by tomboesen on December 15, 2011
You received a beautiful bouquet of flowers that took your breath away and filled the whole office with “oohs” and “ahhs”! You got to feel special and elated for the entire day and wish the feeling – and the flowers – would last.
Different flower varieties have different life expectancies. When sending flowers or after you’ve received your own, call your florist for specific information about the type you’ve received. But to err on the side of caution, follow these simple tips to extend the life and beauty of your bouquet!
- Included with your flowers should be a packet of “Flower Food”. In this packet is a mixture of additives to feed your blooms and to help keep the water clean longer. If you follow the directions on the packet and mix the solution correctly, it will extend the life of your flowers. But be careful – if mixed with too much or too little water, Flower Food can do more harm than good.
- If your flowers have a woody stem, such as Lilac or Forsythia, it’s a good idea to give them a fresh cut. Use sharp pruning shears to cut the stem at an angle, which exposes a larger area for water consumption. Add the Flower Food to some warm water and then add the freshly-cut stems to promote flower opening.
- Be sure to remove any leaves or blooms that would lie below the water line in the vase. Letting the greenery sit in the water promotes bacterial growth in the water and could cause the stems to rot.
- If you don’t want to use the included Flower Food – or you run out – you should be sure to change the water in the vase daily, re-cutting the stems each time. You can also place a copper penny in the bottom of the vase, as the copper acts as a natural fungicide. To feed your flowers naturally, you can add a teaspoon of white sugar for each cup of water.
- If you received your bouquet in floral foam, be sure to keep the foam wet. Adding a little fresh water each day and keeping the foam soaked will continue to activate the Flower Food added to the foam at the time of the design.
- Keep your bouquet rather loose in the vase to let all of the flowers get enough air. Even though they are cut, they are still alive and still need to breathe and eat. If they are jammed too tightly into the vase, they will wilt faster. Heat is also harmful, so avoid placing your bouquet in direct sunlight and they will stay beautiful longer.
Receiving flowers makes people happy. Keeping the flowers beautiful and vibrant will extend that amazing feeling! Don’t hesitate to contact one of Boesen’s helpful consultants for more information.
by tomboesen on December 12, 2011
When the holidays roll around it’s hard to resist picking up one or two colorful poinsettia plants to help spread Christmas cheer. But how many of us see poinsettias as “disposable”? The season passes and we tend to toss out the whole plant instead of recycling it for next year. Following are some easy, useful tips to get enjoyment out of your poinsettia throughout the year!
Poinsettias are rather sensitive to temperature, water and lighting, but if you follow a few guidelines, it shouldn’t be a problem.
- Place your potted plant in the spot with the most light. You don’t want to set your poinsettia in a dimly-lit corner, but rather in an area of your home that gets the most natural light throughout the day.
- Keep your poinsettia warm, but not in the hottest spot of the house, such as next to a fireplace or space heater. Since poinsettias are tropical plants, they like the warmth, but too much heat will only harm them.
- When watering your poinsettia, it’s important to NOT over-water it, as keeping it too wet can be as bad for it as not watering it enough. The best gauge for moisture is to touch the soil with your finger; if it comes away wet, you don’t need to water it. If your fingertip is still dry, add enough water to the plant to have a little overflow into the tray or dish underneath the plant.
When your poinsettia isn’t looking its best, there are some things you can do to perk it back up and help it survive the season and beyond.
- If your plant has yellow leaves, it’s a good bet that it is getting too much water or warmth with too little light. Make sure your placement is right, keeping the plant in bright light and moderate warmth.
- Did you know that plants can get sunburn, too? If you keep your poinsettia in direct sunlight and the leaves start showing white on the leaves, that’s exactly the problem. Try to move the pot into a bright area without direct sunshine.
- When the leaves curl, there are a few possibilities. First, check the underneath of the leaves and the stem for signs of pests. If there are no pests, check the root system for browning and a bad smell, in which case you may have to just throw the plant away due to root disease. If nothing else, make sure the plant is warm enough. Move it away from a drafty window or an outside door that get opened and closed frequently.
With a little forethought, your poinsettia can be kept alive and loved into blooming again for next Christmas!
- In the spring, be sure to cut the stems back to about 4 inches in length.
- Move your poinsettia outside during the summer, gradually introducing it to full sunlight to avoid sunburn.
- Continue to water and fertilize it, keeping it trimmed to about 4 leaves on each stem.
- At the beginning of October and for about 10 weeks, use an opaque bucket to cover your plant and keep it in complete darkness overnight, from about 5 pm until about 8 am. Bring it inside when it starts getting too cold, and you should have the beginnings of blooms, in time for Christmas!
If you follow the easy tips listed above, you can enjoy your poinsettia for many Christmas seasons to come!
