THE DURATION OF CUT FLOWERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 7

THE DURATION OF CUT FLOWERS.

Not the least of the demands made upon the present-day gardener is the continuous supply of cut flowers for the decoration of rooms and dinner tables, therefore the variability in the lasting properties of the material used for these purposes ia of peculiar interest. While some flowers, such as heliotrope, for example, are so fugacious as to be scarcely serviceable, others, in particular carnations, sometimes remain fresh for weeks under reasonably good conditions. the lasting properties are not necessarily uniform within certain groups or genera, for while the common poppy lasts but a day or two under the best conditions,' its congener, the Iceland poppy, which appears to be of similar substance, lasts for many days. Among irises, the bulbous section, including the Dutch, Spanish, and English groups, have excellent lasting qualities, but the same cannot be stated of the varieties of 1. germanica, so remarkable in the open border by reason of their handsome flowers of delicate texture and infinite variety of colour; yet the Japanese irises, if cut while still in the bud stage, will unfold their petals perfectly and remain fresh for several days although their season of flowering is at the hottest period of the year! I. aibirica and its varieties, the largerflowered I. aurea, I. spuria, and I. ochroleuca also possess this property, and are particularly valuable for big decorating schemes because of their long stems. ° But the conditions linder which plants are grown, and their stage of development when cut, have a very great influence on their duration. Narcissi and tulips, both forced and when grown under natural conditions, last for a very long time if gathered just before the bud opens, but fully expanded flowers last a relatively short time. Few flowers can surpass the carnation in its duration, but, like all other flowers, its period of frpshness after being cut is largely governed by the treatment it receives. As regards summer border flowers, everyone knows that the hot, dry summer months hasten the maturation of plant growth, and this acceleration continues to some extent even after a flower is cut. It is therefore much more difficult to maintain freshness, and care should be taken that the flowers are placed in water immediately they are cut, to prevent loss of turgidity. Amongst the most satisfactory flowers for cutting in the summer months are the gladioli, particularly the primulinus hybrids, which, by reason of their graceful stems and brilliantly-coloured flowers, make excellent decorative material. If cut when the first flower begins to expand and placed in water, the succeeding flowers open in rapid succession to the apical flower, maintaining perfect freshness for eight or 10 days, and it is one of the very few flowers which will regain rigidity, even when slightly drooping, on being put into water. 1 Dahlias, although admirably adapted to many decorative schemes, are not very durable in water, and, unfortunately, the singles, which provide such wealth of decorative material, are less durable than the double sorts; the decorative varieties are also more resistant than the cactus sorts, but as the season advances and nights become cooler, flowers of all sections become more durable It is thus clear that the floral decorator has considerable choice of material for any scheme he may, contemplate, while a knowledge of the general tendencies of various flowers, when cut, enables him to choose material to meet the timeneeds of the scheme in question. But the exercise of a few precautions may contribute in a remarkable degree to the conservation of freshness in flowers after they are cut, particularly during dry and hot periods. During such periods loss of mosture from evaporation is very great, and flowers should only be cut in the early morning, when they are at their greatest turgescence. In the case of hcavy-foliaged material it is also a good practice to remove those leaves which are superfluous to decorative needs, and with large-stemmed flowers, particularly those of a woody nature, the cut should be made obliquely so as to offer a larger surface for the absorption of water. Finally, care should be taken to place them immediately into fresh water, and if a flower room is available where the atmosphere can be kept almost at saturation point, it is a great advantage to allow the flowers to stand for an hour or two in such a room before use. It is also essential that flowers which have to be packed for long journeys should be subjected to these conditions before being packed,— n. Auton, in the Gardeners’ Chronicle.