Bulbs In Bouquets
From America’s Expert Source for Heirloom Flower Bulbs
My Basket
|
Bulbs In Bouquets
From America’s Expert Source for Heirloom Flower Bulbs | My Basket |
|
|
|
|
|
Heirloom Bulbs as Cut-Flowers: Expert Tips from Garden to Vase Jump to Bulb-by-Bulb Specifics Fundamentals for Longer-Lasting Bouquets Pick Early or Late “Morning, and the earlier the better, is the best time  “Once the sun comes up and the sky grows light, a plant’s metabolism kicks into high gear. . . . Plants, like animals, give off moisture, and just as we sweat on a hot day, plants give off water vapor in the heat. The sun dries the air, and . . . the plant cannot drink water from the soil fast enough to replace what it is losing. . . . “Evening is the second best time to pick flowers. The light is less direct, the air is starting to cool, and plants are regaining their water and carbohydrate balance.” Use Sharp, Clean Tools “The vascular system of plants . . . is a fragile bundle of tubular cells, easily mashed and plugged,” Linda writes. “Once a flower stem is plugged, it stays that way, and leaves and petals served by that blocked section . . . start to die. The only way to remove the obstruction is to recut the stem. . . . Using sharp tools . . . means that each cut will be as clean as possible. Cut Stems at an Angle What Linda calls “the single most important factor in flower longevity” is also one of the easiest: cutting stems at an angle. As she explains, “This bias cut exposes more of the stem’s vascular system to water than a flat or blunt cut does. Also, should a flat-cut stem rest on the flat bottom of a vase, it cannot take up water. It is simply sucking on the bottom of the vase. If the same stem is cut at an angle, only the point rests on the bottom, and the rest of the cut surface is able to draw water.” Plunge, Clean, Soak “As you go out into your garden to harvest flowers, it is best to take a bucket of fresh water with you” and plunge stems into it as soon as you cut them.  Bouquets need not be complicated. 1897 Maule’s catalog, Philadelphia Then Linda recommends something we’re usually too impatient to do: “Take the bucket to a cool dark place where they can sit for several hours, or overnight, to recover from the trauma of being harvested. . . . At this point, you want the flowers to concentrate, to the best of their feeble abilities, on figuring out how to drink water with a stem instead of with roots.” For Most Bulbs, Skip the Preservative Changing the water in a vase every two or three days will help any bouquet last longer. Floral preservative, on the other hand, is not something Linda usually recommends for bulb flowers since most “do not respond well to sugar in their water.” (Exceptions are noted below). Although special low-sugar preservatives are available, “after years of reading science experiment reports from my students, it is clear to me that maintaining clean water and high levels in containers . . . are the real keys to flower arrangement longevity.” Bulb-by-Bulb Specifics Abyssinian Gladiolus, G. callianthus “Each slender stem has more than a dozen flower buds, which open from bottom to top. Best to harvest when the first one or two flowers are open. The flower stalks elongate as each blossom matures; you will want to take the spent flowers off as the upper buds open to keep the stem looking smart. The entire stem, assuming you change the water and recut the stem every day or two, should last nearly two weeks.” Allium “Harvest allium when the flower head is one-third to one-half open. Dry immediately or use fresh. Because allium will make the water smell like you live in a diner featuring grilled onions, change the water daily or use floral preservative to suppress the odor. Keeping the water clean is key to longevity for all alliums. Vase life ranges from ten days to three weeks.” Crocosmia, Montbretia “Harvest when the first two or three florets are open. Buds showing color may open if the water is kept fresh. Stems last about a week. . . . The seedpods are also attractive and dry well.” Cyclamen “You would not think it, but the fragile-looking flowers of cyclamen . . . make cut flowers of surprising endurance. The mottled and patterned leaves . . . are equally tough. . . . To harvest either flowers or foliage, tug the stem base away from the corm, thus stimulating new growth. Do not cut the stems from the plant. The stumps left behind serve as a conduit for disease organisms to enter the corm, but tugging the flower (or leaf) leaves a wound right on the corm that seals over quickly and lets the corm know it needs to produce a new bud.” Daffodils “Narcissus buds emerge from the ground pointing up and will turn to a 90-degree angle just as they start to open, and this is when they should be picked. Buds harvested too early may not develop. . . .  ‘Sweetness’, ‘Geranium’, and ‘Double Campernelle’ daffodils with bluebells and grape hyacinths in a bouquet by the amazing Suzanne Lewis “Before harvesting . . . , half-fill two buckets of water. . . . As you pick them, place all of the freshly cut flowers into one of the buckets. . . . When you are all done, pick up the entire bunch of flowers and immediately place them into the second bucket. Let them sit for fifteen to twenty minutes. While they are sitting with their nasty sap seeping out, clean the first bucket and half fill it with more water. At the end of this waiting period, lift the bunch of flowers out of their bucket and examine the cut ends. If they are still oozing . . . , place the entire bunch into the bucket of fresh water you have prepared, without recutting the stems. “This should be a quick process: out of one bucket, quickly look at the cut ends, and, if necessary, put them into the fresh bucket immediately. . . . Repeat the rinsing process – fresh water, wait, examine – until the stems lifted out of the water stop losing sap. Usually it only takes two changes of water to staunch the flow. . . .” “The overall vase life should be ten days if the flowers are purchased or harvested at the right stage and properly conditioned. If you buy daffodils in full bloom, expect a much-diminished show.” Dahlias Here at Old House Gardens our dahlias last plenty long in bouquets without any special conditioning, but for even longer vase-life, here’s what Linda recommends. If you try it, we think you’ll find it’s easier than it sounds at first! Freesia “Harvest freesia when the first bud has just opened or is about to. The side branches do not develop once the stem is cut, so I remove them. The entire freesia stem will bloom for more than ten days, but the primary flower or two may need to be removed or they will detract from the newly opened florets. Using floral preservative helps tight buds open with well-developed color.” Grape Hyacinths, Muscari “Grape hyacinth is too fragile to insert into foam. It lasts in water about a week, if picked when the bottom third of the little bells have opened. Maintain fresh water, as this little guy is a heaver drinker.” Hyacinths “Pick hyacinths when all florets are showing color; the stem will get taller and the florets enlarge. . . . Harvest by cutting the leafless flower stem with as much length as possible; do not damage the surrounding foliage. Note that the sap can be irritating. Place in water, allowing the stems to sit slightly chilled or at room temperature for an hour or two before using. Vase life in fresh water is more than seven days. No floral foam.” Iris “Bearded iris can be picked anytime after the primary flower is showing good color and starting to unfurl. All of the other buds showing even a nose of color will eventually open if overall stem health is maintained by good water hygiene. Each flower lasts only three days, but removal of spent flowers encourages the remaining buds to open, and we can then get more than ten days’ enjoyment from a single stem. . . . Lilies, Lilium “Harvest lilies when the buds are showing color and just starting to ‘crack,’ meaning the sepals are starting to separate from each other.  Another bouquet by award-winning photographer Suzanne Lewis, with ‘Rubrum’ lilies, ‘Jersey’s Beauty’ dahlias, and roses “Once the stem has been cut, only the leaves that would be underwater should be removed. The upper leaves remaining on the stem will provide nutrients for the unopened flower buds and will help them mature normally as the cut stem ages. . . . “Each open blossom should last at least four to five days, and new buds will be opening as the older flowers fade. The entire stem can last for more than two weeks, as long as the water is kept fresh. Removing the anthers increases longevity and prevents the pollen from staining the flowers or anything else.” Here at Old House Gardens, we think anthers add so much to the beauty of lilies that we rarely remove them. If the pollen gets on your clothes or a tablecloth, you can easily prevent it from staining by simply laying the dry cloth outdoors in the sun for a few hours. Like magic, the pollen disappears! Unfortunately, if you don’t notice it till after you launder the cloth, this technique won’t work. Peonies “Harvest peony in the ‘soft marshmallow’ stage, when the first petal or two is emerging from the calyx and the bud is soft when you squeeze it. If you have cold storage, peonies can be stored for weeks before they are needed. Remove only the leaves that would be underwater. If picked at the right stage, peony will last over a week in water or foam. . . . Snowdrops, Galanthus “This dainty flower, dangling as it does from a fine pendant pedicel, is longer lasting when cut than you might expect. In a cool room, short vases full of snowdrops will last more than a week if they are harvested when they first spread their outer petals. No floral foam.” Snowflakes, Leucojum aestivum “Harvest when the first two florets are open. Summer snowflake lasts seven to ten days in water, but the stems are too soft to insert into standard floral foam. All buds will develop if the water is changed regularly, although the earliest floret may need to be removed while the youngest florets are opening. The clear sap is not toxic to other flowers.” Tulips “Unlike almost all other cut flowers, tulips continue to grow after they have been cut – if you do not believe me, see for yourself. Most will grow at least 1½ inches after they have been arranged in a vase. Tulips are highly phototropic; like sunflowers, they strive to face the strongest source of light as long as their stems are able to bend toward it. This makes them delightfully unruly, nearly lawless, and irresistible. Back to Fundamentals Back to Bulb Specifics Buy Linda’s Book |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| For our print catalog click here or send $2.00 to Old House Gardens 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. phone: 734-995-1486 fax: 734-995-1687 email: charlie@oldhousegardens.com |  |
For our free email newsletter, “The Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette” with tips, news, history, & special offers, send us an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to newsletter@oldhousegardens.com. |
| © 1993-2009, Old House Gardens. All rights reserved. | ||