From the Ground Up: Enjoy beauty of garden flowers inside

We all love fresh bouquets of flowers, and they're even better when they come from your own gardens. Fresh cut flowers need a little tender loving care to stay looking great as long as possible. Different flowers may need different treatment.

As a general rule, all flowers should be cut early in the morning when they have a maximum amount of moisture. Cut flowers with a sharp knife or scissors so you don't crush the stem. Immediately place flowers in tepid water while in the garden, cutting off all foliage below water level.

Daffodils need to be in tepid water for at least three hours before arranging in a vase since they excrete a slimy substance If you mix them with other flowers, keep them separate for at least 12 hours. And with any flower arrangement change the water daily.

Tulips open and close depending on light and temperature. When cutting full stems, immerse the entire stem in water up to the flower overnight. To increase the life of your tulip bouquet, place the bouquet in the refrigerator every night which lengthens their life as a cut flower.

Iris make great indoor bouquets with a little daily trimming. When a bloom withers, cut off the flower at the base of the flower, don't break it off because you run the risk breaking the bud directly below. Trimming the spent buds will allow the others to flower.

Bright orange-red Oriental poppies (made famous by the artist Georgia O'Keefe) make a great statement. Poppies also emit a milky substance that must be contained. Before placing the flower in water, seal the end of the stem and 2 inches up the stem with fire. Yes, a candle or a fire starter works great. The stem end and the stem must be blackened. Place the poppy in water up to the flower for three to four hours. Arranging a few stems in a tall clear cylindrical vase will give you a true Georgia O'Keefe picture at home.

Peonies are flowers that never last long enough in the spring. Pick the flower when the bud is just starting to show color.

Wrap the entire stem including the bud in newspaper. Put the wrapped flower in a vase of water and refrigerate.

When ready to use the peony in a floral arrangement, remove from the refrigeration, unwrap, move to room temperature and you will have a full blooming peony.

It's possible to make August centerpieces using this method. Refrigerator space may limit you, but sacrificing the space is worth the pleasant surprise of a summer peony bouquet.

Make someone's day with a spring bouquet, and keep reading. I'll cover summer blooming flowers as cut flowers next month.

• Judy Stevens is a Linn County Master Gardener.