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Home|Blog | Poppies as cut flowers - how to make them last

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Poppies as cut flowers - how to make them last

Iceland poppies in Snapdragon's garden

Poppies are amazing flowers - all that papery, pettily, ruffly exuberance crammed tightly into the bud casing - unfurling, unfolding as the days go on.

This makes them the perfect cut flower to my mind - the chance to watch transformation day by day, even hour by hour.

Lots of people are surprised that they work as cut flowers - they seem to delicate and ephemeral - but if you follow these simple steps you will be able to watch them develop over a week.

You should choose poppies in full bud - where you know that if you peel back the casing you would find coloured petals just about ready to unfurl.

Conditioning poppies

  • Boil your kettle before you pick the poppies.
  • Pick the poppies straight into a jar of water.
  • Pour a couple of inches of the just boiled water into a mug.
  • Cut the poppy stems to the length you want and immediately put them into the mug of hot water and then count to ten.
  • Put them back in the jar and place it somewhere cool and shady for an hour.
  • Arrange your poppies - I like them in individual bottles. The bottom inch of the stem will be black and wizened from the hot water. this is fine, but a little unsightly, so you might prefer an opaque container.
  • Make sure they are out of the sun and keep the water topped up - they can be very thirsty.

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petrina

my poppies have are my fav this spring, like paper and the bees head there first!

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It’s the private view of the exhibition From the Land @fodderandfarm tonight and the exhibition runs until 17th (open 12-5 each day). It’s part of @forthvalleyartbeat trail of Open Studios. I have some work in the exhibition- showing alongside @allthatisbraw, @kevinharri and @katgoldin and the whole show has been curated by Kevin. In today’s film I’m talking about the build up to the week and all the doubts that came up in my mind. Was the work I was showing good enough? Was I good enough? Am I even an artist. The link is in my profile - I’d love to know if it resonates with anyone. #scottishartist #selftaughtartist #forthvalleyartbeat
I don't think that I have ever seen the hawthorn looking as amazing as it does this year - great white billowing mounds, right along the valley. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I have had some leaves and twigs, pruned from a hedge, in the dye pot this week - such gorgeous colours. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I will put up a reel later showing the five colours of wool that came out of the pot.
This should be titled
I've been making some very short films - a way of getting my 10,000 hours in, of getting used to filming through the day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I put these buttercups in a jar for one of them - for these are my favourite flowers of late Spring/early Summer. I'm arranging some flowers for an event next week and am crossing my fingers that the buttercups are still in bloom.
The hedges - planted twenty years ago to shelter us from the winds that funnel up through the valley and down across the fields - are in many ways the best thing in the garden. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thick and home to countless birds, at this time of year they vibrate with song and rustling, edges fringed in bright, light spring green.
This week I have been resting a lot to try and get rid of the shingles that developed as I headed north for my birthday weekend. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So this week’s Friday film I’m talking about the frustration of not being to do as much of things as I would like to - especially at a time of year when there is SO MUCH TO DO! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You get to see all the sad seedlings waiting to go into the garden and an insight into what I do when my energy and to do list don’t match up. #chronicfatigue #addisonsdisease #scottishartist #chronicillness
This month’s workshop in The Studio Club is about printing with plants - it’s a chance to learn an ancient technique, slightly adapted so we don’t set fire to ourselves. There is still time to join us - the link is in my profile - and all May Studio Clubbers get the course to keep. I’ve added in a reel showing making this in slightly speeded up time! #printingwithplants #thestudioclub #snapdragonlife #createsomethingeveryday
Sweet rocket at dusk, surrounded by moths and perfuming the paths. A plant I wouldn't be without. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here is my annual reminder that it is time to sow biennials. It is so easy to forget in the bustle and busyness of - all those plants that fill out the late May and June garden need to be sown now to flower next year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For some - especially if you run a relaxed garden - this is a case of making sure that they self sow, or sprinkling some seed in a suitable place. Others need a little more cosseting. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you are a Studio Clubber there is a download of my favourite plants and top tips for growing them in the Studio Club Library.
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About Snapdragon Life

At Snapdragon Life I help bring the changing seasons into your daily life, helping you slow down, so that you can experience increased well being, calm and creativity.

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