Getting the Most Out of Your Cutting Garden

You’ve planted your cutting garden containers strategically, fertilized and managed pests. Now it’s time to finally reap what you’ve sown! Clean off your favorite vase and get to work…

Photo by Orfield Photography

Follow these tips to get the most out of your cut flowers:

Cut flowers in the morning after the dew has dried.
Select flowers that are partially open or fully open, depending on the flower (see this chart for information on when to cut specific types of flowers).
Check often as constantly picking the blooms will encourage lots of new flowers. Cut stems as soon as flowers are ready.
Place newly cut flowers in a bucket with cold water indoors for an hour. Then re-cut the stem and arrange in a vase.
Remove all leaves that will be below the water line. Leaving those leaves on would cause the water to smell bad and will encourage bacteria growth.
Make sure your vase is clean, bacteria in your vase will cause flowers to die more quickly.

What have you grow so that you could cut the flowers? Any recommended flower combos?

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September 8, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening

Comments

2 Responses to “Getting the Most Out of Your Cutting Garden”

jgh on September 9th, 2008 5:56 am

I’ve been cutting little marigold nosegays to bring in. They seem to last a long time.
Fern on September 9th, 2008 9:43 am

I love how marigolds smell. Marigolds produce so many blooms, you must be in flower heaven.

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