Home » Plants & Animals » California Gardening » Cut Flowers Bring the Garden Indoors

Cut Flowers Bring the Garden Indoors

© Keith Muraoka

Bringing your garden indoors -- through the use of cut flowers -- is always a staple of a successful gardener. After all, even veteran gardeners aren't in the garden all the time. Bringing cut flowers indoors is a way to maximize your enjoyment.

A bouquet of freshly cut flowers can make all the difference in the world. Not only does it instantly become a centerpiece in any room, but the fragrance of many flowers are better than any floral room freshener!

I'm sure most people have brought a stem or two indoors at some time or another. Roses are always a favorite, as are carnations, sweet peas and almost any other flower that might be growing in the garden. However, there are a host of annual bedding plants that can do double duty indoors. Better yet, it's not too late for California gardeners to get them growing in your summer garden since most will last well into fall.

And these flowers don't have to be restricted to the back row of your garden. Annual cut flowers can be integrated into your regular garden for spots of color throughout the year. Many can successfully be grown in containers as well. Don't forget about your vegetable garden either. Cut flowers can be integrated right into the veggies without missing a beat.

Whatever flower you cut to bring indoors, there's a few tips to make them last longer. Make sure vases are clean and use fresh lukewarm water. Strip all leaves below water level to avoid polluting the water. Under running water or in a water-filled bowl, cut the stems diagonally one more time before plunging them into the vase. Renew with fresh water every couple days and you can even cut the bottom stems again to eliminate bacteria-clogging bacteria and allow for more absorption of water.

Whether you add cut flower preservative to your vase water is up to you. Some people swear by the stuff; others don't bother. Old tricks include placing an aspirin, penny, lemonade or bleach with the water. You may actually do more harm than good with these tricks.

In alphabetical order, here's a few cut flowers that California gardeners can still choose from this time of year:

ASTERS: Asters are so easy to grow that they aren't available as already-started transplants like petunias, impatiens and other annuals. Instead, you have to start them by seed. Plants grow 20 to 36 inches high and sport flowers 1 to 4 inches across in all colors except orange.

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