Garden Spaces: Plans for a Cutting Garden
By Kathleen Halloran
April/May 2007
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Click on the image to zoom in.
Illustration by Gayle Ford
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• Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla mollis): Exquisite clusters of yellow-green flowers rise above foliage that catches the morning dew. This hardy perennial grows to about 2 1/2 feet.
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• Yarrow (Achillea spp.): Long-lasting flowers. Many varieties are available in yellow, red, pink and white. Try ‘Coronation Gold’, ‘Moonshine’ or ‘The Pearl’. Will spread, but controllable. Hardy perennial to about 3 feet.
• Artemisia (Artemisia ludoviciana): While generally too aggressive for the average garden, try the better-behaved ‘Valerie Finnis’, a hardy perennial that stays to about 2 feet.
• Pinks (Dianthus spp.): For small arrangements, include an assortment of this wide-ranging genus, including the little carnation relatives, D. caryophyllus and D. ×allwoodii. In the garden, they are low-growers, generally under 1 foot.
• Globe thistle (Echinops ritro): The intricate, blue spiny seed pods add a touch of whimsy to arrangements. Hardy perennial, to 2 feet.
• Baby’s-breath (Gypsophila paniculata): This hardy shrub comes in both white and pink varieties, can reach about 4 feet. ‘Bristol Fairy’ has pure white, double flowers.
• Rose (Rosa spp.): With so many to choose from, go for the color you like best and a full flower that will unfold its petals in the warmth of the house. Try the wonderful old pink polyantha shrub rose ‘Cecile Brunner’, 3 to 4 feet tall, or ‘Chrysler Imperial’, a rich red hybrid tea that performs well on a 4- to 6-foot shrub.