Easy Gardens for Small Spaces

A Cutting Garden

What to plant: Tall, showy dahlias and gloriosa daisies (such as those pictured in this eight-foot-square plot) make lovely arrangements. Dwarf cosmos and salvia round out the mix.

Other options: Planting combinations are almost endless. Consider a scheme from one color family, like pinks or purples. Reliable, productive, long-lasting bloomers include snapdragons, China asters, lisianthus, mallow, and larkspur.

How to maintain: After planting, put down a two-inch layer of bark mulch to suppress weeds and slow evaporation of moisture from the soil. Any blossoms that aren’t cut for bouquets should be deadheaded (snipped off) when they fade.