|
 Take some time to evaluate the quality of the cut
flowers you plan to purchase. Select fresh flowers with upright and
perky flowers and lots of firm buds that are just starting to open.
Avoid flowers sitting in foul smelling water with drooping leaves
and discolored slimy stems.
Consider color and fragrance as well as freshness. Many people love
the sweet fragrance of roses, carnations and lilies. Some varieties
are more fragrant than others, so you’ll need to do the nose test.
Other individuals prefer to look at and not smell their beautiful
arrangement. For them, select non-fragrant varieties and other
flowers like hydrangea, alstroemeria, gerbera daisies and lisianthus
that lack a strong fragrance.
Select their favorite color or perhaps one that sends a message. Red
is often used to represent love and passion, pink for happiness and
sometimes love, yellow for friendship and cheer, and peach for
gratitude. Include a card to make sure the message and sentiments
are received.
Roses are a Valentine favorite, but a dozen may be out of reach for
your budget. A single rose in a bud vase or large bloom floating in
a shallow vase can bring a bit of beauty and lots of enjoyment to
you or the recipient. Or add a few roses to your bouquet of other
colorful flowers.
Once you make your selection, ask the florist to include a packet of
floral preservative and wrap your flowers. This protects them from
extreme temperatures and jostling during the ride home.
Extend the life of your floral gift with a few key steps before
placing the flowers in a vase.
Remove the lower leaves, so just the leafless stems are sitting in
the water. This minimizes bacterial growth that can shorten the vase
life of cut flowers. Recut the stems and arrange your blossoms in a
clean vase filled with fresh water and floral preservative. Cutting
the stems on an angle increases the amount of exposed surface area
to absorb water.
[to top of second column] |
Change the water, clean the vase if needed, recut the
stems and add floral preservative every two to three days. Remove
any flowers that have faded to keep your arrangement looking its
best. Doing this can double the life of your cut flowers.
Further extend the vase life of cut flowers by displaying them in a
cool, draft-free location. Or move them to a cooler spot at night
and back in a prominent spot during the day.
Even if you do everything right, roses sometimes bend
or droop at the neck and disappoint. This can happen if they have
not received enough water at some point between harvest and your
vase.
Fortunately, there is a way to revive roses. Remove the roses from
the vase. Recut the stems and submerge the whole rose – stem,
leaves, flowers and all – in a sink or tub of warm water. Leave the
roses submerged for 30 minutes.
Clean and refill the vase with fresh water and a bit of floral
preservative. Recut the stems on a slant, underwater if possible,
and place the roses back in the vase. You will have perky fresh
roses to enjoy for a week or more.
And pick up an additional bouquet for yourself. Fresh flowers are a
great way to brighten your home and lift your spirits.
Melinda Myers has written numerous books, including Small Space
Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD
series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV &
radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for
Birds & Blooms magazine and her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo credit: Melinda Myers, LLC]
 |
