I'm afraid the answer is that every flower is different and that you'll probably have to experiment a bit until you find something that suits you. Here's a few things we've discovered: More often than not, it's best to pick before pollen develops -- but definitely wait until after it develops on any achillea -- otherwise, the flower will dry to a set of uninspiring pinpoints. If you have any filipendulas, pick before the flowers really open, or when just one or two of the tiny flowers in the head have opened. The tight buds dry nicely -- open flowers shatter. With xeranthemums, you might consider harvesting the whole plant, with some flowers in bud, others open and in color and some past their prime, basically silvery ghosts. Centaurea macrocephala -- when you've got a fluffy ball of yellow petals with no browning on the tips. If you miss that stage, you can wait until the flowers are gone and use the "basket" that's left. Statice -- on most colors, there will be an inner row of white bracts contrasting with the overall blue, purple, magenta, etc. color of the flower. Wait to pick until you see the white bracts. They'll disappear when the flower's dried. Gomphrena -- you'll have to get a feel for it. Too late and the head will have begun to shatter, but too early and not only will the head be smallish, but the stem will be thinner and likelier to nod. Even in best of circumstances, gomphrena stems are more hygroscopic than just about anything else. Can also harvest the entire plant of the globosa types, especially dwarf varieties, which can be incorporated into wreaths. Helichrysums -- many people pick when the outer bracts are still unopened, but Roberta perfers to wait on most until the flower is open and showing a yellow center. Artemesias such as Silver King -- pick when stems are long (flowers may be forming on the ends of the longest) and leaves are in good condition. Flowers are inconsequential. Sweet Annie -- pick when flower buds begin to form or stems are long enough to suit you. Lady's Mantle -- pick when flowers begin to turn bright yellow. Use foliage for wreaths. Easiest way to pick is to grasp low on the stem and pull gently but firmly away from the base of the plant. The base of the stem will be brownish. Sorry -- no pics at present

No, they don't have sap like daffs. BTW You can mix Daffs with other flowers after they have conditioned on their own for twelve hours or so. Just don't cut them again. Yes, just cut them underwater and place them with the other flowers in Crysal. Make sure you measure your Crysal. Using the incorrect amount to water is worse than not using it at all. Make sure you clean your vase with bleach before using it. Iris aren't long lasting as cut flowers. Cutting them as buds will make them last longer than fully open. Commercially, Dutch Iris are the only ones grown for florists. (I was a florist for over twenty years)

We're another couple who got married in a hurry by a judge. We'd been living together for years and really hadn't planned to marry but, his office wanted to transfer him from Montreal to Atlanta. I'd been living in Montreal for 15 years but I was and am an American citizen. His company had an attorney who was going to help DH navigate the path to a green card. I found out that if we were married I could simply go to the consulate and request status for him so it was a no brainer to get married. I mean, it wasn't that we didn't love each other or have a serious commitment, we owned a house together up there for many years and I brought the mortgage papers to the consulate to prove it, it's just that we weren't in any kind of hurry. We might have gotten around to it without the push or we might not have.

Adam, is your Devoniensis the bush or the climber, and how have you found its growth habit so far? I think it was Jeri possibly who once posted photos of an example of the reputedly low-growing bush well over head-high and wide. I seem to remember it had stayed small for years, before starting to put out enormous octopus arms at odd angles and exploding into its mature enormousness...