Don't put your daffodils in a vase without doing this one thing first, warns a florist

You know spring is truly in the air when you start seeing clusters of sunshine yellow daffodils in every florist and supermarket – their uplifting trumpets of bright colour serving as the perfect way to welcome spring into your home.

While many of us automatically add these uplifting yellow flowers to table centrepieces and vase displays to update homes for spring, there is one crucial thing that we should do first to prolong the life of these joyful seasonal blooms.

Similar to what to do with daffodils after flowering in the garden, certain principles are best upheld to ensure these glorious flowers don't harm other seasonal stems in your spring displays – because the sap released after cutting the stems of daffodils is toxic to other flowers.

Florist's must-do daffodil sap hack for spring arrangements

When preparing your daffodils and cutting the stems, a trick to make your cut flowers last longer, you will notice a sticky residue oozing from the ends. Take care as it's toxic, as leading florist at eflorist.co.uk, David Denyer explains.

"When you first cut the bottom of the stems of daffodils, they’ll start to emit the sticky toxic sap," David explains. “You should always wear gloves when cutting daffodils as this sap can also be toxic to humans, causing some people to have a rash or itch when handling them."

When placed directly into a vase of water, the sap can actually poison the water and cause any other blooms to wilt and die. Because of this, it's often a common belief that you can’t mix daffodils with other flowers in floral arrangements, but this isn’t entirely true. David suggests doing one simple florist's trick first to stop the sap doing any harm, his 'daffodil sap hack'.

“So to do this, simply place your cut daffodils in some water for a few hours and allow the sap to drain before adding them to an arrangement of other flowers."

In terms of how to cut them most efficiently, David reveals: “Daffodils are soft-stemmed, so should be cut straight across the stem as opposed to the 45° angle other varieties need."

After an hour or so, isolated in their own water, your daffodils are ready to mix in with any flowers. “While daffodils look beautiful on their own, mixing them with other flowers is an easy way to brighten up a room and create depth to your bouquet," says David. "I’d recommend incorporating them with other spring blooms like tulips, anemones, and iris to create a seasonal display."

But what about when you have to cut them once again to keep your flowers fresh for longer? “Don’t worry about having to isolate your daffodils every time you cut the stems and change the water of your bouquet, the initial draining and isolation should do the trick.".

David Denyer

As a celebrated figure in the world of floral design, David has captivated audiences with his stunning floral arrangements and designs for years. He is a two-time Florist of the Year and six-time Chelsea Gold Medalist, and he is also the in-house plant expert for Eflorist.

What about if you're not adding them to an arrangement with other flower varieties? “If you’re not planning to incorporate your daffodils with other flowers, there’s no need to drain the sap out of them," says David.

“Daffodil sap in the water of a daffodil-only bouquet will not affect the longevity. However, for best results and longevity for daffodils, you should replace the water in your vase every few days, ensuring it’s a cool temperature." For best care, daffodils like to be kept in shallow water so don't overfill the vase.

“You should also retrim the stems when you change the water, and keep your daffodils out of direct sunlight, avoiding drafts or heat sources like radiators because Daffodils prefer cooler conditions."

We recommend trying the expert-approved denture tablet hack, which keeps cut flowers fresh for longer, to extend the lifespan of your spring floral arrangements.