Sometimes it just comes down to a choice of leaving your blooming flowers outside to enjoy or cutting a few to bring that beauty indoors. When fresh flowers are displayed on a kitchen table or end tables in the family room, they catch peoples eyes. Fresh cut flowers make a statement in any room of your home or office. I believe a vase of flowers in your office will cheer your co-workers up and when a visitor enters it sends a message of a friendly and approaching atmosphere.

I suggest you plant a bed of flowers just for cutting. It will take a little planning to set one up as you have to keep in mind that it is a cutting garden so you need to plan it out a little differently. Think of your cutting garden as a vegetable plot; leave yourself wide paths so you can easily enter the flower bed to cut your flowers. You don't have to plant in rows but when you design the bed, allow for wide paths. Pick a sunny spot that has good drainage and let your creative juices flow when selecting the plants. I would suggest a mix of perennials and annuals. I like adding annuals because they are so easy to grow and most of them bloom profusely throughout the summer. Plus, every year will be a little different as you will want to experiment with new annual varieties.

When placing your plants be sure to plant the taller plants at the back of the garden so they won't shade out the smaller plants. Also, be sure to mulch your garden at least 2 - 3 inches deep to control weeds and also give you a walking path when the garden is wet.

Happy Cutting!