Helpful tips for conditioning cut flowers and foliage to stay fresh longer in bouquets.

1- Cut flowers and foliage the night before the sale or early in the morning when it is cool.
2- Use sharp and clean clippers and tools, scissors are not recommended. Cut stems at 45º, and under water if possible.
3- Place them in a 1/4 filled buckets of lukewarm water, and keep them in a cool place.
4- Flowers with strong and tall stems make the best cut flowers.
5- For bulbs flowers, cut the white section at the bottoms of stem so they can drink better.
5- Most flowers can be cut in bud stage as soon as they show a little color.
6- Zinnias, marigolds, mums, and dahlias, should be cut when the flowers are fully open.
7- For woody stems make a clean split at the bottom one inch, don’t crush or hammer!
8- Remove all the lower foliage which will be below the water level.
9- For hydrangeas, dip the head in cold water to firm up the petals for an hour, then drip
dry them, cut and place stems in warm water overnight.
10- Flowers like delphiniums, lupines, dahlias, hollyhocks which have hollow stems can be
filled water and covered with a cotton ball at the base.
11-  Flowers In a vase: Use a clean vase, maintain water level and change the water  frequently.

Submitted by Goly Ostovar, AGC Member

Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member