Hello!

Snow – snow – snow! Enough already! I know, I know, it could be worse! We could be getting hammered like in poor Oswego County. So today let’s give those snow shovels, and blowers, and plows a rest for a few minutes as we think about something of vital importance!

Roses! Roses! Roses! Everything is coming up roses! Since ancient times that quintessential rose has held a very special place in the hearts of romantic people everywhere throughout the world (although maybe not in Antarctica!).

Yes, that elegant, lovely beautiful rose! “A rose is a rose is a rose!” “A rose by any other name is still a rose!” And yes, that very special day is coming soon to a theater near you – when we acknowledge our love for that very special someone.

Floral shops everywhere are all gearing up for Valentine’s Day. Well, OK - not in Antarctica – and certainly not in Oswego County and, gees, maybe not even in C’ville! Actually these flower shops have been in high gear for a few weeks now!

Did you know that more roses will be bought for Valentine’s Day than for any other holiday? After all, candy and flowers are the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts. And it is that beautiful rose that seems to have the most impact of all the fresh-cut flowers that may be given at this time.

And so, here are some suggestions – some DO’S and DON’TS - for keeping that romantic rose fresher and fresher longer. And cheer up - there are more DO’S than DON’TS!

• Now as soon as you receive your Valentine roses, DO put them in water. (Well, actually maybe you should give some appropriate thanks to the rose-donor first, then get those roses into water.)

• But before setting your beautiful roses into that clean vase, DO cut off about ¼ inch from the stem, just in case those stems are already clogged up.

• DO try to do this while the stems are submerged in water. This prevents any air bubbles from getting into the stems and clogging them up.

• And DO cut those stems on a slant, or an angle, not just straight across, with a sharp knife or a sharp pair of scissors. The operative word here is sharp! Because dull tools will crush the stems, and this makes it difficult if not impossible for the flowers to draw up any water through those damaged crushed stems.

• DO keep that arrangement of roses cool. You might even consider putting them in the refrigerator overnight. No – DON’T put them outside –it’s way too frigid, too frosty, too snowy!

• DO keep them out of direct sunlight and away from any heat sources like heat registers, wood stoves and fireplaces.

• DON’T put them on top of the TV either – way too warm!

• And to help keep those blooms fresh and long lasting, DO change that vase water each and every morning, and re-cut those stems. Cut flowers will start to wilt because the stem ends become clogged with bacteria that start to grow in the vase water.

• So, DO change that water faithfully each day.

• Roses can suffer from a condition called “bent neck”, where the blooms droop over from lack of water caused by plugged stems. So DO keep those stems trimmed and open.

• DO keep in mind that there are several chemical preservatives available to prolong the life of those cut flowers. But you might want to try this recipe and avoid the chemicals and the high costs. Use regular, plain old lemon-lime soda.

• DON’T use diet soda, because it is that sugar in that regular soda that will feed your flowers. So use 1-part water to 1 part lemon-lime soda.

• And DO replace this half-and-half soda water solution every 2 to 3 days.

• And while you’re at it, DO trim those stems to keep them open.

• DO consider this other recipe for keeping those Valentine roses fresh and long lasting.
  Dissolve: 1 teaspoon of vinegar
  1 aspirin
  1 tablespoon of sugar in 24 ounces of warm water
  Use this solution as vase water for those beautiful flowers. Some people even use charcoal bits to help preserve their cut flowers.

• If your cut flowers start to wilt, DO try this remedy. This is emergency CPR for any kind of wilting blooms. Take the stems of the poor wilted victims and cut off an inch or so from their bottoms. Then stick those stems into very hot water for a few minutes. Now quickly plunge those stems into very cold water. Those drooping blooms should perk up, but only if you’ve caught them in time. That hot/cold treatment drives out any air bubbles that may have formed in those stems. And it permits that cold water to rise up and revive those wilted blooms. This hot/cold shocker should work, but only if you catch those drooping flowers in time. If those flowers have been wilting and drooping for a long time, like for hours and hours on end, then this shocker will not be able to jumpstart them back into freshness.

• All of these suggestions are good to prolong the beauty of not only those roses but also any other fresh cut flowers – mums, daisies, whatever.

• DO keep in mind that those beautiful cut roses (or mums, or daisies, or whatever) DO have an expected bloom life or shelf life; they will not last forever.

• So DO take the time now to stop and smell those rose (or mums, or daisies, or whatever) before they are gone!

And if you beloved honey does not give you flowers for Valentine’s Day, if you get candy instead – no sweat!

• DO enjoy that wonderful candy, but then you do have to work off all those delicious calories by jogging around your garden a few times. Yeah, right! Actually DO consider shoveling the snow around your garden.

• And while you are out there – DO knock off some of that white stuff from your poor trees and shrubs!

• At any rate – DO have a happy Valentine’s Day!

• And DO get back to your snow slinging –

• But DO take it easy!

And DO - Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!

D