News & Updates:

It is advisable to commence cutting about two days before a show in the spring, and three days before the autumn display. There is nothing to lose and probably something to gain by cutting early. Any flower that loses colour or becomes fullblown indoors would have done so much sooner on the plant.

Any hour of the day is suitable for cutting blooms. The one great essential is that they be put in water immediately they are cut, even if they remain there for only an hour before leaving for the show. In collecting them from the garden never cut more than six or eight blooms in one lot. Otherwise they will be damaged by contact with each other, and those cut first will be in your warm hand or in the basket and out of water too long. Cut roses will absorb water better, and consequently wilt less readily, if one holds the stems under water while about a quarter of an inch is cut from each of them before placing them in the containers.

All experienced exhibitors have found one or two more blooms in the garden just as they have been leaving home. They have cut them and packed them among their other blooms, some of which have been cut two or three days. On arrival at the show, the only limp roses will be those cut late and not put in water. Many of these will revive especially if the stems are placed in hot water for a short time.

In general, the most attractively coloured roses on the show bench will be the freshest blooms-probably those cut on the morning of the show and kept in water for only a little while before packing. When a large number of flowers are to be staged it will be necessary to cut most of them before this time, because they need to be wired, except in Western Australia, where wiring is prohibited.