To Keep Flowers Fresh

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 5, Issue 5, 1 November 1926, Page 63

To Keep Flowers Fresh

To the flower-loving woman with a slender purse, the problem of keeping her supply of flowers fresh is sometimes rather a problem. Even those who have gardens are glad to prolong the life of their supplies as much as possible, and this can usually be done by taking a few precautions. As plants are at their best in the morning and evenings, cuttings should then be done rather than in the middle of the day, when they are feeling the effects of the hot sunshine. Shirley and Iceland poppies are graceful as flowers for indoor use, but as they often begin to fall in two or three hours they are not used as much as they might be. If, however, they are gathered in the evening when the buds are just bursting to show the colour of the petals, they will be open and delightfully “crinkly” and full of freshness the next morning. Flowers which grow in spikes, such as gladioli and lupins, should be cut when only the lower flowers have expanded, and sweet peas when the dew is on them, cither in the early morning or in the late evening. The buds of roses, too, are best cut with the dew on them. Be sure to get as long a stalk as possible, as they do not last well if the stalk is

short. Always cut stems in a sloping direction. A 11 flowers should be cut and not snapped off the plants. Those having woody stems, such as the various flowering shrubs and chrysanthemums, should have an inch or two of the bark removed and the stem split before being placed in water, as they cannot absorb sufficient if this be not done. Cutting off an eighth of an inch of the stem daily is a good plan, so as to reopen the cells at the cut end, and fresh water, too, should then be given. In fact, roses will enjoy the addition of a small lump of ice, as the water in vases and bowls soon becomes almost tepid in the summer. Tapering vases are pretty, but they are bad for flowers, as they press the stalks too closely together, making it difficult for the cells to absorb moisture. As some flowers, such as the nasturtium and mignonette, are antagonistic to others, causing them to droop quickly, the}' should never be placed in the same receptacle. Do not throw away flowers that arc only beginning to wither. First try if they cannot be revived by placing them in very hot water in which a lump of camphor has been d ; ssolvcd.