Selecting and Caring for Cut Flowers

What to Look for When Selecting Cut Flowers

Clean and Healthy

Flower stems should be green and smooth, not slimy
Water should smell fresh
No broken stems or drooping buds

Before You Put them into the Vase

Keep cut flowers cool, until you can get them into water
Make a fresh cut an inch or two up the stem, while stems are under water
Make sure the vase and cutting tools are clean
Remove any leaves that will be below the water surface
Use the packet of flower food that comes with your flowers

Caring for Your Cut Flowers - Keep Them Blooming

Keep cut flowers out of direct sunlight and drafts
Change the water frequently (Every other day)
Make a fresh cut each time you change the water

Good Choices for Long Lasting Cut Flowers

Alstroemerias (6-14 days) Very popular, even though most people wouldn’t know them by name. However they are sensitive to fluoride in water and ethylene gas. Keep away from produce.
Carnations (7-14 days) Carnations are extremely dependable. They just keep coming out with new varieties and what colors they can’t breed, they simply dye.
Delphiniums (7-14 days) You can’t beat Delphiniums for shades of blue and purple. Like Alstroemeria, these are sensitive to ethylene gas.
Lilies (7-14 days) Choose sprays with a few slightly opened lower buds. Remove the anthers to prevent pollen from coming in contact with clothing and staining.
Roses (6-12 days) The classic. And with over 20,000 varieties, they never get boring.
Sunflowers (6-12 days) Generally available in late summer. Sunflowers can be top heavy, so use a vase that can support them.

When to Start Planting From Seeds

Author: Marie Iannotti

February 03, 2006

Starting plants from seed is one of the most rewarding gardening practices - if only for the chance to get your hands in the soil in the dead of winter. When to start seeds is a matter of experience, guessing and math. Many gardeners still plant by the moon. Others rely on phenology, the study of how plants and animals respond to seasonal changes in their environment. For example, you know it's time to plant your peas when the forsythia blooms.

More of us simply count the number of weeks until spring. Remember, both the last expected frost date and the weeks required to coax your seeds into seedlings are approximations. One just never knows, do one? But it's a start and it's within a margin of error. And it's often the easiest thing to do. If you know when the last expected frost is in your area and the seed packet tells you how many weeks prior to that date to start those seeds, you can just grab a calender and count backwards. (I didn't say it was calculus.) Here are some dates and times to help get you started. Set up your own calender and your seedlings will be ready for those first warm days.