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Question
I have an Olmstead garden, live across from the L.I. Arboretum and would like to find someone that would help us plant a flower garden with cutting flowers. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you.
Martin Viette has an excellent consulting service. You can see their work up and down Northern Boulevard, but they do smaller projects as well. The Long Island Nursery & Landscape Assn will direct you to their most prominent and/or most feted award-winning nurseries.
That said, you should make sure you have the right stuff to begin with.
Cutting gardens must have:
1. Full sun (morning, noon and night)
2. Diligent care (out of sight, out of mind; make sure you can access this plot twice or thrice daily as the weather heats up and water evaporates in the blink of an eye)
3. Cutting flowers
If it's Roses you're contemplating, make sure you select Roses for their long vase life expecancy. Anything less and you risk picking petals up off the floor because the flower shatters upon being cut (you need flowers for their longevity and long stems).
If you want to tackle this yourself, I recommend the Delphinium-specialists, Graceful Gardens:
www.gracefulgardens.com
They have several packages that you would be lucky to plant, and may get even luckier than that. I recommend the Delphiniums highly. Superb cutting flowers, btw.
Thanks for writing!
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Answers by Expert:
Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.
Experience
I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.
Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.
Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.
Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.
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