Today most of us don't have room for a cutting garden, but we can create an integrated garden. In other words we can pack favorite cut flowers in the mixed border. Group perennials and annuals for cutting in with other annuals and perennials for color. Add woody evergreens to give year-round appeal. When choosing flowers, start with your favorites and those that have proven their adaptability for the climates of the South.
Zinnias are among the best with bold colors and flowers shapes to please just about anyone.
Annuals or double-flowered marigolds like Discovery, Voyager, Antigua and Marvel are nice choices. Perennials' increased popularity offers us some of the best cut flowers. You can't beat the purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, garden phlox or liatris. Trees and shrubs also can be important cut flowers. The buddleia or butterfly bush is gaining recognition as a cut flower.