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In an ideal world, with limitless money, time, and energy, we might have all of these elements in our cutting gardens. Until then, pick and mix and go as small or large as your space allows.

Trees and large shrubs – if you have the luxury of space, consider planting trees for blossom and flowering branches and shrubs to give you long stems of through the year. It’s an investment of both time and money as it takes a while before they’ll be ready to harvest, but once they’re established they’ll give the garden year-round structure and height as well as keeping you in cutting material. In an exposed garden, plant trees and shrubs to create a windbreak to protect your plants. And plant on a north-facing boundary so they do not cast shadow on the rest of the garden.

Perennials – it’s a delight to be able to raid a perennial bed and not have to worry about how it will look afterwards. Keeping your perennials in one bed and growing them in rows or blocks helps you think of them as a crop, not a garden display. Plant larger shrubs in threes and smaller in fives or sevens to give plenty to harvest from. Check the heights and spreads of the plants – you can position them a little closer together in a cutting garden.

Sweet peas in rows – growing your sweet peas in rows makes tending and picking much easier. Plant them out with about 8 in (20cm) between plants in two rows per 47 in (120cm) wide bed.

A dahlia bed – double up in your growing space by either planting tulips or narcissi in the same bed. If you lift your dahlias each to overwinter them inside, use the space for tulips (pulling the bulb up as you pick). If you keep your dahlias in the ground – plant narcissi bulbs (plant the naricissi first and the tubers on top). Plant the dahlias about 24 in (60cm) apart.

A rose bed – repeat-flowering roses will bloom heavily first in early summer with another flush later in the year – some varieties will gently re-bloom through the summer. As a general guide, plant the roses about 24 in-39 in (60cm -100cm) apart – one or two rows per bed. I plant narcissi bulbs and hardy annuals like nigella in the space surrounding them.

Mint bed – mint can be a bit of a brute in the garden as spreads quite aggressively via its roots. It’s best to contain the plant to one large pot or container – or give it a bed all of its own. It will need lifting and dividing every four years or so.

Allow yourself paths for tending and harvesting.