Harvesting Flowers for Indoor Display

Having flowers in the yard or garden liven up and beautify any home. Fresh cut flowers harvested from the outdoors and placed on a table can bring the beauty inside, as well. Natural arrangements bring with them an organic elegance any gardener can enjoy. Several factors affect the longevity of fresh flowers once they have been cut, making certain circumstances more ideal for harvesting. In order to make the most of the hard work associated with planting and caring for cutting flowers, the following advice will best guide gardeners looking for the right time to harvest.

Dedicated cutting flower spot

To avoid any future issues with maintaining a harmonious appearance in the yard, a gardener should arrange the planting areas for the cutting flowers ahead of time, if possible. Dedicate a separate spot to plant the cutting flowers out of the way, or spread the cutting amongst all bushes so that missing flowers won’t be noticeable. Be sure to remove spent flower heads.

Cut early in the morning

Once flowers have bloomed, the cutting process is best handled with a few certain touches. Cutting early in the morning shortly after dawn has a few advantages. Blossoms have recovered from the stress that daytime’s growth puts on its internal system, and stems are hydrated from the cool, moist conditions of the night. Newly opened flowers in the morning are also better to pick because bees have not yet pollinated them.

The process of pollination causes flowers to begin the process of forming seeds, which causes fading. Fresh, unpollinated blossoms last longer after cutting and are less likely to have been stained or marred by any means. The best alternative to cutting flowers in the early morning is in the cool of the late evening. Doing it in the heat of day should be avoided because this is when flowers have been expending the most energy and are thirstiest.

The best way to cut the flowers

To perform the cutting, the gardener should bring a bucket of water in which to immediately place freshly cut flowers. The bucket should be cleaned and sanitized before use, and the water should be fairly hot.  Some fresh flower food may be added in, if desired, at a rate of 2/3 ounce to each quart of water. Using sharp, clean scissors, cut each stem cleanly and place the flower in the water. Keep the bucket out of the direct sunlight, if possible, and once inside re-cut each flower underwater. This allows the stems to pull water up more quickly and can make the flower last more than 50% longer in a vase.

Allow the cut flowers to remain in the water for a while; at least an hour, but overnight is best. Arrangements kept in cool places out of the sun last the longest, and do well with some mild water and fresh flower food. Gardeners can also experiment with different kinds of preservatives to see what works best for them.