New to cut flowers
Please be kind I'm totally new to this! I'm in 9b/10a, Phoenix Metro area.
On a whim I decided to grow cut flowers this year. Did a miniscule amount of research and decided on African marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons, and carnations. Didn't plan the bed very well I think. Zinnias and cosmos seem to be doing ok? At least they're making flowers.
I have questions- I read that I'm supposed to cut back a bit when I cut zinnias and cosmos so they grow better and not leave the flowers on the plant too long. Is this really the case? I feel like I'm trying to battle Hydra with my cosmos.
Also, my marigolds, snapdragons and carnations are taking much longer than the seed packet said they'd take to bloom. I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong. We've had some early heat this year, could this be causing slow growth? I read they like the heat so I'm not sure what's going on.
The bed gets morning sun, filtered midday sun, and afternoon shade. I soak plants in the morning and that's it. Sometimes I go out with a watering can in the morning and touch up any areas that look particularly dry.
My watering system broke and had excessively high pressure for a day when I had just sowed the seeds so there was quite a bit of mix-ups and seeds not exactly where I wanted them. I tried to move some plants around for better airflow but wasn't sure how big a deal the current layout is.
I would love some feedback on how to improve, either what I can do now or what I should change for next year.
Thanks so much!