Make Your Cut Flowers Last Longer
You can harvest more than just vegetables! Cut and enjoy some of your flowers inside. When cutting, use sharp cutting tools, and cut flowers when the buds are half open as opposed to tightly closed buds or mature flowers. To make your flowers last longer, cut them in the morning and immediately plunge the stems into lukewarm water. Snapdragons, marigolds, coreopsis, cosmos, statice, stock, zinnias, yarrows, asters, bellflowers, chrysanthemums, and sages are among some of the best flowers for cutting, but don't overlook foliage plants (such as artimisia, ferns, hostas, and many of the herbs) when making your arrangements. When arranging the flowers, trim each stem on a slant to the desired length, cutting off at least 1/4" of stem. Arrange in a mixture of 50% water and 50% non-diet lemon-lime soft drink. Changing the water mixture in the vase every two or three days is important. Enjoy the fruits of your labors!