A Word From Us
An assortment of fresh cut flowers looks stunning, especially if you can zero in on the perfect combination of different varieties. They cheer us up and make everyone feel great. Gifting a person cut flowers is often the best way to convey messages such as ‘thank you’ and ‘get well soon’. Oh, I forgot to mention ‘I love you’.
So, it’s indeed a special gift. But like all good things coming to an end, cut flowers, too, wilt. Therefore, it is essential to preserve such a priceless gift so that they continue to radiate beauty and retain their charm even after days. The trick is to preserve them and ensure that the flowers don’t wilt.
So, how do you do it? One thing that you have to keep in mind is that cut flowers have been removed from one of their prime sources of food — the leaves on the plant to which it was attached. It is common knowledge that leaves on the stem produce food. However, once they are taken indoors, the leaves face problems generating large amounts of carbohydrates because of the reduced light situation.
You can reverse the process with the use of commercial preservatives. But remember, wine, aspirin or adding pennies to cut flowers is a waste of time. They do not, in any way, help to keep the flowers fresh.
One can slow down microorganisms from eating away at the plant’s nutrition, by regularly cleaning the vase or the plant container clean. You should also check the water level in the vase and remove decomposed leaves from the surface at the earliest. Apart from using floral preservatives, an innovative way to ensure the flowers stay fresh is to use a process called hardening. This can be easily done by setting them in warm water in a cool place. Another trick is to keep the cut flowers away from hot spots. DO NOT place them near the television set. Heat is a silent killer when it comes to cut flowers.
So, the next time you receive a special gift in the form of cut flowers, you don’t have to worry your head off thinking how you can preserve these. You now know all the tricks in the book.
