Cutting flowers for arrangements is more than snip and pluck. (Garden Basics).(Brief Article)

Cutting flowers from a home garden and arranging them attractively doesn't require the skills of a Master Gardener, but a Penn State Cooperative Extension gardening expert says the picking is easier if gardeners remember a few tips.

"When you walk in the garden to cut blooms, the stems should be placed immediately in water, a process we call conditioning," says Emile Swackhamer, horticultural extension agent in Lehigh County, PA. "Flowers that have been conditioned in water look fresher and last longer in arrangements."

Swackhamer recommends carrying a bucket partially filled with lukewarm water to put flowers in as they are cut. Choose flowers with longer …