Garden expert shares what flowers mean and how to keep them fresh
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, let's talk flowers. In the flower world, be careful what you give, how many and what color…it all means something.
Yellow daisies mean friendship and cheer, orchids are for encouragement, and Nick Federoff with Things Green says you're always safe with carnations. The flower to be most careful with he warns, is the rose. Don't just pick a color you like and a random quantity -- they both come with a message.
"These roses give all kinds of meaning, we have to be careful with that…one rose gives one kind of statement, but if you give a dozen roses, you better make sure there is a diamond ring attached to that, so kind of keep that in mind," said Federoff.
Giving one rose means love at first sight, three says 'I love you', and a dozen takes things to the next level…it's asking someone to be yours.
Ok. So you get that bouquet, and you want the cut flowers to stay around as long as possible. Federoff shares some tips to extend cut flower life. First off, dip the stems immediately in water, and trim the stems while they are underwater. Federoff says the stems immediately slurp up the water, extending their lifespan. Next, put the trimmed bouquet in water with a couple of drops of bleach. One flower, just use one droplet. You can also add aspirin, sugar or fertilizer to the water, and change the water every couple of days. Federoff says all this should keep the flowers around a couple of weeks.
Rose color meanings:
- Red: Love and passion
- Orange: Energy and desire
- Yellow: Friendship and joy
- Green: Growth and abundance
- Blue: Mystery and uniqueness
- Lavender: Wonder and enchantment
- Pink: Elegance and sweetness
- Peach: Sincerity and gratitude
- Black: Change and courage
- White: Young love and innocence
- Ivory: Grace and charm
