Bouquet bridges

A friend presented me with a dozen cherry-red tulips last week and eight days after she left they were still drawing comments for their beauty.

As you wait for those indomitable snowdrops to finally open and announce that spring is finally here, why not treat yourself to a bouquet to help bridge winter to spring.

The indulgence is beneficial. A 2005 Rutgers University behavioral study links flowers and life satisfaction.

According to Jeannette Haviland-Jones, professor of psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study in collaboration with the Society of American Florists, common sense tells us that flowers make us happy. “Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being,” she said.

Bunches of tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers are “best buys” now through April. Pick up a bunch occasionally for a natural mood-enhancer.

I always buy a bunch of daffodils to help support the annual Daffodil Days Cancer Society fundraiser.

This initiative began in Toronto in the 1950s. A group of Canadian Cancer Society volunteers organized a fundraising tea and decided to decorate the tables with daffodils. The bright cheerful flowers created an atmosphere that seemed to radiate hope and faith that cancer could be beaten. The society realized that the sale of daffodils would generate additional funds.

Here are a few tips to help make your bouquet last as long as mine:

For longest vase life, buy cut tulips and daffodils with flower buds closed but about to open, with the color of the flower just showing.

Before putting tulips in vases, condition the stems by re-cutting the base with a clean sharp (not serrated) knife. Cut straight across the stems or at a slant (either is fine) to open up their water uptake channels.

Florists use a simple technique with tulips prior to arranging them to fully hydrate the stems and make them stand up straight. After trimming the stem ends, take the bunch and roll it in a folded sheet of newspaper, with the stems and flower heads extending on either end. Place with stems (not paper) in cool clean water. Let stand for an hour or two in a cool spot while the stems fully engorge with water. Unlike most flowers, tulips keep growing in the vase – sometimes as much as an inch or more after being arranged. Top off or change water daily and re-trim stem ends every few days. Keep flowers away from sources of heat (including direct sunlight, radiators, lamps and television sets).

Note: Tulips and daffodils make good playmates in the garden, but not in the vase. Daffodils (aka Narcissi) exude a sticky sap that shortens the life span of other flowers by clogging their water uptake channels.