Cut flowers for every season

Here's a selection of plants that you can use in arrangements throughout the year – grow them in your borders, or in a dedicated cut flower garden.

Early spring

Early spring: apple blossom, bergenia, camellia, daphne, garrya, hazel catkins, hellebore (pictured), Lonicera x purpusii, primrose, polyanthus.

Late spring

Late spring: aquilegia, Campanula persicifolia, euphorbia, garrya, honesty, lilac, lily-of-the-valley, peony (pictured), philadelphus, stocks, sweet rocket, sweet William, tulips and wallflower.

Early summer

Early summer: Acanthus mollis, agapanthus, alstroemeria (pictured), astilbe, astrantia, aquilegia, bupleurum, centaurea, gypsophila, helenium, lavender, Salvia x sylvestris 'Mainacht', scabious, sweet rocket, sweet William.

Late summer

Late summer: agapanthus, alstroemeria, astrantia, ceanothus, cosmos, dahlia, echinacea, eryngium, Japanese anemone, lavender, penstemon, phlox, red hot poker, scabious, stachys, thalictrum, tree peony, Verbena bonariensis, zinnias.

Early autumn

Early autumn: chysanthemum, dahlia (pictured), Japanese anemone, Michaelmas daisy, penstemon, red hot poker, rosemary, rudbeckia, hesperantha, Verbena bonariensis.

Late autumn

Late autumn: chrysanthemum (pictured), hypericum, ornamental grasses, Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis', hesperantha.

Winter

Winter: acacia, bergenia, daphne (pictured), hazel catkins, garrya, hellebore, Lonicera x purpusii, ornamental grasses, Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis', sarcococca, viburnum.

When to pick cut flowers

Pick flowers in the morning if possible, when their stems are full of water and they are not under stress from the heat of the day. Otherwise, wait until the evening.