Keep Winberley Beautiful

I like to bring blossoms from outside into the house. In the middle of the 100+ dry weather my garden was looking flowerless in terms of the specimens I usually cut to take to people I am visiting. Lately I have been experimenting with bringing in flowers to see which ones blooming in the heat of summer will fare well in a vase for a few days.

So far the biggest surprise was Crepe Myrtle. I thought it would fall apart and drop its blossoms within a day. Mine actually lasted 3 days.

You should cut flowers early in the morning. It is recommended that you bring a pail of water with you when you collect. The lower leaves should be removed because they will decay in water and shorten the time the flowers will look fresh in the vase. After removing the lower leaves you should immediately submerge the cutting in your bucket of water.

Your vase (any plastic or glass container) should be clean. A preservative helps make the bouquet last longer. One homemade preservative combines 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of bleach, and 2 tsp of lemon or lime juice in a quart of lukewarm water.

The flowers I now have in my garden that lasted longest in the bouquet were Roses (which are few and far between right now), Sunflowers, Lantana, Coneflower (echinacea), Mexican Firebush and Petunias. If I had planted Zinnias, they would do well also.

The currently blooming flowers that lasted 2-3 days are Turk’s Cap and Silverleaf Nightshade. The Pride of Barbados, Cenizo and Yellow Bell flowers should be admired on the plant as they wilted readily after being cut.

If you enjoy bouquets, I encourage you to experiment with blossoms in your yard that you might not have considered cutting.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master