Curse of the Deadly Daffs
Written by Hannah Dunne, TheFlorist
"A mixed bouquet of daffs and tulips? Never! No one in Holland would ever dare to mix daffodils with any other flower... it's unheard of!" As a professional florist for over 30 years, Merel van den Burg is completely clued up on flower care, but it seems some of that expertise is lost in translation here in the UK.
At this time of year it's rare to pass a florist who doesn't have bundles of bright sunny daffs outside the shop and many have no qualms about putting them in mixed bouquets. So Merel has put the concept to her famous FloriSmart test so we can finally put the debate to bed... are the Dutch right about our deadly spring-time favourites?
Everyone in Holland knows not to mix daffs with other varieties, it goes without saying. We're taught that the sap that seeps from the stems will kill any other flower in the vase, so we simply don't take the risk.
I was really surprised when visiting the UK to find that so many of you incorporate daffs into your mixed bouquets. For the first time ever I considered doing it myself, but if it's possible, what's the best way to do it? As Quality Controller at FloriSmart it was time to test!
THE TEST
I bought bunches of fresh daffs and tulips from the auction, opting for these varieties:
Narcisus Dick Wilden, Tulipa Candy Price, Tulipa Dow Jones
VASE #1
I filled a vase with clean water and flower food, cut the tulips stems at an angle and popped them in alone.
VASE #2
I filled a second vase with clean water and flower food, cut the daffodil stems and put them in the vase together with the tulips.
VASE #3
After cutting the daff stems I laid them down and let them dry out for three hours. I then put them in another clean vase with fresh water and flower food. Next I added tulips to the mix, cutting their stems as well.
VASE #4
I cut the daffodil stems, put them in a vase with clean water and flower food, and let them stand in the vase for 24 hours. After 24 hours I cleaned the vase, filled it with fresh water and new flower food, added the daffs (without cutting their stems again), cut the tulips and added them both to the vase.
VASE #1
I filled a vase with clean water and flower food, cut the tulips stems at an angle and popped them in alone.
Results: The tulips opened nicely and looked absolutely fine for nine days, as expected.
VASE #2
I filled a vase with clean water and flower food, cut the tulips stems at an angle and popped them in alone.
Results: Tulips started drooping after day one! After four days they were totally hanging and their leaves were dead and dry. The deadly daffs, however, were fine – totally carefree opening nicely!
VASE #3
After cutting the daff stems I laid them down and let them dry out for three hours. I then put them in another clean vase with fresh water and flower food. Next I added tulips to the mix, cutting their stems as well.
The Results: Flowers looked fine for the first two days, but at day three the leaves of almost all the tulips had turned brown and limp. However they weren't drooping as in Vase #2 – they stayed upright but did not open fully. And of course the deadly daffs looked good, and opened nicely.
VASE #4
I cut the daffodil stems, put them in a vase with clean water and flower food, and let them stand in the vase for 24 hours. After 24 hours I cleaned the vase, filled it with fresh water and new flower food, added the daffs (without cutting their stems again), cut the tulips and added them both to the vase.
The results: All flowers looked fine to start with, both daffs and tulips appeared okay with no drooping or browning of leaves. After day six, however, the tulips started to droop, shrivel and dry. Here, I didn't cut the daffodil stems after the first 24 hours, so these findings show that if you mix another variety with daffs (tulips at least!), the likelihood is they won't hold as long as they could have.
CONCLUSION
Don't ever mix daffodils with other varieties if you've cut both sets of stems at the same time. If you must mix, know that your other blooms probably won't last as long as normal, and make sure you follow these pre-conditioning steps:
1. Prepare daffodils after all other flowers have been prepared.
2. Fill a container with cool, clean water and add professional flower food. The water in the container should be shallow enough to avoid stem deterioration.
3. Cut the daffodil stems and place them in the container.
4. Leave the daffodils alone in the container for at least 24 hours before using them.
5. DO NOT re-cut the daff stems when arranging them with other flowers. Cutting them will release their deadly sap... and you don't want that to happen!
The best way to use daffs with other flowers is in floral foam arrangements, that way there's less chance of their sap reaching the other stems – as with a vase arrangement.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected] for information or advice on any quality control issues, and make sure you visit FloriSmart to find out how we can save you money.
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