biscuits with a plant print. You could even have a picnic outdoors next to your flowers.
MORE INSPIRATION
Need some more picking garden inspiration? Then discover how to create a picking garden full of colourful plants or for home cooks, create a picking garden with edible herbs and flowers. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
In the picking garden shown above we used sunflower, lampshade grass, giant lavender, physalis, allium, pineapple plant, Coreopsis Grandiflora, crocosmia, ironheart, dahlia, purplebell, dill, phlox, wild delphinium, licorice plant and prachtriet.
