Photo courtesy Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Valentine’s Day is next week, and soon special people will receive tulips, roses or other flowers to honor their love.
Most likely, the flowers, especially the tulips or roses, will be red — the color of love, passion, blood and heat. Other popular colors are white, peach, pink and these colors variegated with white or cream. And, while heat may be good for the romance, it’s not such a good thing for cut flowers.
Here are some suggestions for buying and caring for cut flowers:
- At the florist or bucket shop, select flowers with tight buds. The tighter the buds, the longer the flowers will last in the vase. The buds should show color, however.
- The retailer should place the flowers in a box, wrap them in paper or cover them with a paper or plastic sleeve. Protect the plants from freezing temperatures as you travel. Don’t leave the bouquet in an unheated car for extended periods.
- Once received, the bouquet should be taken from the box or wrap as soon as possible. Snip the ends of the stems and place the bouquet in a vase of water that is slightly cool until ready to arrange the flowers. Store in a cool place out of direct sun. Roses, especially, need to get in water as soon as possible.
- When ready to arrange, make another cut on the ends of the stems. May experts suggest cutting with a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle. They say a knife doesn’t crush the stems the way scissors can. Sharp hand pruners also work well. The 45-degree angle exposes more stem surface to take up water.
- Arrange the flowers. What the arrangement looks like is a matter of personal taste. Some people like tight bouquets that cover the top of a vase or bowl, while others prefer more open arrangements. The flowers should not be more than about one-third to one-half taller than the vase.
- In one of those natural wonders, tulip stems continue to grow after they’ve been harvested. Tulips may stretch about an inch, usually toward light, so allow for that when arranging the bouquet.
- Floral preservative is recommended for the vase water for cut flowers, but not for cut bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips and lilies.
- Place the arrangement in a cool, bright spot but out of direct sun and away from hot and cold drafts. The cooler the location, especially at night, the longer the bouquet will last.
- Every day or two, change the water in the vase and snip off the ends of the stems. Replenish floral preservative as needed. Toss when the flowers look bad.