If you want good flowers find your sunniest spot. It may be in front of a southern window, on the patio or at the edge of a balcony. Then pick some of the shorter growing but colorful plants including angelonia, begonias, crossandra, impatiens, marigolds, pentas, salvia, torenia and zinnias for the summer months. Even some herbs including basil, chives and mint may produce flowers that can be added to arrangements.
Grow one plant to a container or add several to form a small cutting garden. Don't crowd the plants, allow them a little room to produce new shoots with plenty of blooms. Then use these tips to encourage growth.
- Water when the surface of the soil begins to feel dry to the touch.
- Feed weekly with a 20-20-20 or similar fertilizer solution
- Give plants in the window a quarter turn each week to ensure uniform growth.
- Cut stems of flowers for arrangements but leave as much green foliage on the plants as possible.
- Remove flowers that remain on the plants as they fade to encourage new buds.
Most annual flowering plants last 6 to 8 weeks and then decline. It's best to grow a collection of different types in various stages of growth to always have plants in bloom.