Wake up and smell the flowers
Florist shares his secrets for having flowers during winter.
It is said that you should always take time to smell the flowers, and one Randfonteiner has made doing so his career.
Leon Hefer, owner of the Blomskuur at the Tuinhekkie Boeremark, is a horticulturist who’s been been in the industry for 20 years.
Leon is currently the Gauteng Flora Union judges’ panel chairperson and has a portfolio of note when it comes to demonstrations, arrangements and designs.
Flowers are not the first thing one thinks of in the depths of winter, but the cold ground can still house tiny petals and leaves. Leon gave us heaps of tips, and a list of flowers to plant for winter, and told us how to maintain them in a vase indoors.
Iceland poppies, stocks, pansies, sweet peas, and primulas are all in season in winter and are relatively easily maintained,” Leon said.
He advocates buying and planting seedlings and said the times when flower enthusiasts had to sow seeds at specific times of the year to get flowers, while having to pull out the previous season’s flowers even though they’re still in bloom, are gone.
For a fabulous winter garden, Leon said “All residents have to do is buy seedlings from a nursery and stick them in the ground. That way the previous season’s flowers can be enjoyed right to the end.”
“To maintain cut flowers indoors in vases for longer periods of time,” he said, “cut the stems at a 45 degree angle with a very sharp knife. This makes maximum water absorption possible – and the more water the flowers get, the better.”
He recommends that the water in the vase should be replaced regularly, and says it’s best not to let leaves fall into the water.
“This will keep the flowers looking fresh.”
His secret recipe for making flowers last longer is to use a mixture of one teaspoon of vinegar, one teaspoon of bleach, two teaspoons of sugar, a drop of dish-washing liquid and two litres of water to fill your vases.
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