An iris bloom adds magnificent beauty to floral pieces. To maintain that beauty, you want to do everything possible to ensure a longer vase life. Let me share some tips I’ve learned over the years as a flower farmer.
The best time to harvest iris stems is in the early morning or in the evening after the sun has gone down. Of course, this is true of all flowers. The sun exhausts the moisture within the flowers during the hottest part of the day. If harvested in the middle of the day, stems will be less firm and flowers less vibrant.
Irises have long, hardy stems (also called stalks) with multiple buds. I like to harvest stems that have 3 to 5 buds so that I have more blooms in my floral arrangements. When deciding the exact time to harvest, look for buds that are showing 1 or 2 inches of color—these are the stems you want to cut. If no color is showing, it’s too early to harvest. If you harvest too early, the buds may never unfold.
When cutting the stems, be sure to cut them longer than the length you want for your arrangements. This is crucial because you want to leave enough length for recutting as you design your floral pieces and keep them looking fresh in a vase.
Do not cut foliage when harvesting iris stems. Leaving foliage intact allows nutrients to go back into the rhizome, which will help produce more beautiful blooms during next year’s growing season.
After harvesting irises, wrap them in a paper material and store them in a cooler or refrigerator for later use. The cold keeps the buds from opening. When it’s time to create a floral arrangement, remove the irises from the cold and recut the stems. Make angled cuts with clean, sharp garden shears or a sharp knife, which is my preferred tool for cutting thick stems. Then place the stems in water. The buds should open in about 1 to 2 days.
For a longer vase life, you need to recut each stem daily or every other day. This enhances each stem’s ability to absorb water. In arrangements, irises tend to be rather dirty flowers. They make the water a bit milky looking. Changing the water regularly helps prolong vase life.
Irises can be awkward to work with, but the statement they make in your garden and in a vase makes them well worth the effort.
Happy Gardening!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden