THE RIGHT WAY TO CUT FLOWERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19981, 24 December 1926, Page 3

THE RIGHT WAY TO CUT FLOWERS.

Many garden flowers, if cut in the right way, will last much longer than is usually the case. Different blossoms, however, call for different treatment. Here are a few points which aro worth bearing in mind. Sweet peas, for instance, should always be cut in the early morning with the dew on them. They will then bo found to last longer and keep their colour much better than if gathered after some hours’ exposure to the hot sun. By far the best way with roses is to cut the buds in the evening. Select those which are in an advanced state and show signs of being likely to expand on the morrow. Such flowers as iris, peonies, and practically all kinds of lily, should be cut just when the buds have started to open. All these, if gathered when fully expanded, have a very short life in water. Pick gladioli in the later afternoon. choosing stalks on which only one or two flowers have opened. Make a slanting cut and use a sharp knife. In passing, it may be mentioned that clean cuts, free from ragged edges should bo made whenever flowers aro being gathered. In the case ol gladioli, it is a good plan to let the spikes remain out of water in the sue, for 10 minutes or so. . This is known to florists as the ‘softening process”; afterwards they uro likely to stand well in water.

Often, dahlias prove a disappointment as cut flowers. These will keep a long time if, after cutting, tho stems aro stripped bare at tho bottom and these aro then put in an inch or so of extremely hot water. Remove the flowers to a dark corner or closet, and let the water get quite oqld. Then arrange in the vases as desired. Shirley poppies are usually classed as among those flowers which cannot be used [or table decoration. This is not true if the flowers are treated in the proper way. Gather the poppies early in the morning,, as soon as thy are open. Then hold the ends of the stems in a gas or candle flame until they are quite charred. Now put in the vases and; the blossoms will stand surprisingly well. When heavy rain threatens it is often desirable to gather flowers before they are actually needed in order to save them from damage. In such cases place tho blossoms in jars of water and stand in a cool dark place. If the flowers have to he kept rather long and the weather is hot, cover them with damp tissue paper, which will help to preserve them. Never sprinkle water over flowers, as this is very likely to make spots on the petals. Never pick flowers and put them straight away into the- vases, as in a sunny room many of them will wilt. It is always better to give them a spell in some coo], shady place. If sending flowers by post, allow an interval of some hours between cutting and packing. Flowers cut and put at once into a box. will certainly arrive in a very bad condition. It is really a good nlan to cut the flowers overnight and then despatch as early as possible in tho morning. One curious point .which many flower lovers may have noticed is that certain blossbms do not seem to settle oowu well

with other kinds. Without attempting to prove that flowers have positive likes and dislikes, it is an undoubted fact that in some cases, they do affect one another. For instance, sweet peas and roses are always best kept separate, and it is a bad plan to put these in close proximity oven for a few hours. Mignonette is another plant that has an unwholesome effect on any other flowers with which it may come in contact. Generally speakinr- sufficient care is not exercised when cutting flowers to avoid the removal of buds that will come on at a later date. Often, in the desire to get a long stalk a number of immature buds are taken away, and this kind of thing should be avoided as far as possible if a continuous display of bloom is desired. —S. Leonard Bastin. in The Garden.