Remove thelower third of the foliage and immerse only to foliage level. Place the containers of flowers in a cool, dark, humid location fora minimum of 2 hours. A longer period of time is preferred. Afterthis time, flowers are ready to be arranged. When transferringfrom the conditioning container to the vase, recut stems underwater to the lengths needed for the arrangement.
Some flowers require special attention prior to conditioning.
Flowers with milky sap such as oriental poppies seal over,preventing water uptake. To prevent this sealing, singe the endsof the stems in an open flame until they blacken or immerse thelower stem in boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds. Flowers withwoody stems should have the bark scraped away from the lowerportion of the stem. The stem should then be cross-cut to increasewater uptake. Flowers with hollow stems such as hollyhocks anddelphiniums should have their stems filled with water.