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A Pacific Northwest Cutting Garden
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When going outside to cut bouquets, I bring along a container of water and a sharp pair of pruners or scissors. Cutting with sharp tools keeps the stems from being crushed. When the stem is cut, the flower goes immediately into the water. Once inside the house, the flowers are left soaking in water for about 8 hours in a cool, dark place. During that time, the stems take up water. Then I recut the stems, usually on a slant so the plant has more cells exposed to water. In addition, when the stem rests on the bottom of the vase, it will still have the cut end exposed to the water. I slit woody stems up the middle with a knife and open them up some. Poppies, or any other milky sap-producing stem, gets the stem end seared with a lighter lit under its end. This is best done twice: initially when first cut in the garden, and again when recutting the stem if it still oozes sap. With tulips and daffodils, I take a sharp pin to the swollen green base of the flower and poke a small hole. A florist taught me this trick to let air bubbles escape, and I have always done it just before recutting the stems.
I see recommendations to recut the stems under water, although I do not do this. This helps to keep the flower stem from taking up air and creating bubbles. However, since I am constantly changing bouquets, it is not as important for me to get an extra day or two out of flowers. I am not good about changing water either. One exception is when I pick the highly fragrant Oriental lilies. I do change the water in their vases, and recut their stems because they last for an exceptionally long period. You may want to keep your bouquets longer than I do. You can buy preservatives for the vase water, something I don't use. If I have planned my cutting garden right, I can go right back out and pick a fresh new bouquet.
Cut most of your flowers when they are just coloring up and the outside petals or flowers are half-open. I try to cut flowers on racemes, such as Oriental lilies, just when the bottom flower is opening. Perennial and annual delphiniums and gladiolus and other similar plants do well with cutting this way. As you become more accustomed to your cutting garden, you will become familiar with the best cutting time for each plant, for fresh or dried flower bouquets.
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