Tropical flowers make an exciting change from the more
traditional floral gifts such as roses and gerberas, assuming that
they're available in your area. Their stark and colorful beauty
makes them an impressive gift for special occasions like Mother's
Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays and anniversaries.
If you're lucky enough to grow tropical flowers such as
heliconias or gingers in your garden, here are some tips to help
them thrive and to extend their shelf life as cut flowers.
1. Water your plants well and give them a big drink before
cutting. This is important for foliage plants as well because some
varieties “drink” very little after cutting. Instead, they
live off their own sap.
Tropical plants have adapted to their natural environment which
typically involves frequent but short periods of heavy rain.
Look at the flower heads and notice how the petals are
“cupped” to catch and store as much water as possible. These
plants drink from the top and like being wet.
Look at the pattern on the leaves. The ridges channel water
down to the stem where it's absorbed into the many layers of the
plant.
2. If your flowers have been out of water for any length of
time after cutting, submerge them in the bath for half an hour or
so.
3. Cut 3 to 4 inches off the stem and then place them in a tall
vase FULL of clean water.
4. Use a spray bottle to mist them at least twice a day.
5. Change the water and re-cut the stems every 2 or 3 days.
You can double the vase life of your cut flowers by using these
simple techniques.
© Gerry Belvedere
Gerry Belvedere is a former artist who now runs her own florist
service at http://www.rosaflora-flowers.com
Rosaflora delivers flowers Australia wide and overseas and
offers tips on getting the most out of your cut flowers. You can
view some of her tropical arrangements at http://www.rosaflora-flowers.com/special-event.html
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