We use fresh summer flowers across the Amesbury Abbey and Sutton Manor, often using them to make pretty arrangements to instantly brighten up our homes.
There are plenty of cut flowers that you can easily grow either in your borders or in pots and containers; here are some of our favourites.
Sweet peas
Dainty, sweetly scented sweet peas are a firm favourite as a cut flower and very rewarding to grow.
The beauty of sweet peas is that they need to be picked regularly to ensure repeat flowering – you'll have so many, you will fill all your vases and still have plenty to give to friends!
Roses
A huge vase of romantic garden roses is a sure sign summer is here. Look for repeat bloomers with strong fragrance so your house will be filled with perfume all summer long.
Roses come in a huge variety of sizes and colours and hybrid teas, floribunda and shrub roses all work well in a cut flower garden.
Cut roses in the morning so they’re at their freshest and select some that are just opening and some more blown to give variety to your arrangement. Deadhead regularly to encourage new flowers.
Dahlias
Dahlias are popular with bees and butterflies and, with a dazzling array of shapes, colours and sizes to choose from, they are one of the most popular flowers to grow in a cutting garden.
They have a long vase life and will give you a good supply of dazzling blooms right through summer – the more you cut, the more they bloom!
Lavender
Fresh lavender works beautifully as a fragrant addition to a vase of roses - just make sure you remove all flowers below water level, or they will rot. If you display fresh lavender in a vase with no water, it dries on its own and its fragrance intensifies.
Phlox
Phlox are classic cottage garden plants, ideal for the middle of a border, and make pretty cut flowers, too.
Delphinium
Towering, jewel-coloured delphiniums make an eye-catching addition to the back of a border and make stunning cut flowers.
Hydrangeas
From the frothy, creamy-white blooms of the Annabelle hydrangea to the lovely Lacecap, hydrangeas make an impact wherever you put them, and also make excellent dried flowers.