A "Fresh" Bouquet

     As I go around Tyler I look in the flower coolers at various stores.  I'm not necessarily looking at the design of the bouquets, but at the freshness of the flowers in the bouquet.  Sometimes I see beautiful flowers, sometimes I see bouquets that have been there a few days and sometimes I even think "those are going to lose all their petals before they get home".  This last scenario is what gives buying flowers a bad name.  With proper care your bouquet should last quite a few days.  But if you buy it when it's next to dead, they won't last but a few hours.  The flowers and bouquets always have a perishable shelf life.  Typically this is 4 to 7 days in optimal temperatures.  In a display cooler they should be kept at 45 to 50 degrees.  This is not always easy to do with people opening the doors and the age of the cooler, it might not be able to keep cool with demand.  There are ways you can tell if the bouquet is fresh, medium, or gone.  

     1)  The water should be clear and not have any thick sediments in it or have a smell.  All vase arrangements will have things floating in the vase due to the stems of the flowers.  But, it should not look like pond water.  You can hold the flowers in the vase and pour the old water out daily.  Then immediately add new water.  Even if you put the "flower food" in the water it will still need to be changed daily.  

     2)  The stems on the flowers should be crisp.  When you look at the arrangement or the bouquet of cut stem flowers the stems should be free from slime, and the leaves on the stem should be green.  If the flowers are old the stem will be flimsy and beginning to smell and be slick and the leaves will be starting to curl and turn black.(Gross, I know!)

 

     3)  The actual bloom of the flower should be attached to the stem securely if you touch it.  It should be full of color and look more like a bud than a full blown flower.  The bloom should not be transparent.  If you can see the veins in the bloom it is old.  If the individual petals are not full of color it is old.

     Having fresh flowers in your home is always a great idea.  Just be sure that you are getting the best quality for your money.  Of course I would recommend going to your local florist.  We all sell stems of flowers or bouquets already made for you to choose from.  

This star gazer lily is just at it's peak.  It will only last 2 days or so.  The bloom is fully opened and the pollen has turned to dust on the stem.  You can pull the pollen off to keep the dust off the blooms.

And this star gazer is on it's last hurrah.  The petals  probably fell off right after this picture was taken.

This is a picture of a beautiful stem.  This has the three stages you are looking for...fully open, slightly opened  and closed.  With proper water the buds will bloom and this stem will last a week or more.

     These are just pictures of one kind of flower, but the above mentioned rules will work on any flower.  When you are choosing your bouquet, take a few minutes to look at the whole arrangement, front and back.  Make sure what you are buying is fresh and going to last you a few days.  Notice if the floral department looks like a worker has not been in the area for days.  If the area is in disarray, they are for sure not taking care of the flowers.  Most stores that provide flowers and plants do not have an employee that knows how to care for flowers or plants.   A florist has fresh arrangements to choose from in their cooler all the time.   My turnover in my cooler is quick, so my arrangements are always fresh.

     I hope this has helped some when you are about town trying to find a fresh bouquet of flowers for your home.  With a little caution and focus you can find flowers in an European hand styled bouquet or a bouquet in a container that should last quite a few days.  Once you find a store that consistently sells fresh flowers, you will have won half the battle.  

How to Store Bulbs Over the Winter

      I love bulb plants.  They have the most beautiful flowers year after year.  We are in a climate that is not life or death for most bulbs, but still you want to protect them for next years bloom.  When the temperatures dip below 28 degrees F and the leaves turn brown it is time to get your bulbs out of the ground.  You can do this earlier in the year before it is so cold out side if you would like.
     The first thing you need to do is dig around the bulbs.  Be careful not to cut the bulb with the shovel.  After you have loosened the soil around the bulb you carefully pull out the whole bulb with the dirt clinging to it.  Leave as much soil attached as possible.  Then they need to be stored in a cool, dry place for about a week to ten days.  If you are using new bulbs that have not been planted be sure to remove any plastic packaging.  The bulb needs to be able to breathe through the winter and the plastic will cause it to sweat and rot.
     
This is a picture of what the bulb should look like after you initially dig it up.
   After they have dried for a week or so you should be able to take the clumps of dirt off.  This will help the roots from shriveling over the winter.  You need to put them in a cardboard box with vermiculite or dried peat moss.  The box needs to be stored in a room that the temperature will not be below 45 degrees F.  Also, the room should not be too warm as this will cause the bulb to sprout during the winter.
This is a way to recycle used egg cartons.  Be sure they are the cardboard kind then fill with dried peat moss or vermiculite.
     You need to store them until the night time temperatures stay above 48 at night.  They do need at least 6-8 weeks of cold in the winter.  Considering we are in a warm climate the best idea is to put them in your refrigerator.  This will provide them with what they will think is "winter".
     Periodically check on the bulbs.  Sometimes they will rot, if this happens they will be squishy.  Throw them away as they will not grow.  With proper maintenance a bulb flower garden will be a great addition to your yard for years to come.
White lilies from bulbs.White Calla Lilies
 Yellow Gladiolus
     With a little time and maintenance you could grow all these and more!http://garden-photos-com.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bulbs-Stock-Photos/G0000z.UeY_7lznU/
This link is a great tool to help you visualize what you might want to plant.  Now is a great time to purchase your bulbs for next spring blooms.  I hope this was helpful and that you might start a bulb garden soon.
Sherry

The Black Thumb

     Let's all face it.  There are many among us that are guilty of shortening the life expectancy of their beautiful plants once they get them home.  These people are known to have "black thumb".  Now we would all want to have a green thumb, but it seems there are only a few that were gifted in this way.  People joke about how they can just walk by a plant and kill it.  This is not necessarily true. In my experience you had to work at killing your plant.  It was a process that took weeks, sometimes months to happen.  The pitiful plant would be holding on hoping you would figure out how to take care of it, until it gasped it's last breath and let go and turned an ugly brown all over.

     Well, I have good news!!  With this article I hope to give you tools to be able to keep your plants alive, and thriving and growing.  The most common mistakes are; over watering, under watering, or too much sun, not enough sun.  We live in zone 8 b according to this hardiness map. If your plant comes with a care tag, be sure and read it carefully in the store before you purchase so you will know if the plant will grow in the location you have planned.  Of course this is only necessary information if you are planting outside.


     As we go into the fall/winter season your plants indoors will not need as much water.  Place the plants in front of an east facing window if possible or in a room that has an abundance of fluorescent light.  The best way to tell if a plant is doing well is to notice if the leaves are shiny and standing upright.  In other words, does it look happy?  To prevent over watering of house plants, pick up the pot and if it is light it is time to water.  If it is heavy and the soil is still soaked in water and it should be good for quite a few days.  Most plants do not like to sit in soggy soil.  They like soil that lets the overflow of water out of the pot.  Look for a container that has a saucer attached so when you water the excess can drip into the saucer.  I usually place my plants in the sink or the bathtub and fill them with water.  Afterwards I let them drain for 30 minutes or so, then dry the container and put them back in their spot.  This allows for easy cleanup.

     Do not put gravel in the bottom of the container.  I'm sure we've all heard  this will make for better drainage and keep the plant from rotting while sitting in water.  Actually the opposite is true.  By placing the gravel in the bottom and soil on top up to the plant level, you create a situation where the plant has a small space of soil to grow its roots.  It then gets root bound and also sits in a soggy container with no where for the new roots to grow. You can purchase potting soil that is good for drainage or you can mix in your own organic matter to create a soil that will allow for root expansion and water drainage.  This picture below shows too much sun on a peace lillies leaves.

     If your plant has been placed where it was in too much sun, immediately move it.  Once it has been moved to a better location you can cut off the "burned" leaves.  Use pruning scissors and cut the leaves off.  Once you cut off the dead leaves it will allow for new growth.  Reach into the middle of the plant and cut the stem as close to the base as you can.  House plants usually come back and look great if moved from the location quick enough.
     In the fall and winter a sun room would be the ideal spot for house plants.  If this is not possible, a room on the east side of the house is best.  Keep the temperature a moderate 70 - 80 degrees if possible.  Most plants can with stand colder, but they will go dormant at lower temperatures.  In the winter, plants are really just on maintenance.  You should not expect much growth or blooms.
     The fall is the best time to plant outdoor hedges, trees, grass etc.  We enter a season of rain and cooler temperatures.  We have about one month that the plants will be dormant due to cold temperatures.  Then spring arrives and your plants have had about 3 or 4 months to get their strength and roots developed.  Just be sure to water your new plants during the winter if we do not get enough rain.
    So, black thumb disease is easy to overcome.  One of your best tools of defense is Google or any other online search.  Also, go to a home town nursery and ask them about how to care for your plant.  The big box stores are not much help in the details.  Hopefully this will help you with some of your questions.  If you have any other questions, comment here and I will try to answer them.  Good luck with your new plants!!

Sherry