Cutting Roses

Cutting Fresh Roses

One of the joys of rose gardening is to bring cut roses indoors. Cutting fresh roses for floral arrangements is a lot of fun, and it makes your home smell great and look wonderful, but you must know how to cut roses and how to keep rose fresh longer after they have been cut.

Many gardeners grow roses just so they can cut them. They actually create cutting gardens, so they always will have fresh roses and flowers for bouquets and flower arrangements.

In fact, I myself love filling up vases and bowls with roses and flowers and placing them all around my home.

Best Cutting Roses

But some rose varieties hold their blooms, when cut, longer. Here is a list of names of roses that are great for cutting.

Memorial Day rose * Sunset Celebration rose * St. Patrick rose * About Face rose * Barbara Streisand rose * Neptune rose * Stainless Steel rose *

How To Cut Roses

Cut roses when the plants are well hydrated. This is usually in the morning. It's a good idea to deep water the rose bushes the evening before cutting.

Bring a clean bucket or a large pitcher partially filled with lukewarm water.

Select plump buds that are on the verge of opening, they'll open more fully than tight buds. You can cut opened roses, of course, but they'll have a shorter vase life.

Use clean, sharp pruning shears, floral snips, or a florist's knife. Cut the stem on a 45 degree angle right above the first five-leaflet leaf under the flower. You can cut some longer stems if you wish, but avoid taking off too much foilage, because thr rose bush needs plenty of leaves to produce energy for more flower production.

Immediately place the cut stem into the bucket of water. Once you have cut as many roses as you need, bring the bucket inside, refill it with clean water, and re-cut the rose stems at an angle under water.

Put the bucket of roses in a cool dark place. This step is known as conditioning. It gives the cut roses time to draw up plenty of water and it will make them last longer in the vase.

Florists use refrigerated coolers for conditioning.

After the roses have conditioned for at least several hours, they are ready to be placed in vases. Make a vase solution, using warm water and an equal amount of a lemon-lime soda can. Stir the mixture and pour it into the vase.

Carefully remove any leaves that would be below the waterline in the vase to prevent decay. Cut stems at an angle to the appropriate length and quickly place in the vase before the pores cut open can close again, diminshing the roses ability to take up water.

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