Tippety Top Daffy Down Dillys

Regular Veg Plotting readers know I'm rather partial to a bunch of Cornish daffodils at this time of the year. I find January and February really hard going, so they're one of the ways I ensure there's some sunshine around no matter what the weather's doing outside.

I've been uneasy about the daffodils for sale nowadays as they're displayed in boxes rather than the vases of water they'd been in previously. The shops concerned have tried to reassure me everything's OK, but I've had my doubts a) because the flowers don't seem to last as long in the vase as they used to and b) the flowers on sale quite often are showing a touch of yellow, rather than remaining tightly in bud.

One of the great things that's happened since the flower farmer day 2 weeks ago, is they're having a regular forum on Monday evenings between 8 and 9pm on Twitter. I'll miss most of these as I'm at choir, but this week I was able to join in:

Question for #britishflowers lots of places not putting daffodil bunches on sales display in water. Is this OK or should I complain?
— Michelle Chapman (@Malvernmeet) January 28, 2013

@flowermillcwll @malvernmeet Daffs will twist if out of water for to long. We store ours upright in boxes in fridge out of water
— James Cock (@jimmycock) January 28, 2013

@malvernmeet @flowermillcwll Correct, if ends are mushy they are old #britishflowers
— James Cock (@jimmycock) January 28, 2013

So there you have it. Not only did I have my question answered within minutes by two friendly flower growers, I've also had an insight into the way they treat their flowers and I know exactly what to look for when I buy my next bunch of daffodils :)

If you can't join in or follow the #britishflowers conversation on Monday evenings, then it's also worth looking out for Georgie's blog the day after or so. She puts up a summary of what's been discussed, together with topic suggestions for the next get together. I may not be a flower farmer, but I'm learning loads. I usually prefer my flowers to be outside in the garden, but I'm encouraged to try and bring them indoors a bit more from now on.