We have had so much rain and wind over the past month that it was destroying the beauty in our yard. The weight of all the water was just too much for most of our peonies so I had to cut a few blooms to keep them from lying on the ground. As it was the wind had already destroyed so many of the gorgeous flowers.

Cut Them And Bring Them In The House

Wilting will naturally occur when you cut flowers.  There are however many things that you can do to sustain their beauty and get the maximum amount of time out of their life.

1.) Make sure the glass vasses you use are clean. If has been used before to hold other flowers then give it a good rinse out as there is likely a build up of bacteria around the edge that you want to get rid of

2.) If you are using your own flowers, pick them either in the early morning or in the evening. This is when the plants temperature is at its lowest and will help sustain the plant later. If can pick them in the early part of the day, the flower will have more nutrients stored within it so this is good option if you haven’t got flower feed to hand

3.) For your own flowers, place them in a bucket of water up to their heads overnight to allow them to soak up as much as possible. This is something that gets done already with purchased flowers so you will not have to repeat the process.

4.) When you cut the flower stems, cut at an angle to expose as much of the inner stem as possible. This will provide a larger surface area that is in contact with water and will mean the flower is able to soak up more.

5.) Place the flowers in maybe a clean crystal vase allowing the water about 3/4 of the way up the stem. Make sure your plant feed contains an acid, a sugar and a biocide. The biocide will take out most of the fungus and bacteria, the acid will promote the taking up of water by the stem and the sugar provides the needed nutrients.

6.) Make sure you change the water every couple of days rather than just top it up. This helps to get rid of lots of the dead plant cells and bacteria in the water and gives the flower a clean supply to drink from

7.) If the base of the stems get dirty or clogged up, take the flowers out and re-cut the stems a little further up.

For the maximum life for you flowers, follow all these tips and enjoy the amazing results