As
part of our 125th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co.
we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31,
2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to
share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be
updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just
sharing some simple lessons in floristry.
Day 301 - Do you wake
up with dry tired eyes? Try a chrysanthemum tea. Chrysanthemum's help cure
imbalances of the liver and kidney's causing the dry eyes. Chrysanthemum tea is a flower-based tisane made from
chrysanthemum flowers prepared by steeping the flowers, usually dried in hot
water, often with rock sugar added and occasionally also wolfberries. The
resulting drink is transparent and ranges from pale to bright yellow in color,
with a floral aroma.
Day 302 - Gardenia flowers may be eaten
raw, pickled or preserved in honey. And indeed Gardenia blossoms are also used
to make Jasmine tea. It seems a little like bait and switch but since the
pallet doesn’t know the difference your Jasmine tea may be flavored with
Jasmine or Gardenia. Gardenias have a light, sweet flavor.
Day 303 - Also known as
the Black-Eyed Susan, the Rudbeckia has fiery yellow petals and a deep brown
center—almost like a miniature sunflower. The black-eyed Susan was designated the state flower of
Maryland in 1918. The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD has been termed
"The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a blanket of
chrysanthemums, decorated to look like black-eyed Susans, is traditionally
placed around the winner's neck (actual black-eyed Susans are not in season
during the Preakness). The black-eyed Susan which means “Justice” makes a very
nice cut-flower with a vase life up to 10 days.
Day 304 - The roots but not seedheads of
Black-Eyed Susans, Rudbeckia hirta
can be used much like the related Echinacea.
It is an astringent used as in a warm infusion as a wash for sores and
swellings. The Native American tribe Ojibwa used it as a poultice
for snake bites and to make an infusion for treating colds and worms in
children. The plant is diuretic and was used by the Native American tribes
Menominee and Potawatomi. Juice from the roots had been used as drops for
earaches.
Day 305 – Matthiola, or stock flowers, have
been used to make a dark blue or purple dyes. They have also been used
medically as an infusion and when mixed with wine it has been used as an
antidote for poisonous bites.
Day 306 – Matthiola, commonly known at
stock, is more than just pretty to look at and wonderful to smell. The flowers,
leaves and seedpods are also edible. They may be eaten as a vegetable or used
as a garnish, especially with sweet desserts. And when all else fails, they may
be used as a famine food.
Day 308 - Liatris
make a great cut flower, both fresh and dried. To dry the flowers,
harvest the spikes when one-half to two-thirds of the flowers are open.
Spikes can be air-dried by hanging them upside down in a protected spot for
approximately three weeks, or by using a desiccant such as silica-gel or sand
(which often leads to superior color preservation).
Day 309 – Liatris is also known by the name
colic root, due to its historical medicinal use as an intestinal antispasmodic
(reduces muscle spasms). 
