Had a nice talk with the old lady who runs the flower stall at the farmer's market

I stopped by her booth last Saturday and she told me I was thinking about stems all wrong. She said I should let the flower tell me where to cut instead of sticking to my usual 45 degree rule. Honestly I blew her off at first but tried it with some hydrangeas on Monday. The stems lasted three extra days in the vase compared to my normal method. She's been doing this for 40 years so maybe I should listen more often. Has anyone else gotten a good tip from someone who works outside a regular shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantc8015d ago

Gotta disagree a little here. Old-timers definitely know their stuff most times, but that 45 degree rule exists for a reason - it gives you more surface area for water uptake and keeps the stem from resting flat on the bottom of the vase. I tried her method with some roses last week and they actually wilted faster on me. Maybe it works better for certain flowers like hydrangeas that have woody stems or something. Not saying she's wrong, just that I think there's a middle ground worth finding.

craig.parker15d ago

@grantc80 fair point but @garcia.wren might be onto something, sometimes old school just works lol.

garcia.wren15d ago

Wondering if we're overthinking something that basic.