Picking flowers from your own garden is fantastic. The crowning glory of the work of the past few months. And to be honest: it is not difficult. Anyone can pick flowers to arrange them in a vase later. Really anyone. But there are a few things you need to take into account. Because when is the best time to pick them and what about 'picking anxiety'? You will find out here.
When is the best time to pick?
Let's start at the beginning: when do you pick? Ideally, you pick flowers early in the morning. Then they are well-hydrated with water and firm. Picking in the evening is also possible, but first let the flowers hydrate for a few hours in a bucket of cold water in a cool room. They will then first soak up water and stay fresh for a noticeably longer time. It goes without saying that it is better to avoid picking at the warmest time of the day. Flowers then suffer and in many cases also look wilted.
Do you suffer from 'plucking anxiety'?
A lot of people suffer from fear of picking. Yes, that is one thing. Not daring to cut deeply, for fear that no new flowers will come. But the opposite is true. In almost all cases, the more often you cut, the more flowers you will see. Picking even stimulates the plant to form more side shoots and therefore also flowers. This is the case with cosmos, zinnia, dahlia, snapdragons and scabiosa, among others.
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In this video I give tips on how to pick flowers yourself. About dahlias, zinnias and much more.
Dare to cut deep
Okay, we dare to pick now, but also make sure that you dare to cut deeply. By always picking the stems of the flowers, you will never have really long flower stems and more importantly: you do not cut back to an axil of a plant and therefore you do not stimulate the plant to form new side shoots and therefore also flowers. Cut deeply, at least 20 centimeters . That seems very drastic, and it is a bit, but have faith that it will be fine and that you will get just a little more flowers.
The magical pictures of picking baskets full of flowers are something to dream away, but the reality is that your flowers will not keep as long. It is nice for the photo, but if you leave your flowers out of the water for too long, they will wilt faster and therefore will not stay fresh in a vase for as long. When I cut them, I always have a bucket of water with me. After cutting, I put the stems in the water immediately. This prevents them from drying out and you will enjoy them for much longer. It makes sense, right, that when they no longer receive moisture from the mother plant, we have to take care of that? Leave the baskets for putting eggs or vegetables in, and take a good old bucket with you when you are working with flowers.
Pick open or closed flowers?
For many flowers, the rule is: pick when they are half open. They should already show a few petals and will open completely in a vase. Sunflowers are best picked at that moment, but snapdragons, cosmos and even scabiosa also prefer the same treatment.
Zinnias and dahlias are exceptions
But there are exceptions. The flowers of dahlias must be fully open before you pick them. They will not or hardly open in a vase. So don't pick them too early, and not too late, because then the bees, bumblebees and butterflies will have visited them and they will move on quite quickly. Or take zinnias. They become more beautiful and firmer after a while. First do the 'wobble test' . If you move the flowers back and forth, the flower stem should be firm. If the flower moves in all directions, then you better wait a while. Zinnias that are not picked too early last ten to fourteen days.
