No, we’re not talking about some strange offshoot of a
Shakespeare play, or even one of those weird Seinfeld episodes
where Jerry is caught between a pick and a poke. Instead, we’re
talking about the dilemma facing every home gardener who’s ever
marched out to the garden, scissors and bucket in hand, to pilfer
flowers for a fresh arrangement.
No, we’re not talking about some strange offshoot of a Shakespeare play, or even one of those weird Seinfeld episodes where Jerry is caught between a pick and a poke. Instead, we’re talking about the dilemma facing every home gardener who’s ever marched out to the garden, scissors and bucket in hand, to pilfer flowers for a fresh arrangement.
Truth of the matter is, your flowers will reward you if you pick them. One of the biggest problems with flowering plants is that flowers are not picked enough. It’s important to remember that flowering plants have one job in life. That is to produce seed. When flowers are finished blooming, they set seed. That’s why it’s important to fool your plants into putting their energy into producing more blooms and flowers instead of seed. You can do this pretty simply. All you need to do is constantly pick the flowers.
The horticultural term for picking old, spent flowers is called deadheading. There is no term for picking good, young flowers to bring indoors for a fresh arrangement. All I can say, though, is that you’ll enjoy them. I’m constantly picking roses, snapdragons, foxgloves, yarrow, baby’s breath and more for indoor arrangements.
Bringing a cutting garden indoors – through the use of cut flowers – is always a staple of a successful gardener. After all, even veteran gardeners aren’t in the garden all the time. Bringing cut flowers indoors is a way to maximize your enjoyment.
A bouquet of freshly cut flowers can make all the difference in the world. Not only does it instantly become a centerpiece in whatever room you place them, but the fragrance of many flowers are better than any floral room freshener.
Flowers that you bring indoors to enjoy don’t have to be restricted to the back row of your garden just because they’re on the tall side. Annual cut flowers can be integrated into your regular garden for spots of color. This is an ideal time to place some in strategic garden spots where existing flowers are fading or even dead. Many can also be planted in containers.
Whatever flower you cut to bring indoors, there’s a few tips to make them last longer. Make sure vases are clean and use fresh lukewarm water. Strip all leaves below water level to avoid polluting the water. Under running water or in a water-filled bowl, cut the stems diagonally one more time before plunging them into the vase. Renew with fresh water every couple days and you can also cut the bottom stems again to eliminate bacteria-clogging stems, which allows for more absorption of water.
Whether you add cut-flower preservative to your vase water is up to you. Some people swear by the stuff, while others don’t bother. Old tricks include placing an aspirin, penny, lemonade, bleach or 7-up in the water.
Keith Muraoka lives and works in Gilroy. E-mail him at [email protected].
