Secrets of A Magnolia Farmer: A Guide to Harvesting Magnificent Magnolia Blooms
June 18th, 2024
Magnolia blooms are among the world’s most iconic and sought after cut flowers. They’re distinctly fragrant, unparalleled in elegance, and they’re massive.
But, magnolia flowers’ beauty comes with a catch: once the bloom is separated from the magnolia tree, it’s only got till the stroke of midnight…
Okay, that’s not exactly how it works; there’s no short lived fairy godmother magic at play. Still, the bloom’s beauty is fickle and fleeting. They have an incredibly brief “shelf life.” With much care you can harvest these blooms for a special party or event.
Our expert growers got the process of harvesting and preserving magnolia flowers down to a science, so it’s safe to say we learned a few tricks along the way!
Whether it’s for your wedding, a centerpiece, a photoshoot, a bouquet, your dinner table, or just because, here’s the best advice in the business for picking magnolia blooms that’ll last.
Follow These Steps:
Be Picky!
We mean it!
When you’re considering which flowers to pick, be selective. The flowers that are fully open and displaying their signature look are NOT the flowers you want.
Instead, look for flowers that are about halfway open. They’ll continue to open when they’re on display. The fully open ones will only wilt when you try and put them out for show.
Timing is Everything
For once, it isn’t all about location.
Some cultivars of Southern Magnolias grow more blooms than others. Two of the top bloom producing trees are called Kay Parris and Little Gem.
We harvested our blooms the day before an event required them. Start the harvesting in the cool early morning hours the day prior to the event.
By cutting magnolias in the morning when the blooms just begin to open, you know they spend a night with their pollinators. So, if your wedding is on Saturday, wait until Saturday morning to cut your magnolias. Cutting your flowers the day before means you must harvest a larger amount and you must store in water in a refrigerator overnight. You can remove them from the refrigerator 6-8 hours before the event. Keep in water at room temperature.
Proven Professional Techniques
For best results and to harvest like a pro, consider these tips!
- Wear gloves: the oil on our skin turns the flower petals brown.
- Leave the stem long: not including the length of the flower, leave the stem of your cutting about 6-8 inches long.
- Strip the stem: the leaves are nice for aesthetic purposes, but they aren’t helpful when you’re trying to preserve the flower. Leave the 4-5 leaves that immediately surround the flower (they’re the closest leaves), but get rid of the rest.
- Go upside down: especially for flowers that are fully open, turn the bloom upside down to dump out excess pollen. You’ll end up with pollen everywhere if you skip this step!
- Cut and place in water immediately
- Cut extras: we know better than anyone that nature is unpredictable, even when you’ve got something down to a science. We recommend cutting 10% more flowers than you think you’ll need. It’s always better to have spares than to be left up the creek without a paddle. We learned this lesson the hard way. If you require 10 flowers, cut 12 and thank us later.
The Real Secret Sauce: Ice, Ice Baby
Before we get into the trade secret that no one talks about, DO NOT PUT YOUR FLOWERS IN THE FREEZER. You’ll just kill them.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…
Our garden secret for making sure you get as much time as you can with your magnolia flowers is keeping them cold.
Before you harvest, prepare a cooler and give it time to get cold. Your cooler should also have cold tubes of water (like the little tubes a single rose comes in) at the ready or small buckets of water for the flower stems to soak in.
Getting your stems in water and into a cool environment is the best way – and really the only way – to see that they stay fresh for as long as possible. Cut your stem, strip the excess foliage, stick the stem into a tube or bucket, and get it in the cooler ASAP.
If you’re just harvesting for a dinner table arrangement at home, you have the option of bypassing the cooler. Just get those flower stems in water and bring them inside immediately.
Coolness delays the sinecense of the flower expiring, just like putting produce in the fridge. In the agribusiness industry, the speed at which professional growers can get the flower cold is a huge deal, and it’s what distinguishes a quality grower.
Behind the Scenes with Our Process
When we sold cut magnolia blooms, we had a speedy team at the ready. Really, it was like a NASCAR pit crew. We’re based out of Florida, so heat is our biggest adversary. Coolers weren’t just helpful; they were essential tools for making sure we put out a quality product.
Transportation, Made Simple
Your flowers are picked, plucked, pruned, and perfectly chilly. Now what?
First off, take a look at your cooler. Avoid stacking the flowers on top of each other. They can touch, but you don’t want it to be too cramped.
Remember, keep the stems in water. There’s no magic ingredient. You don’t need flower food or any kind of additive in your water. You just need cool water in a cooler or fridge.
What about ice water? Honestly, we’re not sure. There’s no science that says it makes a significant difference, but it can’t hurt.
Showing Off Your Petals
Keeping these beauties cool is always your best bet, so if you’re able, prioritize displaying them indoors. If displayed outdoors, avoid full sunlight.
When it’s time to bring the flowers out, think of them as the final step of whatever you’re doing. Keeping them cold for as long as you can will give you the most time with their perfect fragrance and creamy white elegance.
Leave them in water. If you’re using the bloom in a bouquet or boutonniere, you must keep the magnolia stem in a water tube (this might require you or your florist to get creative with the boutonniere design). Other blooms will do just fine in a vase.
Don’t. Touch. Remember, we harvested with gloves on. You’ll keep your blooms pristine by leaving them alone!
For those of you who are more skimmers than readers, here’s the quick summary:
- Cut partially open blooms
- Wait till the day of the event to harvest
- Keep them cold (but don’t freeze them) and in water always
There you have it! Happy Harvesting!
As always, we’re here to answer all of your magnolia related questions. Reach us through email or social media!
