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It can be pretty challenging to care for fresh cut hydrangeas especially for us who live in the tropical weather.
Freshly cut hydrangeas from your local flower shop are prone to wilting very quickly once it is taken out from the florist’s cooler.
Here’s a guide that I have experimented that can help you lengthen the vase life of a freshly cut hydrangeas.
You will need:
A hydrangea (duh!)
A bucket of cold water
A floral shear or knife
A sewing needle
2 packet of flower food
Your favorite vase
Step 1: Upon arriving your house from the flower shop, prepare a bucket of cold water. You can add ice cubes in the water if your tap water is warm. (Remember: Hydrangeas love cold weather)
Step 2: Open a packet of flower food and pour the flower food into the bucket of cold water.
Step 3: Unwrap hydrangea from its wrapping paper. Some florists will attach a mini water pod at the bottom of the hydrangea’s stem to ensure its freshness. You can remove this water pod by cutting the stem using a knife or floral shear at a 45 degree angle.
Step 4: Hydrangea has woody stem, thus, its water absorption ability is poor compared to other fresh flowers. To counter this problem, use a tiny sewing needle to pierce a few strategic holes into the hydrangea’s stem. This is to ensure that the flowers will able to absorb water at a faster rate and keep the hydrangea’s blooms hydrated at all times.
Step 5: Place the hydrangea into the bucket of ice-cold water. The water level in the bucket should cover the whole length of the hydrangea’s stem. Soak the hydrangea’s stem for 4-6 hours or preferably overnight prior to using the flowers.
Step 6: Fill your favorite vase with clean water (preferably cold) and flower food.
Step 7: Arrange the pre-conditioned hydrangeas in your favorite vase and enjoy the blooms.
Step 8: Cut the hydrangea’s stem every 2-3 days to ensure that the bottom of the stem is not blocked by any naturally occurring substance or air. These substances will prevent water from reaching the blooms.
Also, a general rule of thumb in lengthening the life of cut flowers is never to expose them under direct sunlight and avoid blowing them directly with a fan.
Here’s a benchmark: A properly cared-for and pre-conditioned hydrangea can lasts up to 7-12 days at normal room temperature here in Malaysia.
Some plants back in my garden.
Green & White Anthurium Plant
Close up shot of the green anthurium, my all time favorite. I’m not sure if this plant is a hybrid of some sort, because the flowers are in white and green color. There were some red anthurium plants beside them too, but the red ones are not as “photogenic”.
Commonly known as Pitcher Plants or Nepenthes, its name originated from Old Greek, meaning “soothing grief”.
The Pitcher Plant is a “member” of the Carnivorous Plants group that feed on insects. It has a pitfall trap which is filled with sweet nectar to lure insects e.g. flies, moths, beetles, or ants into its trap.
Another shot of the plant.
Have a great weekend!
Lilies are one of the more popular flowers around here in Malaysia. There are many types of lilies. From the more commonly available ones such as the Stargazer lilies, Casablanca lilies, and Madonna Lilies to the rarer imported ones such as the Peruvian lilies, Sumatra lilies, African Queen lilies, and Maywood lilies. Despite the vast varieties of lilies, the care for fresh cut lilies, such as those you get from your local florists is rather similar.
The picture above shows a full bloom Casablanca Lily with its stamen intact. As you can see, all the stamens have already been pollinated. These pollens, if not removed, will stain the lily petals, your table tops, hands, or clothings. Thus, it is essential for you to remove all the stamens once the lily bud begins to bloom.
The best time to remove the stamens from the lily is when the lily bud is half-bloomed and the stamens are yet to be pollinated. You can easily pull off the stamens with your fingers. However, you would need a scissors to remove the pollinated stamens if the lily has fully bloomed (like the one in the picture).
This picture is solely for illustration purpose only. Please use a pair of scissors if you do not want to get nasty pollen stains on your hand or your surroundings. =)
A “cleaned” Casablanca Lily. (Notice there’s some pollen stains on the lily petals?)
Some lilies can have more than one bud on each stem. The timing and blooming process for each bud in a stem varies. One flower may wither earlier before the other buds have bloomed. If this is the case, simply cut the wilted flower off and allow the other buds to bloom.
by Chantelle Lim
 01 Jul 08 – 1st occasion where I received a bouquet of flowers loosely wrapped with tissue paper which made it necessary for me to do something about it.
1 bouquet of lovely roses of premium quality + 1 vase (leftover from the last time I got a vase of roses) + 1 Chantelle = creativity kicked in till 1.45am.
I had a mission: to take the best shot with the best arrangement. Great deal of fun and with much success. Ode to my dear friend, Ammie, who gave me those roses, I took on with me 1 very important point. Receiving flowers in loose or in a vase brings about great flexibility as oppose to flowers in a bouquet. You can arrange the flowers a million times till you are satisfied. For me, I think I could never attain satisfaction for this cos at different angles and arrangements, the beauty is unique by itself.
True enough, having to wake up at 6.30am for work deterred me from achieving perfection or satisfaction. Falling in love with it, I brought it to work so it was working with this new owner (me) whom I think those roses perceive as fickle-minded, having toyed with it a trillion times. And still not giving up. I’m so proud in to have become its owner. Just like in food, only a cuisine connoisseur will appreciate food with great detail.
Only a flower fanatic will appreciate these premium roses. In this case, my director had a wonderful remark – “These roses are very different from the usual and very beautiful”, having to buy roses for 6 months every Sunday for her church’s centrepiece, thereby gaining tonnes of knowledge. I’m also learning more and liking every bit of it while becoming more of a vase person.
*****
Coming up next: A series of rose pictures taken by Chantelle.
These photos were taken from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). There are about 5 floral arrangements scattered around the departure terminal. These arrangements are so depressing, it’s an eye sore to the public. I can understand why they used orchids because orchids last longer, but the arrangements are so proportionately off, with no sense of aesthetic at all. The foliages are badly arranged and messy to say the least.
Considering that KLIA is the first main point of contact with tourists from all over the world for Malaysia, I believe the airport management could do a better job than putting up such messy floral arrangements.
 
 
How do you rate these floral arrangements?
Did you know that the hibiscus is also known as the rosemallow? Even though it has no relation with the rose family. In some places, it’s also known as the “Rose of Althea” or “Rose of Sharon”.
The hibiscus also happens to be Malaysia’s national flower due to the fact that hibiscus are available throughout the entire country. It’s also due to the commonness of the hibiscus in our surroundings that you don’t see many Malaysian men sending their girlfriends hibiscus stalks.
With the best of intentions, sending the girl a stalk of hibiscus would seem a very “stingy” thing to do. Though you could have meant it “from the bottom of your heart”, it could be interpreted as “from the depths of your pockets”. Hence, it would be a better idea to leave hibiscus out of the game of courtships, and use these lovely hibiscus as ornaments instead.
Here’s a picture I took in Cameron Highlands, where these hibiscus grew in the lush greeneries, alongside the vast plantations of tea leaves.
Here’s a picture taken during one of my trip to Cameron Highlands recently…
Thorny cactus can sometimes be very romantic too!
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