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About Hardy Shrub Roses
About Heathers
About Flowering Crabs
wildlife habitat
Annuals Biennials Perennials
Culinary Herbs
The Healing Herbs
The Fragrant Herbs
Shakespearean and Bible Herbs
Do you Really Need A Tiller
Insect Attack
Flowers for Cutting
Pruning Pointers
Houseplants Clean the Air
Recipes Fresh from the Garden
The Gold Plated Gardener
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| Flowers for Cutting |
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Can anyone be indifferent to the beauty, fragrance and grace of bouquets of cut flowers? Flowers are one of the most important things in my life; my house is filled with them from April (daffodils) to frost and beyond (marigolds, larkspur, Gloriosa daisies, cosmos). Many of us who plant display beds of annuals or perennials are reluctant to disturb their bloom by cutting. The solution I've adopted is, rather than snip from the landscape, to plant a row of flowers for cutting right in the vegetable garden, out of public view. Not only do they cheer the heart during the tedium of weeding, but they furnish me with floral centerpieces all summer long. Since the array of annuals to sow for cutting is almost endless, your choice will depend on your personal tastes. Depend on zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers for robust color and mass...cosmos, pinks, and bachelor's buttons for less assertive shades...sweet peas or florist's carnations for fragrance...larkspur and snapdragon for their tall accent spikes. Nasturtium flowers are not only pretty but edible -- a colorful garnish. Lisianthus, while hard to start from seed, is available in many greenhouses, and its flowers are breathtaking. Globe amaranth is another bright bloom, similar to a large cloverhead, that is cheery in dried as well as fresh arrangements. For drama, try floating a single large bloom in a shallow bowl. And don't overlook wildflowers as a source of pretty bouquets. Daisies and black-eyed susans gladden the heart. Queen Ann's lace gives an airy touch (though it becomes messy in a day or two). Ferns and grasses complement any posy. Some perennials are such prolific bloomers that they can be snipped for indoor display without disturbing the beauty of the garden. Gaillardia, with its rich bi-colored daisy, and bright yellow coreopsis, bloom from July to frost. Monkshood, daylilies, phlox, astilbe, and statice can all be gathered without denuding the perennial bed. Many of the artemesias furnish graceful silvery fillers for indoor display. Another wonderful filler is a little-known annual called bupleurum. A single stem fans out to provide a backdrop for an entire bouquet. A little care in gathering cut flowers will extend their life. Harvest when it's cool -- morning is best. But if you choose to snip roses, cut them in the late afternoon; research shows that roses cut after 4:30 p.m. will last 10 hours longer than those gathered in the morning. (It may have something to do with the amount of sugar stored in the leaves at day's end.) Carry along a bucket of lukewarm water in which to plunge them immediately (never set cut flowers in cold water -- the shock will set them back). When arranging them, cut stems at an angle under water and crush thicker stems for an inch or so to enable them to take up more water. Several commercial products on the market will prolong the life of cut flowers. Or you can try a crushed aspirin or a tiny bit of chlorine bleach in the water, or club soda instead of water. But when they're past their prime, isn't it nice to know that there are armfuls of blossoms out in back just waiting to be gathered? |
| Palmyra | ME | 04965-4033 |
 shepherdsgdn@hotmail.com |
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| Visitors: 02010 |