Test Drive: Which Cut Flowers Last Longest? - Gardenista
Photography by Justine Hand for Gardenista. Some flowers were never meant to be cut, withering to nothing as soon as they are plucked. My lab, set up in a cool, dark corner of the house, included the following fresh flowers from Winston Flowers and Garden (L to R): hyacinth, narcissus, sweet pea, grape hyacinth, lilac, ranunculus, and a cherry branch. After giving my flowers a fresh cut, I placed each in its own water, where it could enjoy its favored temperature. Note that woody stems also benefit from being cut or shaved at a very long angle. A close up on fresh sweetpeas. I bought two narcissus stems, one in full bloom and one that was just coming out. I started with a ranunculus in almost full bloom, because it has been my experience that unlike a tulip or a rose, after being cut a ranunculus will open only slightly. I’d heard that tulips last longest when placed in ice water so I decided to put this theory to the test by dividing my tulips into regular cool water (L) and ice water (R). For the purposes of my experiment, I changed the water every day to keep my blooms as fresh as possible. By day four, I began to lose some of my more delicate specimens. I particularly enjoy the sweet scent of lilacs in the home but even when cut from the branches in my very own yard they never seem... ...to last more than a few days By diligently shaving the stems and replacing the water each day I was hoping to extend their shelf life My fully open narcissus also started to wither, but the tight bud was just starting to open. Tight on day one, my cherry blossoms were opening quite nicely by day four. By day four, I noticed only a slight difference between ones in the ice versus the regular water. Still going strong, the hyacinths on day four are drooping only due to the weight of their blooms. Though the ranunculus gave out on day five, on day seven the two different hyacinths, tulips, and the cherry were still hanging in there. The regular hyacinths lasted two days longer, but I tossed them by day eight. Here is my cherry branch on day ten. A cherry branch that I bought for a friend last week is already starting to fade (but she did not change the water).