As our flower fields have matured, a larger proportion of the flowers are perennial plants rather than annuals.
Perennials are hugely valuable as cut flowers, but they also vary a great deal in the stage at which they are best cut.
Hellebores
As a grower, the Hellebore is one of my favourite flowers. The main reason for that, apart from them appearing as one of the first flowers of spring, and being so beautiful and delicate, is that I get to enjoy them for several weeks before I cut them to sell to florists.
February is the main month for Helleborus orientalis flowers to appear, and for colour in the garden at the start of the season, hardiness in bad weather, and being able to take most soils, they are hard to beat. They mostly have heads that hang down, but if you prop them up in a bouquet, or hold up their heads, then you can see the wonderful flower detail inside the petals.
Unfortunately while they've got their wonderful pretty faces on, and the anthers are still frilly, as every florist knows, they are notoriously tricky to keep them conditioned, and the heads often flop and can't be revived.
This makes them difficult to use in anything other than same day events, and means sourcing them is time consuming.
Tips for keeping them in the best shape include, keeping them in deep water, scoring the stems lightly so they take up more water, and keeping them cool but not cold (if you've seen hellebores in a garden after a frost, you'll know the fridge isn't the right place for them).
However wait a little bit longer, until the seed heads are forming, and the Hellebore becomes much easier to work with.
or for a double, the seed pods aren't always so apparent
When they get to this stage, the vase life will be a lot longer, (often several weeks), the stems stronger, and longer, and although the colours are slightly muted, they are still strong.
Hellebores are one of the few plants that all 3 of us on our different soils find successful, have you added them to your mix?
Peonies
British Peonies are available for 3 or 4 weeks in late May, June and July, with timings dependant on how the weather has been that season.
Peonies have wonderfully large heads, but these can be delicate, so the flowers are often picked at the bud stage to be transported. This can then often prove problematic for florists trying to get the buds to open, with remedies such as soaking in warm water, and leaving in sunshine described, to get them into full bloom in time for events.
Peony in bud
A squashy bud stage is called a "marshmallow” stage , and here the bloom can be picked a couple of days before it opens, but when they can still be tied together in a bunch for travelling.
Peony at marshmallow stage
Open Peony flowers
Summer perennials
In my experience, a lot of the summer perennials need to be picked at a slightly more mature stage than even filler annuals to make them last longer.
Achillea
Veronicastrum
This is a very popular flower on my field, and is normally picked and sold before I ever get a photo of it! But I've discovered you need to wait until the bottom flowers are open and fluffy to ensure it will last in the vase more than a few days, - here are some about to go off to a Golden Wedding (White spires on the left)
Phlox
This can be picked at a "first floret"stage, just like a Sweet William, but it can also be picked further out in flower, when its heady summer scent is at it's best.
Sedum
These can be picked from as soon as the flower heads have formed, even if they are still green, until they are dried. They can be picked right down to ground level without effecting the ability of the plant to return July-November
