Plants for a Winter Cutting Garden

Savor winter-fresh flowers indoors by growing lenten rose. Cut flowers when they’re fully open. If you wait until you can see seedpods starting to form, blooms will last even longer. Float blooms in water or cut stems for vases. Prep flowers for the vase by recutting stems inside, plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds, then placing into cool water for 6 hours. Average vase life: 5 to 7 days.

The waxy rose-like blooms of camellia make outstanding color contributions to interior spaces during winter. Camellia blooms are notorious for poor vase life. Harvest flowers the moment they’re fully open. If you cut them sooner, they won’t fully open. When cutting entire woody stems, place in warm water overnight. Average vase life: 3 to 5 days.

Celebrate the season with berried stems of winterberry. Look for varieties with red, pink or gold berries. Cut stems as soon as berries color. If you want stems for Christmas arrangements, cover bushes with bird netting to keep birds from nibbling ripe berries. Remove only one-third of stems from each bush annually. Wait two years to cut stems from newly planted hollies. Average vase life: 14 to 21 days.

Bright yellow blossoms appear on green stems in mid- to late winter. Bring jasmine stems indoors to force at any point in winter. It takes about 14 to 21 days for buds to pop open. For best water uptake, first condition stems by plunging them into a bucket of deep, warm water for 4 to 6 hours. Average vase life: 3 to 5 days.