Using Anemones as Cut Flowers

Hi Lovelies,

Seriously, by this time, you’ve got to be getting tired of seeing me take all these pictures of anemone coronaria and rant on and on about how much I love them. That’s what happens when you’re the first flower to bloom in the spring – I’m going to celebrate like nobody’s business. Anyhow, today I’d thought I’d try to ramble on about how I go about picking them for a vase.

It’s already late. Of course it is! Did you really think I’d be blogging at a decent hour? Nope. Step one is obvious, make sure are your tools and buckets are clean and ready to go! Anyhow, even though anemones are like totez gorgeous, their vase life isn’t really all that impressive. Hence, the reason that it’s totally important to pick them before they actually open.

In the past, I’ve picked a lot of immature buds. Most of them open in a vase without a problem, however, in a lot of cases the flowers are smaller than they should be. I’m obviously not a scientist, but I can only assume that it’s my fault for picking them so soon. With that in mind, I like to go after the blooms that are a little less than 50% open. So, when the petals start to unfurl, I get my scissors ready!

As I cut, I immediately put the flowers into a bucket of warm water. I like putting them in the warm water (think lukewarm like what comes out of the tap) because it seems to really help them immediately start to hydrate. When I’m finished I put them into a big ole’ bucket of cool water and let them rest in a nice spot before I think about arranging them.

As with most ornamental flowers, anemones are toxic. When cutting flowers, always be cautious and use common sense. It makes sense to do your own research and take responsibility for anything you bring around your kids or pets. Make sure to always wear gloves, avoid contact with eyes, wash hands, etc.

I haven’t been able to find my gardening gloves for weeks, and today was a lesson. I managed to get quite a bit of anemone sap on my hands, and it was surprisingly painful. To finish the job, I had to go find a pair of snow gloves and use those, instead. Looks like I’ll be needing to buy some quality gloves soon. Lesson learned.

Anemones are sensitive to ethylene gas, so be sure to store them some place where they won’t be exposed. Additionally, these beauties are extremely heavy drinkers. Be sure to watch your storage buckets and vases to make sure that they haven’t gone dry!

Did I miss anything? Do you have any awesome tips? Let me know in the comments below! Much love!