General Chat

Thank you Claddagh :-)

I do have rose bushes but they are not in bloom yet.

It is weird but I am not seeing some of the posts until I look into the thread again.....then it looks as if I have ignored people when I haven't seen them in the first place. :-(

I bought 7 rose bushes from a special rose 'nursery', (if that's the English word for them) 3 years ago.They only grow the old-fashioned type that have a lovely perfume..Of course they won't be blooming for months yet. When they have bloomed for about a week, I cut them off and take off all the petals& dry them.Make nice pressies for those who like making tea from them.You can't use shop bought ones because of the chemicals used in growing them.I can't stand rose tea myself.Lol.

Just found this in the DM thought you might be interested.

Fiona Burke, events manager for florist Hayford and Rhodes, gives her top ten tips for keeping flowers fresher for longer:

1. Before placing flowers in water, remove excess leaves from the stems. This allows more water to get directly to the flower head.


2. Always cut the flower stem at an angle. A bigger surface area means more water can be absorbed.


3. Bacteria build-up in water encourages flowers to wilt. Ideally change water every day to prevent this.


4. Add a 1p coin to the vase. The copper acts as a natural fungicide, killing mould and yeast and keeping the water cleaner for longer.

5. Try adding a pinch of salt or an aspirin to the water. Salt encourages plant cells to ‘drink’ more water and contains the ­nutrient potassium, while the salicylic acid in the aspirin will help to stop the growth of bacteria.

6. Pour in a splash of fizzy lemonade. The sugar in the drink provides nourishment to the bloom and slightly raises the acidity of the water, making it closer in pH to cell sap which, in turn, allows water to travel up the stem much more quickly.


7. Another way to kill bacteria in plant water is by adding vodka or bleach. Make sure you add only a few drops of either otherwise your plant will die.

8. Keeping flowers cool is crucial. Direct sunlight and radiators are a definite no-no, drying them out faster.

9. Placing blooms close to fruit is also a bad idea. Fruit produces ethylene as it ripens, which causes flowers to mature quicker. Let the flowers have their own space.

10. If an individual flower begins to wilt, remove it from the arrangement or it will spread bacteria and use up nutrients the other stems might need.

I have kept all the rose petals from funerals weddings birthdays etc and use them for potpourri.

Some unusual tips there Ann, thank you.