PRESERVING FLOWERS IN WATER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

PRESERVING FLOWERS IN WATER.

In almost every house the vases will now ibe rilled with flowers of various kinds as well as decorative foliage. Some flowers are extremely difficult to keep for any length of time and even under the most favourable circumstances will not retain their freshness for long. With a little care, however, it is possible in many cases to keep them presentable for a much longer period than usual. The first thing is to change the water at least every day. A pinch of salt in the water or a piece of charcoal in the 'bottom of the vaso will help to keep the water clean and prevent the water becoming putrid. Whenever the water is changed cut off about half an inch of the stem. When flowers arrive in a box or parcel faded and crushed stand them in lukewarm water for a few hours and afterwards put them in fresh cold water. Hard woody stems should have the lower two inches plunged into boiling water and left till water is cool, afterwards standing in fresh water. Fern fronds also require this treatment. Hydrangeas stand best if the lower portion of the stem has the bark or rind scraped off. Always pick the blooms just as they arrive at their best and either cut in early morning or late in the evening. As soon as cut plunge the stems into a good depth of water and let them stand for 12 hours, if possible. Flowers cut of an evening and allowed to stand up to their necks in water till next morning will last longer and travel farther unharmed than if cut at any other period of the day.