Thursday, March 18, 2010

First Farm Cut Flowers



I stopped in at the flower farm yesterday. I thought for sure they would be open by now as I could see the the bright yellow daffodils smiling so happily out in the fields. But they're still busy with their spring yard work, getting ready for opening day the first week of April.

Nevertheless, the owner greeted me with a smile (I'm a loyal customer you see) and insisted that I take a pail (I happened to bring one along) and cut as many daffodils as I'd like (I had my clippers too). As she put it, she'd rather see them enjoyed than fade away out in the fields all alone (me too).


The fields felt so quiet compared to the time when all the flowers are growing here in the summer. But seeing the eager daffodils all bright eyed and bushy tailed against the slowly awakening landscape was a a good sign that more flowers are soon to follow...like these and these.



I love the bonnet-shaped face of this variety of daffodil. And there were lots of them...lots of smiling faces basking under the soft late winter sun.



The owner of the flower farm joined me out in the fields to pick a pail of her own so I was able to get some clarification on cutting daffodil and tulip stems for arrangements.

The gooey sap of the daffodil flower contains calcium oxalate crystals. When their stems are cut, the sap starts to flow and is poisonous to other cut flowers. If you'd like to mix daffodils with other cut flowers, you should soak the fresh cut daffodil stems over night (this makes the sap stop flowing). The next day, rinse the stems under water before putting them in the vase with the other flowers.

Also, the information I was given previously on not cutting your tulip stems was false. Tulips do not have the same toxic sap as daffodils and therefore are fine to cut and arrange with other flowers.



Since I've been in a tulip craze for the past several weeks (yes, more white tulips!), I did a little more research when I got home. I found that you should always re-cut your tulip stems. Cutting the stems opens up the flowers uptake channels allowing them to take in the water they need and therefore extending its vase life. It's also suggested that you refresh or change the water daily.

By far, the most fascinating realization I unearthed during my tulip research is that unlike other flowers, tulips continue to grow after they've been cut. They also tend to grow towards sources of light, which is why tulips seem to arrange themselves (they're interior designers at heart) in the vase.

Another way of looking at it was explained by David Caras of the Netherlands Flower Bulb Center in New York City. As he put it, tulips prefer to "dance in the vase." Unlike other flowers, "they refuse to stand still."

I just love that.

54 comments :

  1. Oh my...what a way to spend a morning, amongst all those beautiful flowers. I too am loving tulips right now. I think what I love most about them is they aren't fussy, and are super easy to arrange "because they arrange themselves".

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  2. Oh, those flowers are gorgeous! How lovely to be able to go and pick your own. Tulips don't grow here in Queensland, so I must say I'm so envious!
    Just found your blog by the way..love it!
    K x

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  3. Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures and useful information! Enjoy your flowers!
    Carla

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  4. They claim if you pierce the very top of the tulip stem with a pin, where it meets the flower, they won't grow. I kind of like how the grow but if they're arranged with other flowers you may not want them to. The daffs look great. They're always a welcome sign of spring.

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  5. Beautiful photos... as always!:-)

    I used to own a floral boutique and I have a few other little tips to share with you:

    If your tulips are "drooping" ( there is no other word to describe it:) Just poke a hole with a sraight pin or needle through the stem, just under the flower head. This allows air to flow back through the stem and will give your tulips a pick -me- up.

    When using fresh cut flowering branches, use a hammer to split the ends of the stems to open them up. This allows more water to pass through the branch.

    I have also heard that you can burn the ends of daffodils with a match or lighter to stop the sap from passing to other flowers. I have never tried it but I am sure curious to know whether or not it works!:)


    Enjoy your flower-filled home. It is so lovely!

    Melanie

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  6. That's so interesting about the tulips! I'm feeling inspired to buy some this weekend. I wish we had a cut flower farm where I live.

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  7. wow - and thanks - I have tons of tulips and daffodils peaking through - now I know what NOT to do

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  8. i love white flowers and have taken my share of white tulip photos! the house in the first picture is the flower farm? it's gorgeous! have a lovely weekend. susan

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  9. How wonderful to be able to go in a field of daffodils and pick as many as you would like! Thanks for the info, very good to know.

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  10. simply beautiful! what a great day trip for you....enjoy your weekend.
    :)
    Shannon
    www.cascobaysoap.blogspot.com

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  11. Lovely, lovely! Nothing better than the first flowers of the season. Hope you enjoy the weekend. jxxx

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  12. Such a simple pleasure - a bucket full of daffodils...Lovely.

    Chania

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  13. PERFECT!! Ahhh...what a great flower owner :)

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  14. Trina, boy can you take a picture!!!

    The white tulips are so wonderful. Thanks for clearing up the cutting confusion. I have always cut them...and they do thrive on clean fresh water.

    I had no idea about the the info. you passed along on daffodis...thanks!

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  15. We used to have a flower farm here in town but it closed about 5 years ago and I still miss it. We can only get flowers now at the supermarket and they only last a day! I love the white tulips.

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  16. i love the simplicity of tulips...and daffodils. I knew neither about cutting them. Thanks for the tips!

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  17. Thanks for all the great info, tulips are my favourite. Oh, and lizzies! Have a lovely weekend..Rachaelx

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  18. =)) I happen to live in Oregon as well, where abouts is that place?

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  19. Ya know...I couldn't remember where I heard itBut gave it a try( so it WAS here)...But DID put some tulips in without cutting them. They just never opened any more and faded to brown tissue...even faster.

    Love the daffodils...but more I love the farm and their philosophy. Makes me miss living way in the country. I remember farms like this!

    Enjoy your soon to be spring!

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  20. Simply beautiful and there is just something so bright and cheerful about freshly cut daffodils! They just make me smile! I had no idea that their sap was poisonous to other flowers though!

    And I will never tire of seeing your gorgeous white tulips. Any flower that can dance is a flower to love in my book!

    Kat :)

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  21. Perfect timing, as I just today bought some more, yes "white" tulips! I'm trotting downstairs now to cut the stems I didn't cut earlier;)!
    I think it really does make them last a lot longer to change the water.... I always change my water every other day, if not daily!
    joan

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  22. I've always thought daffodils to be the friendliest flowers in the world. They are the first to herald Spring & give us the additional bonus of being such a beautiful vivid, restorative colour. Glad you were able to fill your pail & home with these Trina.
    Millie ^_^

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  23. Sweet Greetings from Frog Hollow Farm - cutting daffodils in a field, how absolutely wonderful! Loved the info on tulips, I always cut my tulips and plop them right into water as soon as I get them home. Ciao, Bella!

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  24. Oh wow how cool. What fun.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a Blessed Friday,
    Sherry

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  25. I adore tulips; white and yellow are my favorites. Thanks so much for the info and what a neat place you went.

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  26. We live right near the famous Tesselaars tulip farm www.tulipfestival.com.au and it is an absolute delight as I just adore tulips. We are just going into Autumn now though so will have to wait a while to see them again :0(
    alicia

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  27. fabulous time of year - especially for those of you who get snow bound winters! hope you have a spring'ed up weekend. jxxx

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  28. Yep, I was also going to mention flaming the ends of daffodils. There are other flowers that you can do that with, too - poppies, for one.

    Anyway, these are gorgeous! I love 'em! I am such a fan of any type of flower, though! =-D

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  29. Beautiful photos as always! Have a happy springweekend:)

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  30. I really wish we had a flower farm in Charlotte. I would certainly be recognized there, as well!

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  31. When my tulips droop, I drop a penny into the vase and within hours they're standing back up again. They still dance, and it's a quick and easy trick!

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  32. Sua casa é um encanto,maravilhosa!
    Amei,amei,amei.
    Abraço
    .¸¸♥♥.¸¸♥♥.¸¸♥♥
    His house is a wonderful, wonderful!
    Love,love,love.
    Hugs.
    .¸¸♥♥.¸¸♥♥.¸¸♥♥

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  33. I am still waiting, here on the coast of Maine, for our daffodils to bloom. Your beautiful photos have made me all the more anxious! Thank you for sharing them. Your white tulips are always gorgeous. I can't walk by a bouquet of white tulips now without thinking of your beautiful photos,and purchasing some for myself!

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  34. These flowers are beautiful! I love the white tulips.

    -FringeGirl

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  35. Not only are the flowers beautiful but the house at the farm is over the top beautiful. I'd go there just to be around it's gloriousness (then I'd toodle over to your over the top beautiful home and just soak up all of that gloriousness and just OD on perfection!)
    Happy Almost Spring~

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  36. Just found your blog. You are living my dream . . . I became a follower because I want to read the whole thing, from beginning to present! Love your home.

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  37. How useful! I had no idea that Daffodils could not be in an arrangement with other flowers! How interesting. When I was little, my dad and I used to cut the flowers and put them in food coloring to watch them change color. It was always one of my favorite Spring traditions!

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  38. I really love daffodils! They always remind me of spring and bring a lot of warmth to a home!

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  39. What a blessing to have a flower farm so close to home to take advantage of! I just bought some daffodils at the grocery for $1.50 for ten stems. Are they a pretty good deal at a flower farm? I may have to check out local farms if that's the case. I love love LOVE fresh cut flowers...but sometimes they can be quite expensive at the grocery.

    -Gail

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  40. I love that the daffodils are so brave to start off the spring! The yellow is so vibrant! Tulips are my favorite, but I had no idea that they "dance." Thanks for the learning! :)

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  41. Wow learn something new everyday! I did not know know about the sap. I do now! I wish there some one where here like was like th flower farm.... that would be awesome!

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  42. Wow! I never knew that if you put daffodils in with other flowers, they will poison them. I also didn't know that Tulips continue to grow once they are cut. Thanks! Very cool.

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  43. Wonderful information. I love your pail o' daffodils.

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  44. As always your photos are beautiful! AND I learned something new about tulips. I didn't know they continue to grow after being cut, but I have noticed they do seem to rearrange themselves in the vase after I put them into it! :) I just love tulips~ a bouquet of them is my splurge every time I go to the grocery store. :)

    I hope you had a great weekend! :)

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  45. Long time follower of your blog. Love it. You live my dream life! I'm so glad you posted this information. I had no idea! I will change out all the tulip water today when I go home for lunch! Thanks so much.

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  46. just love daffodils.. and cutting them in a field is so much fun... xx

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  47. I've said it before but OH, to live close to a flower farm!

    Good info on the tulips! I give up on trying to tame them ...

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  48. My mother in law says that you should always put a penny in your vase with tulips. Not sure why, but I guess it can't hurt?

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  49. Trina,
    I love that you did a post on flowers! One of my favorite thing about your blog is that you ALWAYS have fresh flowers in your photos! It makes such a difference!

    Melissa

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  50. Apparantly it is also good to put a pinprick near the top of each tulip stem - it helps keep them upright for longer.

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  51. is perfect for home decoration ... make it look colorful and beautiful fresh

    Lily
    taebo training

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  52. I just saw this post at the bottom of your most recent post, did you know a copper penny will make your tulips stand up! It's amazing . . . Got to run blueberry muffins want out of the oven!

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

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