Plant Care and Gardening Tips

Gardening advice and plant care notes

February 1, 2015 · CUT FLOWER CARE / cut flower tips / Daffodils / Roses

Cut flower tips

Long-lasting Cut flower tips:

Now a days, cut flowers can be bought just about anywhere. The quality and longevity depends on the care the cut flowers receive; from the moment they leave to grower to the time they are displayed at their final destination.

Valentine bouquet

Here are some helpful tips to get the maximum life span from any cut flowers.

1. Add a floral preservative such Crysal, Floralife to a clean vase and fill half way with tepid water. If you don’t have any make your own 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp bleach, 2 tsps. lemon juice to 1 qt. of lukewarm water.

2. With a sharp knife or clippers recut 1-2 inches off the bottom of the stem and place immediately in tepid water. The preferred way is to cut the stems under water.

3. Remove any foliage that will be underwater. Deteriorating leaves can generate more bacteria shortening your flower life.

4. Check the water level and be sure all stems are in water. Add more water when needed. Change the water and recut the stems every 3-5 days. If it gets cloudy change more often.

5. Display your flowers away from direct sun, heating vents or cold drafts.

6. Store your flowers in a cool room and cover them with a plastic bag to increase humidity. You can also store them in a refrigerator at temperatures of 40-50 degrees but be sure that you don’t have any fruit or vegetables that can emit ethylene gas causing them to wilt or die rapidly.

When you purchase cut flowers don’t store them in too hot or too cold temperatures-tepid water will do.
Some flowers may have a discoloration at the bottom of the stem, this indicates that the flower underwent a pre-treatment by the grower to further extend vaselife. It is not a disease.

more info on cut roses

 

From the reader archive

Useful reader questions

Grow a cut flower garden I am just starting to garden and would like some suggestion on what to plant. I want to plant a cut flower garden. I live in zone 17 and have a12 foot square area to garden. It…

Read Suzanne discussion

My daughter is doing a science fair project on keeping cut flowers alive longer. We had six glasses: the ones that did the best were the plain water (oddly enough), the one with vodka (1 tbsp. – but it never opened up,…

Read Lisa Foley discussion

Bougainvillea Hi, I have a lot of bougainvillea in my garden and love to have it inside in arrangements, but whenever I do it seems to start wilting almost immediately, and never lasts more than a day. Am I just doing something…

Read Alex discussion

Preserving lily flowers I have recently received a new bouquet of lilies. I have struggled to find ways to preserve them – my first bouquet died. I understand that we cannot hang them to dry like we can with roses. I have…

Read Christine discussion

17 Comments

  1. AMF - June 10, 2006 at 5:32 pm

    Gerbera daisy
    I recently received a bouquet of Gerber Daisies that lasted about 1 day before dying. I don’t like the thought of these going to complete waste. I’d like to save the seeds and plant them. I’ve heard of drying flowers and saving the seeds. Any tips for me to salvage the seeds and plant?
    Thanks!

    If this is a cut flower bouquet chances are that the flower was picked before it could mature enough to develop seeds. If you have a fuzzy center on one of your flowers then there is a slight chance of seeds. You can plant them pointed end down, it takes 15-25 days to germinate. It takes 6 months from germination to blooming. See the article on Gerbera

    Reply
  2. Corinne - December 13, 2006 at 5:29 pm

    Hydrangea flowers
    For cut flowers for the table.I bought some hydrangea flowers and they went droppy. Is there anything I can do to bring them back. Also from my garden when I cut some from my hydrangea bust, what can I do to keep them looking full and nice. One more question; and if I want to dry them, what is the best thing to do.
    Thanks Corinne

    Cut flowers early in the day. Try recutting them when they are drooping. For drying hydrangea, timing is important. Softly squeeze the flower and feel for a slight papery resistance, check all florets then cut and place in a vase and let dry. Another method is to cut the flowers place in a vase with 1/2 of water and let the flower absorb the water and then allow it to dry.

    Reply
  3. Anne - December 13, 2006 at 5:34 pm

    Cut lilac stems
    Any tips on keeping cut lilacs from drooping after only about 1 day?

    Cut lilac have a longevity of 3-5 days at best. Cut half open flowers just above a leaf node early in the day. Fill your vase with luke warm water and add a floral preservative, remove any any lower leaves that will be in water and then recut your lilac stems (if possible under water) at a 45 degree angle. Place immediately into the vase and keep in a cool spot away from direct sunlight. Research has found that smashing the stems of lilacs can destroy the cells that take up the water and therefore is not recommended. Hope this helps. Kris

    Reply
  4. Chelsey - December 13, 2006 at 5:37 pm

    Fresh flower preservative
    I cut my lilac yesterday and they are already drooping. I don’t have any preservative. Is there something else I can use in the water.

    Here’s a recipe 1 tsp. sugar, 1tsp bleach, 2tsps. lemon juice to 1 qt. of lukewarm water. for fresh flower preservative. Cut flowers early in the morning and have a bucket of water ready. I know I mentioned not smashing the stem but try splitting the stem with a knife to keep the vascular tissue intact and give more area for water absorption.

    Reply
  5. Lisa Foley - January 10, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    My daughter is doing a science fair project on keeping cut flowers alive longer. We had six glasses: the ones that did the best were the plain water (oddly enough), the one with vodka (1 tbsp. – but it never opened up, preserved in bud-state.), and Jerry Baker’s tip of corn syrup (1 tbsp.) and pinch of clorox. My question is why did the vodka and clorox preserve the flowers? Can you answer in layman’s terms (for elementary 5th grade project.) The glass was a 16 oz. and we will be repeating the experiment, so should we try less vodka this time?

    In order for buds to open, they must have a gerimicide (clorox) and sugar along with warm temperatures 70-80F and high light, with moderate humidity. To preserve cut flowers you need to provide sugar, bactericide and acidify the solution (lower the ph). The vodka may have all three properties-( try less in the next experiment) but you may not have provided the other environmental factors (temp.light & humidity). All variables have to be the same in an experiment when you’re comparing one to the other. Sometimes it could just be the flower and the pre-condition it was in, so a re-do is a good idea. Let me know what happens. Kris

    Reply
  6. Judi - July 17, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    Gerbera daisy
    My daughter is getting married in late September and wants her flowers to be Gerber Daisies. If I plant them myself, how can I guarantee that I will have flowers for the wedding?
    I don’t have the greenest of thumbs!
    Thank you!

    I think you should leave it up to the experts to grow the gerbera daisies for her bouquet. You can run into all kinds of problems not under your control during the growing season that would not guarantee the best flowers. Plant them and plan on using them as extras, but plan on buying gerberas for her bouquet.

    Reply
  7. Alice S. - January 15, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    Gerbera
    The long stems of my Gerbera daisy bent and looked a bit wilted. I slit drinking straws lengthwise and wrapped around the stems. Now they stand up straight and looking beautiful

    Reply
  8. Suzanne - February 26, 2008 at 4:20 pm

    Grow a cut flower garden
    I am just starting to garden and would like some suggestion on what to plant. I want to plant a cut flower garden. I live in zone 17 and have a12 foot square area to garden. It has a south west exposure. Thank you very much for any help you can give me. Suzanne

    Hi Suzanne
    You can grow lots of cut flowers in zone 17 (S.F?) especially with a southern exposure. Look for plants that like full sun such as alstroemeria,cosmos, delphinium, dianthus, geraniums, gerbera, liatris, snapdragons, zinnia etc. What you need to do is pick out your favorite flowers. A garden center should have a good selection fo plants that do well in your area.Grow plants with varying heights and shapes make great cut flower bouquets. Also choose staggering bloom times so that you will have something in bloom all season long. Plant perennials (ones that come back each year) and annuals. Plant the taller growing plants in back of the flower bed and shorter ones up front so that they don’t get shaded. So when you go to buy your plants check for 1. Sun exposure 2. Height (tall, low growing)& shape 3. bloom time 4. hardiness. Another important factor is to make is to make sure the soil is well drained to allow for good root development. Add compost or organic material if needed. Try all kinds of flowers and see what works best for you. As with most gardens it is a never ending experiment.

    Reply
  9. Kris - March 27, 2008 at 7:29 am

    Stargazer lilies
    I was wondering if you could tell me what the best way to care for cut stargazer lilies. I was told you have to take the center out of them but i am not sure. I would appreciate any feedback you could give.
    Thanks
    Your site is very helpful and informative. I have bookmarked you for all my future needs.

    Place your cut flowers in cool water with some floral preservative. To keep stargazer lilies longer you should remove the anther(male part of the plant)with the yellow pollen on it. Leaving it on shortens the life span of the flower. This is done with most lilies. Take care not to get the pollen on your clothes as it will stain. If you do, brush it off with a dry paper towel, that should remove most of it.

    Reply
  10. Amanda - April 7, 2008 at 12:07 am

    Ginger flowers
    I used ginger in a flower arrangement and the next day it started turning a dark burgundy. And just got darker from there. When I was arranging it, I had cut it. Could that have been the problem? Because I have seen shorter stemmed arrangements where the ginger must have been cut. What did I do wrong?

    Hi Amanda,
    Cutting the ginger stem would not have caused it to turn dk burgundy. Most likely, it was caused by improper storage such as too cold. This tropical flower needs to be stored at 50-55F. Another possiblity was that it was exposedf the ethylene gas from fruits & vegetables or just past its prime.

    Reply
  11. Alex - October 12, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Bougainvillea
    Hi, I have a lot of bougainvillea in my garden and love to have it inside in arrangements, but whenever I do it seems to start wilting almost immediately, and never lasts more than a day. Am I just doing something wrong, or is there a trick with bougainvillea? Thanks!

    Hi Alex
    Bougainvillea have a short vase life and seems to be affected by ethylene. There is some research on treating the stems with ethanol which inhibits ethylene production in order to increase the vase life. I have not been able to find any “secret” to keeping the “flowers” from wilting but will continue to search. It may need a longer conditioning period. Re-cut the stem,remove the lower foliage, place it in lukewarm water and cover it with plastic to increase the humidity for a few hours. Perhaps someone out there will have some input.

    Reply
  12. maxine - August 3, 2009 at 2:00 am

    Could you please tell me if there is a way to stop hydrangeas from drooping. I am ordering some for a wedding from a wholesalers but need to place them in an arrangement – possible using oasis or alternatively just laying bracts from the head depending on size. I want them to last 24/36 hours and have also considered drying. Are you able to help please?

    Hi Maxine
    Here’s a hydrangea site that should help. Good luck with the wedding flowers. The wholesaler may also have some suggestions.

    Reply
  13. Judy - May 11, 2010 at 9:23 am

    Flower tip
    To keep hydrangea’s from drooping after cutting, wet the stem, dip stem tip in alum and put in water. They will NEVER droop.

    Thanks Judy!

    Reply
  14. Christine - June 29, 2011 at 11:25 pm

    Preserving lily flowers
    I have recently received a new bouquet of lilies. I have struggled to find ways to preserve them – my first bouquet died. I understand that we cannot hang them to dry like we can with roses. I have heard and read that silica gel works to preserve them? Just wondering whether or not this is true? I also heard that taking off the pollen helps keep them alive longer? I’m currently keeping them in a vase with water and flower food, but I really don’t want them to wilt and die like the other bouquet.

    Hi Christine
    Removing the pollen will keep the flower longer in the vase. Keep the flowers in a cool room away from direct sun.
    I have not heard of preserving them in silica gel. I don’t think it will work as the petals will not stay intact. As time goes by, they will will and die. that’s life.

    Reply
  16. lisa hutto - May 14, 2012 at 9:19 am

    brown petals on bloom
    I love roses I have some when the bloom starts to open the edge of the petals are brown the bloom never fully opens before it looks dead do you know causes this.

    Thank you
    Lisa Hutto

    Hi Lisa
    If the rose is outdoors, browning petals can be caused by moisture on the flower heads which can cause botrytis, hot temperatures, or insects (thrips).

    Reply
  17. Jefferson Quigg - March 27, 2013 at 3:14 am

    Which flowers are the safest? The answer is twofold. First, no flower is safe to eat or use on or near food products unless it has been organically grown. This means no chemical herbicides or pesticides have been used on or around the plant. Rose fertilizers that contain systemic toxins are included in this category, as are any fertilizers of the weed-and-feed variety. “This also means that edible flowers that are brought home from nurseries and garden centers are not safe to eat or use on or near food products unless they have been grown organically or sustainably. ..

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before publication. Keep questions specific and avoid promotional links.