Bouquets for more than a day
Photo credit: Associated Press
If you received a bouquet of red roses for Valentine's Day, your sweetheart may be a little short on imagination.
Something like 187 million roses were sold on Valentine's Day 2009, and if it sales were any less this year, it is certainly because of the snow.
And, according to some estimates, red roses account for almost half of all Valentine's Day flower purchases.
If you'd like that bouquet to last a while, here are some tips from the floral industry.
If the flowers arrived in a box or a celophane bouquet, re-cut the tips of the stems before you put them in water. Also, remove any leaves that might be covered by water to reduce bacterial growth.
Use the floral preservative that undoubtedly came with the flowers. But change the water every two or three days. The chlorine in the fresh water will kill off the bacteria, too. Consider recutting the stems to allow for more water update.
If your flowers wilt severely, there are a couple of ways to try to bring them back.
Wrap each stem in newspaper and put it back in fresh water. The newspaper will help the flower stand up straight while it absorbs more water.
Or, immerse the entire flower in a water for 30 minutes, allowing it to lie flat.
Keep your bouquet in a cool spot, but out of a cold draft and out of direct sunlight.
Then politely mention to your sweetheart that gems last longer than roses!
Comments
For "bouquets for more than a day" I'd want a live plant! or even seeds! An antique rose shrub to add to my collection would be best.
The cut-flower industry is pretty nasty, in many ways.
I agree. But my one extravagance has always been to buy myself some fresh flowers every now and again....--Susan
Posted by: Maureen | February 15, 2010 12:43 PM
I too have succumbed to them in the wintertime, even buying roses. Maybe not any more. Does anyone here read the Garden Rant Blog? Today it had a link to a disturbing article about the industry.
Yep, saw it. Susan Harris blogged about it today. Wow, is nothing OK to buy?--Susan
Posted by: Maureen | February 15, 2010 5:00 PM
There are alternatives to roses. Buying locally grown cut flowers is an environementally friendly, socially conscious alternative. Here in Maryland, you can get beautiful, fire engine red, locally grown tulips for Valentine's Day. Locally grown flowers help support local growers and local communities. They use significantly less natural resources to grow and deliver.
Local Color Flowers (www.locoflo.com) is Baltimore-based floral designer specializing in the use of locally grown flowers for weddings and special events. Check us out if you are looking for an alternative to conventionally grown roses.
Posted by: Ellen Frost | February 16, 2010 3:06 PM
What Ellen said! She and her team did my wedding flowers. I couldn't have asked for lovelier, more free-spirited arrangements. Not a rose in the bunch, and eco-friendly as well. :)
Posted by: Shannon | February 17, 2010 1:51 PM
I always have fresh flowers in the house. At least 8 months of the year I grow them myself.
Posted by: Dahlink | February 18, 2010 6:44 AM