How to choose fresh cut flowers and make them last longer

When buying flowers you want fresh blooms that will enjoy a long vase life. Look out for firm petals, leaves and stems, and flowers with a good number of buds that haven’t yet opened. 

There are also some telltale signs that inform you when blooms are past their best. I always look at the foliage – wilted, soft and yellowing leaves (or stems) are an indication that flowers are old and tired and may have lacked water for some time. Inspect the leaves and stems too, avoiding any that are crushed or damaged. 

With roses, peonies or other large-petalled flowers, study the petals. If their veins are prominent, the flowers are dehydrated and not worth your hard-earned cash. Examine the base of the stems. If black or discoloured, they haven’t been cut for a while and have probably been hanging around for some time. If you are doing the flowers for a party or wedding and want them to be at their peak, bear in mind that you may need to buy them at different times. Lilies, for example, take time to open, as do amaryllis and hyacinths. Allow enough time for them to come into flower; otherwise the flowers will be green and your arrangements lacking in colour.

Amaryllis

These arrive from the grower in a tight bud and will open slowly. The stems should be strong, and bright green, and will be crisp when cut.

Carnations

These should be bought while still quite tight. If the petals are soft or curling inwards and the stamens in the centre are showing, avoid them. With young
flowers, you will be able to brush the
firm petals open with your hand.

Lilies

A full-blown lily is obviously in the late stages of its life. But sometimes lily stems are stored in a cold store and their tight buds conceal the fact that they are past their best. Look out for drooping or wilting leaves.

Summer flowers 

Stocks, dahlias, delphiniums, scabious and alliums all have soft stems that deteriorate quickly in water, turning soft and slimy if the water is not
changed regularly.

Tulips

Fresh tulip stems will make an audible squeaking sound when they rub together. 

Conditioning and reviving

I once purchased a huge number of stock flowers only for them to die overnight – panic! Thank goodness we are close to Covent Garden Market, so we made a mad dash to buy more flowers and save the day. My fatal error was storing the flowers, still in their cellophane wrappers, in a damp basement; the result being floppy, wilting flowers. Whatever the flower, as soon as you purchase it remove the cellophane and release the flowers from any bindings, so air can circulate freely between the blooms. Many times I see bunches of roses stored wrapped in cellophane. The giveaway is usually one or two brown petals amongst the heads. Avoid like the plague, because as you unwrap it’s likely that a flurry of petals and whole heads will fall to the floor.

Conditioning cut flowers

When you get flowers home, it is important to re-cut the stems before arranging them. Stems dry out very quickly, leaving a surface that will not absorb any further water. Cut the stems at an angle to enlarge the surface area and enable more water to be taken up. Next, remove any foliage from the lower part of the stem. This will help keep the water clean. Often you’ll find a little sachet of flower food attached to your flowers. Use it – it works. Flower food will help keep a vase clean and bacteria-free, prolonging the life of your flowers, as well as helping buds and flowers to open.

Conditioning foliage

When I first started working with flowers at the age of fifteen, it was my job to prepare the foliage. I had to spend hours outside in the cold, hammering woody stems. Poor little me, with my frozen hands! Now, years later, we are told that
a quick sharp cut at an angle is far better for woody stems, as it doesn’t damage
the capillaries that take up the water.  I wonder if I could sue on the grounds
of cruelty?

Reviving floppy heads

Flowers can be tricky. Roses, tulips, gerberas and hydrangeas can all be sensitive and hang their heads. However, there is a quick and easy way to revive them. Take several sheets of paper that are strong enough to support the flowers (newspaper is fine). Lay the stems flat on the paper and tightly roll it around the flowers so any drooping heads are held completely upright. Re-cut the stems at an angle and plunge them into deep water. Leave for several hours then unwrap. Hey presto: revived flowers!

Different vase shapes

Vases and containers of all colours, shapes and sizes are the tools of the trade for passionate flower lovers. ‘Not another vase!’ my son or daughter will say in exasperation. I respond with a shrug of the shoulders, because vases are so important – they are the key to everything I do.

Choosing vases

Vase shapes, textures and colours are now led by trends from the worlds of fashion and interiors. 

We’ve spent a whole decade or more toying with clear glass vases, but now at last it seems that ceramic and coloured glass is back with a vengeance, and a long list of young ceramists, as well as major stores, are riding on the crest of this fashionable new wave.

Cube vase
The cube vase has been enormously popular and important in flower arranging during the past ten years. It’s a great little vase to present a bunch of short stems in a clean, modern way – think anemones, tulips or peonies. All flowers can be used in a cube, but what’s important is having enough blooms to fill it. If your flowers need a little help to stay upright, use a grid of tape across the top (this will work on larger vases too). Use the grid just as traditional flower arrangers use chicken wire, and insert stems through the holes. Just remember to put the water in first, as wet sticky tape does not stick! 

Bud vase
Bud vases have a narrow neck that’s designed to hold and showcase one perfect bloom. I love them. How often do you break a flower head off when arranging flowers, yet can’t bring yourself to throw it away? 

This is where the bud vase comes into its own. Or perhaps you look into your garden on a chilly spring morning, as I sometimes do, and see a single beautiful camellia flower. 

By the time you return home, it has disappeared in the evening darkness. Cut it, display it in a bud vase, and revel in its singular beauty. I have been known to use test tubes, tea cups, and even milk bottles, as bud vases – experiment with different vessels and see how a single flower can bring them to life. 

Flared vase
The flared vase is probably the most common vase available, yet it can be the most problematic in terms of shape. Use too few flowers, and you’ll see your stems fall around the edge, leaving the centre empty. Start by placing stems around the edge working in one direction – clockwise, say. Continue in this manner, using larger blooms towards the centre and smaller flowers or foliage around the edge. There’s a traditional rule that’s a good one – stems should be no longer than the height and a half of the container. You can go shorter, but not taller. 

Tall vases
Use a tall straight vase to showcase tall dramatic flowers. A straight vase will hold flowers upright, so reserve them for strong, straight stems such as lilies, agapanthus, delphinium and gladioli.

Jugs
Jugs and pitchers immediately suggest a relaxed country look. But this does depend on the material and colour. A tall slender glass jug can appear completely contemporary, demanding sympathetic surroundings.

Effective displays for simple cube vases

When it comes to cube vases, there are many variations on the main theme: they are available in everything from clear glass to hand-made ceramics. A cube should be the simplest vase of all to use. Just pop a mass of flowers into it, and you are home and dry. If you don’t have many flowers, or the stems are long, try tying them together just below the flower heads to create a massed effect. This little trick of the trade works every time.

Ingredients: 16 x rose stems; 1 roll of clear tape or reel of florists’ tape; small cube vase.

1. Fill the vase half full with water. Using the tape, create a grid across the top of it, ensuring the spacing is regular.

2. For this design, where the flowers’ heads sit very squarely on the rim of the vase, the stems need to be perfectly level, so make sure they are all cut to exactly the same length.

Jane Packer’s Flower Course by Jane Packer, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£25) Photography by Paul Massey © Ryland Peters & Small