Landscaping & Gardening Information | home | site map | contact us |
How To Check If Cut Flowers Are Fresh
Fresh flowers should feel crisp or firm. Before you buy, run your hand under the flower heads from stem to petal tip. Proceed gently under the petals so as not to bruise them. If the flower vendor objects, give them a withering look and enquire in a loud voice, "Are these flowers fresh?" If the flowers feel soft, cool or damp, don't buy them. Keep testing the other bunches until you find a good one. Often there are only one or two bunches older than the others. Look and listen. Really fresh flowers will make a soft rustling sound as you stroke them. As flowers age: - the foliage will start to yellow from the bottom upwards - the stems will discolor from the bottom up as bacteria spreads from the cut - seeds or pollen on the flower head will open and shed spores - the petals will fade in colour, lose moisture, dehydrate and eventually collapse Remember: It's your money and you want the best value for it. As a consumer you have a right to examine an item before you buy, and this is especially important for anything perishable. Once you get your fresh flowers home, remember to change the water daily, recut the stems often and enjoy your flowers longer. Gerry Belvedere is a former artist who now runs her own online florist service at http://www.rosaflora-flowers.com Rosaflora delivers flowers Australia wide and overseas and offers tips on getting the most out of your cut flowers.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Layer Your Plantings Part three in a seriesIn our last article, we helped you layout your new landscape. In this article we'll explore which plants to put where and what makes an effective landscape. Understanding Weeds - But mostly How to Kill em When I was a child, I loved to pick Dandelions. The pretty yellow flowers were small, colorful, and looked nice tucked behind my ear! However, if one had popped up in the front yard, my hair accessory would have been considered an atrocity!I often feel sorry for weeds. A Compost Primer Most gardeners and landscapers will agree almost unanimously that the single best thing you can do for your lawn is to add compost. Good, organic compost can remedy almost any problem you have with your soil. Suet Facts and Tips If you are like many people, backyard birding is a hobby for you whether you actively encourage visits from birds or not. One way to attract birds is to put out suet -- beef fat -- and watch the crowds stop by and devour the treat. Garden Fencing I made my very first garden when I was six in a small corner at the end of my grandmother's garden. It was a small patch, not more than six rows by 10 plants long, but it was MINE, with the flowers I picked and the dirt that I dug. Build a Rain Garden There's a new garden in town. It is (mostly) easy to install, looks good year-round, requires almost no maintenance and has a terrifically upbeat impact on the environment. Gardeners: Contain Yourselves! Whether you live in a tiny city apartment or on a large country estate, gardening in containers is a way to add colour and the beauty of nature to your surroundings. The three main elements of creating successful containers gardens are:Choosing the potsGetting the right planting mediumSelecting the plantsIn all of these elements, the key is to create a healthy growing environment for the plant roots. Tips On Caring For Your Cut Flowers Imagine it's a special occasion and you've just received a glorious bunch of roses. You put them in your best vase and you stand back to admire them. All about Tulip Gardens As the curtain of winter lifts, tulips are one of the first flowers to take the spring stage. As the last drifts of snow seep into the soil, these bright signs of spring dance in the sunlight. Gardening For Birds What a cruel trick the weather is playing on us.WE HAVE SNOW ! ! !A bit depressing for us outdoor types. A Look at Fall Flower Bulbs Most people would think of fall as a season when trees are changing colors and dying. For many, the autumn leaves are our last dance with color before the dark, gray winter sets in. Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard Wildlife require water just as humans do. Water is essential for life. The Difference Between Large and Small Ponds If you think that a large pond is simply a small pond that "grewup", you're in for some pond maintenance problems. Let's startoff my defining the terms that we'll be using here. Easy Pond and Water Garden Construction Today's successful water garden usually is designed as an ecosystem that uses a balance between fish, plants and bacteria keeping the water clear. The type of pond I'm talking about is self-contained (not fed by a spring or stream) and between 100-900 sq ft; a backyard water garden that is easy to maintain and adds value to your lifestyle and property. Composting and Composters: A Basic Introduction Why Compost?Recent studies show that an average family throws away approximately 200 pounds of organic kitchen waste every year. Combine this with all the leaves, grass clippings and other organic garden waste accumulated over time and that's a lot of household waste being added to the already mountainous waste disposal problem. How to Grow Blueberries Along with lip-smacking sweetness, flower and foliage are also worthy reasons to grow blueberries. White, bell-shaped blossoms make a lovely addition to a spring garden and fiery scarlet foliage adds drama to a fading autumn landscape. New for 2006 - Granite Flexible Preformed Rock Ponds Traditionally, preformed ponds are large shells, which are extremely burdensome and difficult to transport. For example, a typical preformed pond kit would come in a box that is 60" x 48" x 24", which is too large for many car trunk sizes. Natural Garden Pest Control No dig gardens essentially strive to be their own ecosystem. This is the sign of the best sort of garden, one that is in tune with itself without the need for pest or disease control. Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are? What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. How and When to Plant Roses When spring comes and the ground is thawed, it is time to start planting your rose garden. Roses have been a cherished aphrodisiac since biblical times. |
home | site map | contact us |