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Updates & tips
Prolonging The Life of Cut Flowers
I know jumping into a cool swimming pool on a hot day is refreshing and my energy rises. I didn't know flowers felt the same. Dr. Armitage states cool temperatures are the number one factor in extending their life. Plunging flowers up to their necks in cold water is key for turgid stems and crisp petals. If possible, he recommends refrigerating them. The life of most cut flowers more than triples when they are held at just above freezing for at least six hours before they are arranged. This is how growers "condition" flowers for their flights out of water, to floral markets around the world, and eventually into a bouquet. Warm water is only recommended for resuscitating wilted flowers. For restoring turgor in wilted stems, hot water (110 degrees Fahrenheit) is recommended. For woody or badly wilted stems, very hot water (180 to 200 degrees) is better. As soon as the flowers are in hot water, they are placed into a refrigerator to cool them down. Despite all the handling, most cut flowers last for days once they are arranged. Obviously, stay-at-home garden flowers, if properly treated, can last much longer. Just when I thought I understood the concept of cooling flowers, Dr. Armitage threw me a curve. Astilbe flowers last longer, twelve days rather than two to four, if placed in hot water first, allowed to cool down, and then refrigerated. So I was right some of the time. Placing flowers up to their necks in water, another old wife's tale, is only necessary for cooling flowers. Relatively little water is absorbed through the stems of most flowers. The only advantage Dr. Armitage notes in having "six inches of water rather then one inch is that water flows six inches up the water-conducting tissues of the stem, reducing the height the water must be moved by capillary action." It is, however, a paradox that long-stemmed roses are the most expensive while the cheaper roses on shorter stems last considerably longer. Dr. Armitage confirms that roses benefit from having their stems cut under water to prevent air bubbles from clogging and slowing the uptake of water. If their stems are re-cut every few days, they live longer. Yet, he found that it made little difference in other flowers. Thank goodness, I never wasted time doing that. Garden roses run the gamut from species, the seven pedaled country lasses to refined uptight hybrid teas, the garden's society ladies with twenty to forty petals, and on to the cabbage rose, buxom beauties each with more than a hundred petals. Unfortunately, the more petals the rose has, the shorter their vase life. Yet, I'll take the over-stuffed blossoms any day. They shed their petals with romantic abandon. It is a wonderful way to go. Most gardeners know the secret to prolonging the life of cut flowers is to remove all the foliage below the water line and quickly plop them into clean water. Bacteria introduced by an unclean vase or rotting foliage, clog stems slowing their uptake of water, consequently shortening their life. If foliage rots under water, the flowers decay faster, and even the best smelling aromatic foliage produces a rank odor. Removing the leaves from the flower stem below water reduces the water loss through transpiration. Adding a floral preservative to the water is essential for prolonging the life of most flowers. A preservative stops bacteria from growing and feeds the flowers. However, tulips, daffodils, drumstick alliums, globe thistle, and obedient plant could care less. In Dr. Armitage's trials, blooms from bulbs, and rhizomes, as well as flowers with hollow stems, didn't benefit from preservatives. But since they do no harm, when in doubt use one. Herbaceous perennials, on the other hand, benefit greatly from having a preservative in the water. Pincushion flowers last from 5 to 7 days in water; using a preservative adds 3 to 5 more days. And the days are more than doubled for Gooseneck loosestrife, from 5 to 12 days. Although not as dramatic for many other garden flowers-baby's breathe, balloon flowers, cosmos, monkshood, Mexican sage, asters, ageratum, zinnias, among others-preservatives work. Tricks for lengthening the life of flowers are all well and good, but I must confess to often being short of time. More often then not I simply gather and drop flowers into water as guests are walking up to the front door. Even if they don't last it's better to have flowers for a short time than not at all. For more information on flowers and gardens visit Suzy Bales Garden.
Down To Earth Gardener
Flowers both inside the house and in the garden have always had the power to lift my spirits and make me smile. Flower arranging is itself joyful. Creating your own flower bouquet from the garden is simple once you learn basic flower arranging techniques. Consequently, flower-arranging techniques accompany each of my bouquets of the month. Click on the flower bouquet of the month tab to check out the flower arranging techniques. Then design your own flower bouquets. Designing your own flower bouquets will release the artist in you. It was flower arranging that initially spurred my love of gardening. The first few flowers I grew made me greedy for more. Consequently, I am passionate about flower gardening and flower arranging. I think of flowers the way most people think of money: there is never enough. What I know about gardening, is firmly rooted in our six acre plot of ground. I will pass along what I have learned in gardening tips. Over the past thirty years, our garden has grown up gracefully and is learning to care for itself. Many of the foolish endeavors of our youth together have faded and new ideas are more sensible and better grounded. My garden can be absolutely gorgeous one week and rather ho hum another. That is true of every garden. But I am rarely if ever without a bloom, even in winter. Both the intricate design of a single bloom and a whiff of perfume caught on the air can make me sigh. I’ve been known to crawl on all fours sniffing flowers along a border looking for an unknown scent. The most important gardening tip I can pass along is, don’t pay attention to the “rules” of gardening. All too often I have discovered they add work without value. Look to your own backyard for answers—the special wisdom only nature can impart. I like to see what a plant is going to do before I start pushing it around. Plants often teach me things I never learned in gardening books. These are the best gardening tips, tips from the garden itself. The longer you garden and the more you observe the plants, the more do-it-yourself tips for gardening you will compile. Hands-dirty gardeners write the great gardening books. Check out the books I have reviewed to learn the authors’ do-it-yourself tips for gardening. I hope you will find do-it-yourself tips for gardening among my down-to earth practices. I promise if you practice them, you will enjoy gardening more and it will be less work. Hopefully, my website, with its reviews of gardening books, garden tour, gardening tips, flower bouquets, and flower arranging techniques, along with my gardening books, will help you unlock the secrets of your own garden.