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Favorite Cut Flowers

© Keith Muraoka

The dog days of summer are upon us. What better way to brighten a boring summer day than bringing colorful cut flowers indoors? And it's not too late to plant some top-notch specimens, thanks to their fast growth and our long, local growing season.

I'm sure most of us have brought a stem or two indoors at some time or another. Roses are always a favorite, as are carnations and almost any other large flower with straight, long stems. There are a host of inexpensive annual bedding plants that will serve double-duty for you by lasting a week or more in a vase indoors after cutting.

While I'll cover some of the most popular quick-cut flowers in this column, here are a few tips to extend the vase life of any cut flower. Get off to a good start by cutting flowers in the early morning or early evening when they are at their peak. Place stems in a bucket of lukewarm water as you cut them, and then recut stems on a slant indoors under water before plunging them into a vase. This eliminates bacteria-clogging stems, which allows for more absorption of water. Remove leaves that will fall below the water line to prevent further decay.

Whether you add cut-flower preservative to your vase water is up to you. Some people swear by the stuff, while others don't bother. Other old tricks include placing an aspirin, penny or a little lemonade, bleach or 7-up in the vase water to extend stem life. It's also important to refresh the water every couple days.

And now, on with my cut-flower favorites:

ASTERS: Easily grown and transplanted, asters sport blooms 1 to 4 inches across in all colors but orange. Plants grow 20 to 36 inches high.

CELOSIA: Also known as cockscomb, these colorful summer annuals feature the brightest reds, oranges and yellows that you'll ever find in flowers. Flowers resemble colorful cockscomb- like flower forms or feathery plumes. Dwarf plants are less than a foot, while standard types are between 20 and 40 inches and make dramatic vertical accents.

COSMOS: These daisy-like plants also have lacy, almost fern-like leaves. Single flowers are 4 to 6 inches across and come in shades of rose, crimson, pink and white.

GYPSOPHILA: Better known as baby's breath, these tiny clusters of usually white flowers are a must for cut-flower arrangements.

LAVATERA: One of the least-known cut flowers, these have flowers that appear like glossy hibiscus or hollyhocks.

The copyright of the article Favorite Cut Flowers in California Gardening is owned by Keith Muraoka. Permission to republish Favorite Cut Flowers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.