- 1). Cut flowers in the morning. Take a bucket filled with warm water into your garden. Walk to the back or side of the gardenia plant. Look for branches with several blooms in different locations, to avoid cutting too many flowers from a single spot.
- 2). Cut both green and woody stems at a 45-degree angle, and immediately place in the bucket of warm water. Once inside your kitchen or mud room, cut off the foliage near the base of the stem to avoid clogging the vase. Turn on the faucet and run lukewarm water. Fill a vase two-thirds full with water. Add flower food to the water, as directed by the manufacturer, and set the vase aside.
- 3). Under running water, cut the green stems 1 inch from the original cut, at a 45-degree angle, and immediately place in the vase. Cut woody stems 1 inch vertically, splitting the base of the stem in two, and place in the vase.
- 4). Refill the water in the vase as necessary, and add additional flower food as needed.
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