“To pick a flower is so much more satisfying than just observing it….So in later years I have grown in my garden as many flowers as possible for children to pick.”
Anne Scott James
As the spring and summer flower season is ending, we have an opportunity to continue to enjoy our flowers by bringing them indoors. If having cut flowers in the garden is important, this is also a good time to evaluate which flowers held up the best when we brought them indoors. Trial and error is probably the best way to learn this but some cut flowers tend to stay fresh longer than others. We all have our favorites and here are three of mine.
The rose is probably the most popular cut flower of all time and can easily be used for any holiday or event throughout the year. There are always roses as cut flowers available, but what about cutting them from our own garden. Roses as cut flowers, do not always have to be the long stem hybrid tea. Photo below is ‘Doris Day’ which is a floribunda and as such, will have smaller flowers and often in clusters.
Cut roses from a well-watered and healthy plant in the late afternoon. This is when the sugar and nutrient of the plant is highest. Carry a bucket or vase with water so the cut stems can be immediately plunged into fresh water. After you have cut the stems and before arranging them, if possible, make another cut underwater as this will allow for maximum water absorption. Before placing the roses in a vase, remove any leaves or thorns that will be underwater. The final step is to ENJOY!
Zinnias are another late summer/fall blooming flower that makes excellent cut flowers.
Quite often zinnia plants in the garden will develop powdery mildew on the leaves and this makes the leaves very unattractive. Remove all of the leaves and select a vase where the lack of leaves is not a distraction.
If I were to pick a ‘star’ for fall blooming flowers that make wonderful cut flowers in a home, it would have to be the dahlia.
Dahlias have such a diversity of flower structure that it is sometimes difficult to recognize some flowers as dahlias. In addition to the flower structure, the flowers come in almost any color except black and some are such a deep purple that they are almost black. Late summer and early fall are when dahlias in the garden are at their prime with abundant flowers and the more the flowers are picked the more flowers the gardener will get.
Because dahlias have hollow stems, the procedure for keeping cut flowers looking good longer is different than most other plants. Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, OR, recommends placing the cut stems in 2-3″ inches of very hot water, 160-180 degrees (hotter than most standard house hot water tanks, but not boiling). Put them in a metal or plastic container (coffee can or plastic bucket) and allow them to remain in the hot water until it has cooled, or about 1 hour. Do not use glass containers as the water will cool too quickly. The bloom heads should be above the container edge so that the steam will not burn the flower petals. This procedure will help your dahlias last 4-6 days or more. The stems can be cut to any length and then placed in cool tap water, Change the water daily and keep leaves out of it.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, if we don’t get an early frost, dahlias will often continue to bloom through October. Roses will also often last well into the fall season and while the rose bushes themselves may not look their best, they will often continue flowering. Let your garden flowers enhance the fall season by providing enjoyment both inside and out!
About Mike Darcy