365 Days of Floral Education - Days 301 - 305

As part of our 125^th 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.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 231 - 235

As part of our 125^th 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 231 - Make your own preservative to keep cut flowers fresh longer. Dissolve 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons white vinegar per quart (liter) of warm water. When you fill the vase, make sure the cut stems are covered by 3-4 inches (7-10 centimeters) of the prepared water. The sugar nourishes the plants, while the vinegar inhibits bacterial growth. You’ll be surprised how long the arrangement stays fresh!

Day 232 - Everyone likes to keep cut flowers around as long as possible, and there are several good methods. One way is to mix 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons sugar with the vase water before adding the flowers. Be sure to change the water (with more vinegar and sugar, of course) every few days to enhance your flowers’ longevity.

Day 233 - Many cut flowers live longer when sugar is added to their water. Flowers get food from the plant on which they grow. When they are harvested or cut from this plant, they lose their natural food source. Flowers are cut before they are fully mature so that they have a longer bloom life. The cut flowers use food stored in the stems and leaves to stay fresh and continue blooming. If they do not get enough food, the leaves and flowers wilt. Young buds may not fully open. Food can be added by mixing sugar in the vase water. The dissolved sugar is absorbed through the cut stem and used by the flower.

Day 234 – Rudbeckia hirta, black-eyed Susan, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the central United States. It is one of a number of plants with the common name black-eyed Susan. Other common names for this plant include: brown-eyed Susan, brown Betty, gloriosa daisy, golden Jerusalem, Poorland daisy, yellow daisy, and yellow ox-eye daisy. These are locally grown #Jerseyfresh

Day 235 – Lavandula (common name Lavender) is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India. Many members of the genus are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use asculinary herbs, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils. The most widely cultivated species, Lavandula angustifolia is often referred to as lavender, and the color is named for the shade of the flowers of this species. These lavender flowers are #Jerseyfresh