FLOWERS IN VASES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1858, 6 September 1923, Page 7

FLOWERS IN VASES.

HOW TO REVIVE THEM. What is described as "a very simple secret that is almost magical in giving new life to our flowers" is discussed at some length, with accompanying illustrations, by the editor of "The Garden and the Home." In an interesting article in a recent number he recalls that our grandmothers were in the habit of adding various things to the water in which cut flowers were.placed to make them last longer. They ranged from salt to soapsuds, and included soda, ammonia, spirits of camphor, and a number of other things, but little benefit to the flowers seems to have arisen from their use. There is something to be said, however, in favour of the use of hot water as a flower reviver. It tends to quicken the absorbing power of the stalks. But when the really efficacious remedy for drooping flowers is so near a,t hand and so simple it should come to be more generally adopted. The stem of a plant contains numerous veins or passage ways, conveying nourishment in liquid form to the leaves and flowers above. When a stem is cut it usually happens that a small amount of air forces its way into the several ends of part or ..all of these veins, and there it remains, as effective as any cork in preventing, the' passage of water. The air, however, seldom penetrates more than a fraction of an inch into the cut veins, even when they are exposed for some time. In placing flowers in water the only necessity is to make sure that the water will be able to enter the veins. What could be more simple and obvious than to insert the ends of a pair of scissors under the surface of the water and snip an inch or so off the end of each stem? As an experiment a paeony was cut after it had passed its first freshness and was allowed to lie in the sun for an hour before being placed in water. Little change was noticed for some time, and the stem was then cut under water and the flower responded almost at once. Experiments were made with roses and other flowers with like results. This method is especially useful for flowers which have arrived by post. Of course where the tissue has begun to break down a revival cannot be expected. Flowers which are to be worn will last much longer if they are given this treatment and left in the water for some hours before they are needed.