13 Of The Best Flowers For Cut Floral Arrangements

As the soft, sweet and refreshing aromas drift through your home, a gorgeous floral arrangement can brighten your space and inject some joy into your life. If you have a green thumb or you love the freshness and vibrancy popular cut flowers offer, we’ve uncovered the best cut flowers to grow in your garden and put together a cut flower identification guide so you can create a beautiful and long-lasting bouquet. From how to avoid wilting and damage to the expected lifespan of each flower type, read on for 13 of the best cuts to keep in your vase.

Flowers for Cut Floral Arrangements

Carnations

One of the most popular cut flowers, carnations are loved for their vibrant hues, voluminous shape, and delectable scent — making them a staple in most gorgeous floral arrangements. Carnations pair beautifully with lilies, roses and chrysanthemums and are available in a range of spectacular natural colours including red, pink, yellow, orange and purple. Of course, variegated carnations also occur naturally, meaning you can enjoy a combination of colours, depending on the theme of your overall arrangement. Whatever vibrant hue you select, carnations are strong and sturdy, meaning they will maintain their natural shape and bounciness for longer periods. With proper maintenance, freshly cut carnations can last up to three weeks in a vase. To extend their life and keep this long-lasting cut flower in prime condition, keep your arrangement out of direct sunlight and away from hot areas in your home. Don’t forget to give them fresh water every few days.

Oriental lilies

If you want to fill your home with a sweet and lingering scent, oriental lilies are one of the most common bouquet flowers. They’re available in a range of yellows, pinks, reds and purples, and thanks to their fresh fragrance and excellent vase life, they’re one of the best hand-cut flowers to include in any floral arrangement. If you’re cutting lilies from your garden, head out in the early morning before the sun and wind dry them out. Alternatively, you can cut them later in the evening when they’re dehydrated. Do not remove more than one-third of the plant’s leaves and look for stems that have a couple of buds that are just about to open.

Tulips

With their silky-smooth petals and gorgeous natural colour, tulips are one of the best cut flowers to grow in your garden. Although they’re thirsty flowers that continue to grow after they’re cut, the less water in the vase, the better. To keep your tulips looking fresh and lively for up to one week, add a splash of bleach to the water and keep them out of direct sunlight — once they’ve opened, they tend to wilt faster when they’re exposed to heat. It’s also important to match them carefully as tulips can be sensitive to daffodils and narcissus, causing them to wilt faster. To avoid rapid deterioration, team them with long-lasting cut flowers like roses, lilies and gerberas.

Sunflowers

With proper care and maintenance, freshly cut sunflowers should last for around six and 12 days. To maximise their vase life, look for sunflowers that are just starting to open fully. Avoid placing them in very cold or boiling water and steer clear of leaving them in warm or drafty conditions, as this can impact their longevity. A dining room table, office desk or bedroom nightstand is the perfect setting for this bright and cheery flower to bloom magnificently.

Roses

With 20,000 varieties available, roses are favoured by florists for their beautiful fragrance and long lifespan. To increase the length of time you have to enjoy its beauty, fill your vase with lukewarm water to avoid shocking the delicate blooms. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, crush the ends of them before you place them in the vase and change the water every two days — roses resting in stale water will wilt rapidly. When cared for properly, roses are long-lasting cut flowers that will retain their natural shape for days on end.

Chinese Lanterns

With their soft red-orange husk, Chinese lanterns are a member of the nightshade family and related to petunias, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes. Their delicate, lantern-like blooms open in spring, and if allowed to dry, this long-lasting cut flower will keep for months.

Delphiniums

Delphiniums bloom in a range of delightful colours, including purple, lavender, pink, scarlet, orange, blue and white. When freshly plucked from your garden, delphiniums last in a vase for around seven to 14 days, making them one of the best hand-cut flowers to include in your floral arrangement. Delphiniums are extremely sensitive to ethylene gas, so once cut, do not store them in the refrigerator or alongside fruits and vegetables.

Gladiolus

Gladiolus, also known as sword-lilies, are famous for being high flyers. Growing up to two metres tall, this long-lasting cut flower will add a touch of vibrancy to any extravagant or understated arrangement. If you’re growing this flower in your home, you can force unopened buds to bloom by using warm water in a vase and covering the flowers with a clear plastic bag.

English lavender

One of the most common bouquet flowers, lavender can be dried to extend its vase life indefinitely. Its strong fragrance intensifies as it dries, so you’ll be able to fill any room in your home with a soft and soothing scent. For the best results and the strongest fragrance, store this popular flower cut in a vase of water, and it will last up to 10 days. To avoid rotting, don’t forget to remove all of the leaves below the water level.

Orchids

Adding a clean, crisp and modern look to any space, orchids are one of the most popular types of cut flowers and will last between 14 and 21 days. You can make a freshly cut orchid bloom for up to three weeks by adding some sugar and bleach to the water. Of course, keep the vase away from direct sunlight, heat and ethylene gas from ripe fruits. Be sure to remove any flower or foliage that would otherwise be immersed in water and cut the bottom of the stems every two to three days. To keep them in place, you can even put rocks at the bottom of the vase. Pair them with ornamental branches like curly willows to add fullness to the common bouquet flowers in your arrangement.

Chrysanthemums

Long-lasting and one of the best cut flowers to grow, chrysanthemums offer a cheerful appearance and can remain in top quality condition for up to three weeks. To get the most out of your bunch, change the water regularly and re-cut the stems every few days. Add products that contain silver-thiosulfate to the cut flower stems that are immersed in water. This will extend the flower’s longevity and prevent the destructive effects of ethylene.

Birds of Paradise

Resembling a multi-coloured bird about to take flight, this tropical plant excludes natural beauty and endless radiance. Featuring blue, white, orange and yellow hues, this exotic and popular cut flower is a staple in any dramatic floral arrangement. Blooms cut for a vase can last up to two weeks and can be incorporated into any tropical arrangement style. When adding birds of paradise to a bouquet, keep other flowers and foliage lower in the design.

Find the most exquisite floral arrangements at Uniting Flowers

If you aren’t growing an array of flowers in your backyard but love the vibrancy they bring to your home, Uniting Flowers offers gorgeous arrangements from a host of local florists around the country. Whether you’re after a bunch that will make for a bright centrepiece on your kitchen island or white cut flowers to celebrate a special engagement, birthday or anniversary, we will work within your allocated budget to fulfil your creative vision. Browse our range of posy flowers, luxury bunches, bouquets, arrangements and gifts online today before making your order. With same day dispatch and delivery, we take the hassle out of finding the best blooms.