Winterprep for the Burrow (Part II)

Frost pus to bed not only your vegetable garden, but eventually even the heartiest residents of your flower garden as well. At this point, enjoying fresh-cut flowers requires a visit to the florist. My husband surprised me with a dozen roses from the florist's shop, but I did find a few companion flowers still in the wildflower patch--a last few bachelor's buttons and sprays of baby's breath, for instance. Today's post once again draws tips from Emilie's Creative Home Organizer. This time, they are on maintaining long lasting displays of cut flowers.

Vase life for cut flowers is extended by filling the vase with warm water. Place daffodils in a separate vase of water for half a day before combining them in a bouquet with other flowers. They excrete a sap that clogs the stems of other flowers.

If you have hard water with high mineral content, you can increase the vase life of flowers by switching to distilled or purified water. Do not use softened water, since it contains salts.

A solution of one part lemon-lime soft drink (not diet) and two parts water provides proper acidity, a bactericide to reduce cloudiness of water, and sugar to "feed" flower buds so they open completely and gives extended life to cut flowers.

If roses arrive looking slightly wilted, re-cut the stems and lay the whole flowers under barely warm water in a sink for an hour or two.

One final suggestion regarding your vases of cut flowers: take some snapshots with your digital camera and use a card-making computer program to create cards with them. Leave them blank inside so you can use them for multiple purposes. A good start might be to distribute a few for Kindness Day, Nov. 13.

Happy cutting!