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Cut-Flower Care: How to Make Fresh Flowers from Your Garden Last Indoors
It’s late spring, early summer. Your garden is in peak bloom, filled with vibrantly colored flowers. And now you’ve picked up an article urging you to cut those beautiful blossoms. “No, never!” you say. But this is precisely the time to create a stunning bouquet from the fruits of your labor, so you can enjoy the sights and smells of the garden inside your home as well as outside it.
As soon as the plants in my small border garden begin flowering, I begin cutting. I know that it only takes one gusty wind or heavy summer rain to destroy my beloved blooms. Cutting guarantees that at least some of my flowers will be spared this cruel fate.
There is another reason I cut: It encourages more flowering on my plants throughout the summer months and even into early fall. Periodic cutting performs the same function as deadheading—promoting more blooms by delaying the onset of fruit.
Of course, the main reason I cut is for the tremendous satisfaction I get seeing my garden-grown flowers sitting pretty in a vase on the kitchen table. The number of flowers needed depends on the size of the vase used. In order to avoid cutting too many, I add foliage to the arrangement. I use a branch or two from a tree or shrub, or some groundcover with assorted grasses. These materials help me create bouquets of various sizes and shapes.
I make sure to pick and condition my flowers properly, so they’ll have an extended vase life. There are many tricks in the cut-flower trade for creating long-lasting displays. Following are some of the best of them.
When to Cut
Early morning is the ideal time to cut fresh flowers. The flowers have had the benefit of cool night air and morning dew. Their stems are filled with water and carbohydrates and so are firm to the touch. As the day warms up, flowers gradually dehydrate. Midday is the least auspicious time to cut, as transpiration rates are at a peak and plants are rapidly losing moisture through their leaves. Flowers become limp; their necks become bent. If cut, they will not recuperate well and their vase life will probably be short.
When harvesting, have a bucket of water on hand to put the flowers in. Don’t dillydally; place the cut flowers in the bucket immediately. I like to use a plastic pail rather than a metal one because metal can affect the pH balance of the water.
Different types of flowers must be harvested at appropriate stages in their development. Flowers with multiple buds on each stem should have at least one bud showing color and one bud starting to open before being cut. This is true for spike flowers (salvias, agastaches, delphiniums, Eremurus, gladioli, snapdragons, stocks, larkspurs, and the like) as well as cluster flowers (agapanthus, Alstroemeria, baby’s breath, Clarkia, lilacs, phlox, Queen Anne’s lace, verbenas, yarrow, and silenes, for example). If gathered too early—while they’re still tightly budded—these flowers will not open in a vase of water.
By contrast, flowers that grow on individual stems (such as asters, calendulas, chrysanthemums, dahlias, Datura, gerbera daisies, marigolds, sunflowers, Tithonia, and zinnias) should be cut when fully open.
When selecting foliage, look for firm leaves and stems with strong coloration.
Cutting Tools and Techniques
Always use clean, sharp utensils when cutting flowers. Knives, clippers, or shears can be employed. Never use ordinary household scissors. The gauge on scissors is set for paper or fabric, not for flower stems, which are bulkier. Using scissors will crush their vascular systems and prevent proper water uptake.
Flower and foliage stems that have been left out of water, even for a short period of time, seal up and inhibit the absorption of water. Air bubbles sometimes enter the stem and prevent a steady flow of water. In order to prevent this from happening, some people cut their flowers under water before transferring from bucket to vase. However, I have found this to be awkward. Custom-cutting the flower stem in open air and immediately placing it in the vase of water is usually fine.
Cut all flowers and foliage about one inch from the bottom of a main stem. Make the slice at an angle of about 45 degrees. Cutting at an angle provides a larger exposed area for the uptake of water. It also enables the stem to stand on a point, allowing water to be in contact with the cut surface. Remove all the lower foliage that would be submerged in water. This will retard bacterial growth, which shortens the vase life of flowers and makes the water smell foul.
Pointers for illustrating a rose in a vase
[“china”]
Roses have been generally loved worldwide for ages. They are most well-known as ornamental plants grown for their lovely flowers. People have started to cultivate the roses for decorations and other uses as early as 500 BC in China, Persia and Mediterranean countries.
Roses /VCG Photo
Roses /VCG Photo
Roses are also used as symbols of love. On Valentine’s Day, millions of cut roses are sent in the name of love. A red rose signifies love and passion; pink rose, expressing appreciation; yellow rose, friendship; white rose signifies innocence. In China, a rose bouquet with 99 stems means “forever love.”
Some best roses for cutting. /CGTN Infographics
Some best roses for cutting. /CGTN Infographics
But how to take care of these beautiful but delicate cut roses? Here are some useful tips.
1. Once you receive the roses, unwrap them as soon as possible.
2. Clean the vase thoroughly before you put your roses inside.
Roses in vases. /VCG Photo
Roses in vases. /VCG Photo
3. Instead of filling the vase with cold water, fill half of it with lukewarm water because warmer water is easier for flowers to absorb.
4. Use floral preservative to extend the life of cut roses. If you don’t have one, you can make your own recipe. Mix one-pint Sprite, one half teaspoon bleach which can kill bacteria with one-pint warm water.
There are hundreds of species of roses and thousands of cultivars. /VCG Photo
There are hundreds of species of roses and thousands of cultivars. /VCG Photo
5. Now you can put roses in your vase. But firstly, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle under water for quick absorption. Then remove any leaves that fall below the water line. Submerged leaves can rot and pollute the water.
6. Don’t cut the stems too short, as it’s necessary to trim them again a few days later to keep the roses fresh.
Kitten pawing vase of roses. /VCG Photo
Kitten pawing vase of roses. /VCG Photo
7. Place the roses in a cool place; avoid direct sunlight or heat and keep them away from fresh fruits especially apples. The ripening fruits can hasten the aging process of flowers.
8. When water becomes cloudy, change it and wash the vase. Clean and recut the stems. Repeat the steps for maximum life of roses.
