Gardening
Summer Bouquets from the Garden
Before placing cut flowers in a vase, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle and remove the lower leaves so they are not submerged in the water.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Make every day and summer gatherings special with the help of garden-fresh flower arrangements. You will be sure to generate smiles from family members and guests when including fresh flowers on the dinner table and other spaces in your home.
Gather your flowers in the morning after the dew has dried whenever possible. The temperatures are cool, and the plants are hydrated. The evening is the next best time. But don't hesitate to harvest flowers right before guests arrive or when picking vegetables for the evening meal. The flowers may not last as long, but you will be able to enjoy them for that dinner or special event and a few more days.
Use a pair of sharp snips or bypass pruners to make the cut above a set of healthy leaves or back to an adjoining branch. Keep in mind the more flowers you harvest, the more flowers produced on annuals and some perennial plants.
Remove the lower leaves and immediately place the flowers in a bucket of water. Consider taking a bucket of water to the garden to keep the flowers fresh and hydrated while you're busy collecting. Let the flowers stand in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, in tepid water for several hours or better yet overnight.
Recut the stems at a 45° angle when assembling the flower arrangements. This prevents them from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase and exposes more of the surface area to the water. Remove any additional leaves that will be submerged in water. Leaves covered by water tend to turn slimy, increasing the risk of bacterial growth that decreases the life of your cut flowers.
Always use a clean vase and fresh water to maximize your cut flowers' vase life. Add a floral preservative to the water to further extend their longevity. Check the water level often, ensuring the cut ends are always covered with water. Change the water often to keep your flowers looking their best for as long as possible.
Since different flowers last in an arrangement for different lengths of time consider reworking your arrangements by removing flowers as they fade. This keeps it interesting while extending your enjoyment.
Start with a walk through your landscape looking for potential flowers and foliage to use in arrangements. Follow the general guidelines for harvesting and care to maximize the flowers' vase life.
You may find a few summer bloomers do best when harvested at a particular stage of flowering. Wait for zinnias and marigold flowers to be fully open to harvest them.
Pick dahlias when the flowers are half or fully open. The back petals should be firm, not soft and limp, and stay attached when rubbing your hand over the back of the flower. Some gardeners set dahlias in warm (160 to 180°F) water with a preservative for one hour before arranging them. Others dip the stems in boiling water for 7 to 10 seconds, then cool water for a few hours.
Extend the vase life of hydrangeas by soaking the flowers, stem up and flowers down, in cold water for 1 hour. Allow them to drip dry then recut the stem and place in warm water overnight. Or dip the cut end in alum before placing it in the vase.
Look for greenery growing in the garden. Herbs, canna, hosta, lady's mantle, papyrus, as well as deciduous and evergreen shrubs are great options. Don't overlook the plants growing indoors. Prayer plants, monstera, ferns, and ivies add texture while highlighting the blooms.
When in doubt try including different flowers and greenery. Keep track of what works and how long they last. You may discover some new favorites.
Cutting and arranging flowers is a fun way to exercise your creativity and bring the beauty of your garden indoors. If the selection of flowers is limited in your garden, strike up a trade with fellow gardeners. Each of you can share what's blooming in your landscape throughout the growing season.
For tips on growing your own cut flowers, check out my Grow Your Own Flowers for Bouquets handout.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Latest Antique, Collectibles, and Auction News
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
I hope you had a Happy Independence Day and that those of you who went to Brimfield had a successful show.
In my last antique, collectibles, and auction news column, I discussed the sale of a Pony Express stamped envelope that was delivered to someone in Colchester, Vermont in 1861. It sold for $6,500 at auction last month.
Over on the west coast, a Los Angeles based social media influencer recently made a hefty profit at auction after purchasing a chair on Facebook marketplace, according to the New York Post. 33-year-old TikToker Justin Miller saw the leather chair being offered on Facebook and was impressed with the design despite the distress and holes. Because of the condition, the seller was offering it for only $50. The buyer had regularly watched The Antiques Roadshow and thought the chair might be worth a few thousand dollars. He later learned that the chair was from 1935 and created by Danish designer Frits Henningsen. Henningsen was known for producing pieces with a high quality of craftsmanship using methods that dated back to the 19th century. The TikToker consigned the chair to auction where it was estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. It drew more interest than expected and ended up selling for over $100,000.
An exhibit of Disney collectibles was held at the Burbank Town Center in Burbank, California prior to the collection being auctioned this week, according to myburbank.com. Items include personal stationary signed by Walt Disney, doors from the city hall on Main Street U.S.A., and the passenger vehicles/cars for rides including the Haunted Mansion and Dumbo's Flying Adventures. Three birds from Disneyworld's Tiki Lounge that were rescued from the trash will also be sold. The California auction house also touts "the single largest collection of Disneyland Attraction Posters, including some that are the only examples known to exist." One of the posters advertised the now closed Disneyland Casa de Fritos restaurant, which was where Doritos chips originated. Auction estimates range from $50 to $200,000 for each item.
Elsewhere, a lucky person in the South found treasure in a muddy field. Over 700 gold coins were unearthed in a Kentucky cornfield last month, along with some silver coins. The coins were believed to have been buried over 150 years ago, during the Civil War. Kentucky declared its neutrality at the start of the war but battles still broke out in the state. It was not uncommon for people to bury money in times of war. The coins were in exceptional condition when the mud was removed and described as being in an "extremely fine to mint state," according to USA Today. Many of the coins were very lightly circulated before they were buried, and others are believed to have been recently picked up from a bank before they were buried. Referred to as the "Great Kentucky Hoard," the coins consist of 95% gold dollars with the remaining gold coins being higher denomination Liberty coins. The coins date from 1840 to 1863 and were struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Carson City Mints. They are being offered for sale privately and are estimated to be worth $2,000,000. The person who discovered the gold hasn't been named. The finder must believe that silence is golden.
Our current online auction includes coins, gold and costume jewelry, sterling silver, nautical paintings and memorabilia, other art, pocket watches, stoneware, duck decoys, antique firearms, and more. Bidding will end in July. I'll be teaching my "Evaluating your Antiques" class again this fall. It will be held on Tuesday, October 3rd at Bay Path Adult Evening School in Charlton. Please contact them to register. We are gearing up for multiple fall auctions and are accepting consignments. Please visit our website https://centralmassauctions.com for links to upcoming events.
Please contact us at: www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com for antiques and collectibles auction services.