Craig Dupee’s daughter Cora smiles with her neighbor, Caroline Cooper, after she had just delivered the vase of cut flowers on the table. (Photo by Karen Dupee.)

Summer is quickly coming to an end, and the gardening season has not been disappointing. My flower gardens are blooming plentifully, and I have not had to water at all this season. The tomato plants are a little behind on production, but once the hot days of August hit, they will catch up.

This time of year there is usually an abundance of flowers and produce, and our neighbors keep us well supplied with free garden goodies. Billy Jean is our tomato and zucchini connection, Lauren is our cucumber and cherry tomato supplier and if we are lucky, Bill has been known to give away hosta and ginger from his shade garden when he does his yearly dividing.

Our green specialty is giving cut flower bouquets to family, friends and neighbors, vase included, which may be redeemed later for future refilling of flowers. I have found that the cool of early morning is the best time for cutting flowers. Their stems are filled with water and are quite rigid, making them good for flower arranging. If you cut later in the afternoon, flowers can become stressed and wilted looking.

I carry a plastic five-gallon bucket with about a gallon of warm water in the bottom. Once cut, I immediately put the flowers into the bucket. If you leave them out of water even for a short period of time, air will enter the stem and prevent the absorption of water. Cut flower stems at an angle, which increases the surface area for better water uptake.

When I do my flower arrangements, I make sure that all of the lower foliage is removed so none is submerged in water. Wet foliage encourages bacterial growth and will make vase water smell fetid. Fill the vase with warm water for summertime cut flowers. Warm water will absorb more quickly than cold water. If you cut spring bulbs, use cold water.

Adding a preservative to the water will increase the longevity of the flowers. You can buy a commercial produced preservative or make your own. Preservatives contain sugar for nutrition of the flower, an acidifier to gently acidify the water and a microorganism growth inhibitor to reduce the growth of bacteria. My homemade preservative is 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon household bleach and 1 quart lukewarm water, poured into a clean vase.

Anybody can do flower arranging. The following are some tips to observe when creating your masterpiece.

Don’t make your arrangement top heavy. The height of the flowers should be in proportion to the vase or container that is being used.

Make the arrangement look uniform all around. As you are arranging, spin the vase to make sure that similar flowers are being used in each section.

Make sure the flowers are supported within the vase. Smaller flowers or sprigs of ferns and some branches from a tree or shrub can give support to the larger, heavier flowers.

Now your arrangement is ready to display. Check the water level frequently, remove faded or wilted flowers, and locate flowers out of direct sun and they will give you joy each time you look at them.

Craig Dupee is a garden-design consultant. He resides in Ewing with his wife and children. Reach him by e-mail at hort1014u@aol.com.