From our perspective, the single most critical factor for your success is the timing of your cut. Please choose a stem when approximately two-thirds of its florets are open. The lowest flowers on the spike should be fully open, the middle ones should be showing color and partially open, and the very top buds should still be closed but showing their color. Cutting at this stage ensures that the stem has reached a significant portion of its developmental potential, meaning it can transport water effectively. If you cut too early, when the spike is mostly tight buds, the stem may be too immature to hydrate properly and the florets may never open. If you cut too late, when all florets are open, the bloom will be past its peak and will shed petals rapidly in the vase.
Please use a sharp, clean pair of pruners or a knife. Blunt tools will crush our vascular tissues, the essential channels we use to draw water up the stem. Make your cut at a 45-degree angle on the main stem. This angled cut serves two vital purposes for us: it creates a larger surface area for water intake, and it prevents the stem from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase, which would block water uptake. Always cut above a set of healthy leaves or a side shoot (lateral) on the main plant; this encourages us to produce a new flowering stem from that node, giving you a second bloom later in the season.
The moments immediately after being cut are crucial. Our stems will quickly begin to seal over the wound to prevent loss of sap, a process that can block water absorption. To prevent this, please have a bucket of lukewarm water ready and place us directly into it after cutting. Lukewarm water is absorbed more readily than cold water. It is also highly beneficial to re-cut the stems underwater after you have brought them to your preparation area. This prevents an air bubble (embolism) from entering the xylem—our water-conducting tissue—which would create a fatal blockage.
Once indoors, carefully remove any leaves that will fall below the waterline in your vase. Submerged foliage will decay rapidly, promoting the growth of bacteria that will clog our stems and shorten our vase life. For an extra measure of care, many florists recommend conditioning delphinium stems by immersing the bottom few inches of the stem in boiling water for about 10-20 seconds, or by searing the cut end with a flame. This process helps to seal in the sap that can otherwise leak into the water and promotes better hydration by preventing the sap from clogging the cut end.
Place the prepared stems in a clean vase filled with a commercial flower preservative solution. This solution provides us with sugars (nourishment), acidifies the water to improve our water uptake, and contains biocides to limit bacterial growth. Keep the arrangement away from direct sunlight, drafts, and ripening fruit, which emits ethylene gas—a plant hormone that accelerates aging and petal drop. Check the water level daily and refresh the water entirely every two to three days, making a fresh angled cut each time you change the water to maintain an open pathway for hydration.
