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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Friday, November 06, 2009 10:12 PM

LINTNER: Staying a cut above the rest

By AUDREY LINTNER, Blooming Dells

Thanks for the kind birthday wishes, folks. I had a great day and a lot of laughs. Larry even brought home one of my favorite surprises — red roses.

There’s something about a bouquet of flowers that makes you feel, well, almost spoiled. Think about it. They’re not functional, edible or interactive. The sole purpose of a vase full of blooms is to cheer you up. How many other things in life can offer that?

You can choose an arrangement to match your mood, your occasion, even your drapes if that’s what floats your boat. Speaking of boats, a water lily in a bowl makes an elegant statement.

So let’s say your thoughtful spouse brings you flowers, or you decide you deserve a treat and buy ’em yourself. There’s not a lot going on in the garden right now. Maybe you need a dash of color. Once they’re sitting on your counter, you’re going to want those flowers to last as long as possible.

Have you ever been excited about receiving a bouquet, only to watch the flowers wilt before your eyes within a few days? The very same air that’s perfumed by your posies is the culprit. If they don’t get straight into water after being cut, flower stems are basically sucking air. Without water to keep their cells fat and sassy, leaves and petals begin to droop rather quickly.

An easy way to prevent “air profusion” is to use a sharp pair of garden shears to snip the stems. Dunk the ends in a bowl of water and cut to the desired length, keeping the blades at an angle. This allows for maximum surface area, which equals maximum water intake. Strip off any leaves that will wind up below the water line, and your bouquet is ready for bottling.

Along with water, flowers need nutrients to stay healthy, even after cutting. That little packet the florist sent home with you is one option. These packets usually contain a biocide, which kills bacteria that clog stems and cause wilting, an acidifier for helping the flowers drink faster and some sugar as a food source.

If you don’t have a handy little florist’s packet, you can use one of several methods to keep your blooms beautiful. Got a penny and an aspirin? Toss ’em in your vase. The copper works as a fungicide, while the aspirin provides acid.

Lots of folks like to add lemon-lime soda to their flower water. Just make sure it’s not diet. You may not want the calories, but your flowers do. If you want to get fancy, you can make a whole bucket of blossom beverage. Take two tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of bleach and add them to a quart of water.

In spite of our best efforts, cut flowers will eventually fade. Don’t feel too bad about it, though. It just means you’ll have to get more.

My birthday roses were especially appropriate in light of this weekend. We’re celebrating veterans (hey, that includes me and my dad), and the rose is our national flower. Buy one for a veteran you love.

Well, time to re-check the set list. We’re gonna make some noise in Forest Park from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. today. See you there.

E-mail Audrey Lintner at gardenherald@hotmail.com

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LINTNER: Staying a cut above the rest

By AUDREY LINTNER, Blooming Dells

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.