When I get a beautiful bouquet of flowers, I dread the day they start to wilt. Keeping them fresh requires some knowledge of flower types, so we’re going to break down and help you identify types of flowers by cutting into the stems. Stem type determines how you’ll take care of them. There are five major stem types: solid stems, hollow stems, soft stems, woody stems, and milky stems.

Prepping flowers with solid stems

Marigolds, daisies, and other flowers with solid stems are the most hearty flowers for arrangements. All they need is a diagonal cut with a sharp blade or shears to absorb lots of water and rest happily in a bouquet…