Long Stems

Hi All
 
In the UK most national standard exhibitors grow standard daffodils with long stems without any detriment to the flower quality and size. I myself cut most 95% with stems around 2′ 3″ in length them I trim them down to 2′. at staging I set the back row so that the flower does not stick above the back cloth and then adjust it so that the bottom of the stem sit in the middle of the vase and the I stage all my flowers to that height. This gives me the adjustment to either pull the flower up or push it down enabling to get the cups in line or adjust any differences between the rows caused by the staging. Flowers can be staged to high and to far apart as a rule my standard 1-4’s are staged at about 2′ 3″ but I do grow a lot of my flowers with a diameter of not less than 105mm but most are between 110 and 120mm so they do not look out of balance.
In the case of miniature and standard div 5-12 they should be shorter in fact most of Terry’s miniature are no more than 6″ above the vase to the top when she stages triandrus varieties the bottom flower is nearly touching the vase. In the case of the less divisions her flower are no more than 14″ this we believe provides a balanced exhibit, we often see miniature in the UK also staged to high and ruin the whole effect of the exhibit MINIATURES SHOULD BE DAINTY not 14-16″ above the top of the vase, they look like pimples on stilts.
Regards
Roger Braithwaite