Ten good stems beat thirty tired ones. How to choose flowers that are fresh, in season and worth the vase.
Start with the season
A flower is at its best when it has not travelled far. Tulips and ranunculus in spring, peonies in early summer, dahlias from July to the first frost. Ask what was cut this week and build from there.
Check the stem, not the bloom
Fresh stems are firm and green at the cut, and the leaves snap rather than bend. Buy roses and peonies in bud: you get to watch them open, and you get three more days.
Choose one hero
A handful of one flower looks more generous than a mixed bunch of twenty. Pick a hero, add one green and stop.
Look after them
A clean vase, a fresh cut and new water every two days. Five minutes of care adds half a week.
Dry what you love
Lavender, grasses and roses dry beautifully. Hang them upside down somewhere dark and they will keep you company all winter.
