This garden is a destination for those interested in cultivating and picking their own flowers, emphasizing a colorful and biodiverse approach. It provides guidance and resources, including workshops and special kits, to help individuals design and grow their own vibrant cutting gardens, attracting beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.
The flowers available for self-picking or cultivation, suitable for creating beautiful bouquets, include a wide variety of both annuals and perennials. Among these are:
- Dahlias: Highly valued for their diverse forms and vibrant colors, essential for late-season bouquets.
- Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus): Beloved for their abundant, fragrant blooms. Perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) are also mentioned, though they are less fragrant and primarily available in white or pink.
- Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis): A soft yellow flower, excellent for combining.
- Phlox: Taller varieties (paniculata) are grown in beautiful colors.
- Verbena bonariensis (Ironweed): Considered indispensable, it readily self-seeds.
- Rudbeckia ‘Henry Eilers’ (Coneflower): Known for its long-lasting quality in a vase.
- Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ (Snowball Bush): An early spring bloomer with white clusters.
- Agastache (Hyssop): Available with long spikes, also in white.
- Achillea ptarmica ‘The Pearl’ (Sneezewort): Features delicate white flowers with a charming yellow center.
- Geum (Avens): Offered in a range of colors, pairing well with others.
- Myosotis (Forget-me-not): An early spring bloom.
- Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): A classic, sun-loving daisy.
- Knautia (Scabious) and Echinacea (Coneflower) species.
- Zinnias: A popular choice for their sturdy stems and long vase life, coming in various heights and warm tones like orange, red, and pink.
- Cosmos: An easy and rewarding flower, available in white, pink, orange, and red, with diverse flower shapes from single to filled.
- Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower): Including unique varieties like ‘Black Knight’, known for attracting butterflies and bees.
- Lavatera (Mallow): Such as ‘Silver Cup’ (bright pink), ‘Pink Blush’ (soft pink), and ‘Mont Blanc’ (white), providing large, cup-shaped flowers. The taller Malva sylvestris ‘Mystic Merlin’ (Tall Mallow) with purple blooms is also cultivated.
- Bishop’s Flower (Ammi Majus): A white umbellifer often used for adding texture, with alternatives like Orlaya Grandiflora and Ammi Visnage.
- Cornflowers (Centaurea): Historically blue, now also found in pink, white, light blue, and purple, perfect for rustic bouquets.
- Love-in-a-mist (Nigella): Appreciated for its blue and white flowers and decorative seed pods, which can also be used as dried flowers.
- Salvia viridis (Clary Sage): A distinctive plant with colorful bracts, blooming in pink or blue.
- Bupleurum (Hare’s Ear): With green-yellow flower screens, serving as a versatile filler.
Additionally, early spring flowers such as Bluebells, Anemones, and Ranunculus can extend the picking season, while Helenium varieties can prolong it into November. The garden also recognizes the potential for cultivating edible flowers for culinary use.
What visitors say
A new garden owner found invaluable guidance from Marjolein in transforming a multitude of ideas into a manageable and smart picking garden. Marjolein’s extensive knowledge and experience were precisely what was needed, further enhanced by a thoughtful gift of seeds and plants. The reviewer highly recommends ‘Pluktuin’ (Picking Garden), a book co-authored by Marjolein. This book is praised for its clear and simple approach, making it accessible for any beginner, even those without a traditional garden, as it focuses on cultivating in containers and pots. Its beautiful design, featuring drawings instead of photographs, makes it particularly engaging. The overall experience was deemed well worth the investment, highlighting Marjolein’s palpable passion for gardens, plants, and flowers. Marjolein, in turn, expressed gratitude for the sweet and beautiful review, cherishing these interactions as a gift of shared enthusiasm, and even hinted at a future visit to see the garden’s progress.