Enjoy flower arrangements you have grown

This is a good time to cut some of your outdoor flowers for indoor display. It is best to cut the flowers during a cool part of the day and to put them in water as quickly as possible.

Remove any foliage that will be under water in the vase. Keep your arrangements in a cool room out of direct sunlight. Adding a preservative to the water can lengthen the life of the flowers. Be sure to make a fresh cut on the stems and immediately put them in water.

• If you want to maximize the size of your dahlia flowers, keep the main stems free of side shoots, allowing only the terminal bud to develop, which results in one flower per stem. This is most effective when growing the large dinner-plate-sized cultivars. The plants will probably need some support to prevent wind damage or the stems breaking from the weight of the flowers.

• Bearded iris can be divided and replanted after they have finished blooming. Be sure to discard any shriveled or diseased parts. Be careful not to plant the new sections too deeply.

• Monitor any plants you have planted this year for supplemental water needs with the hotter and drier weather. These new plants can dry out quickly, as they are just getting established. Any plants installed over the last few years should also be checked and watered as needed.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.