What’s the deal with delphinium?
I love the beautiful blue tones, but they fall apart after two to three days. If your flowers suffer signs of premature aging, ethylene may be the culprit. The entire delphinium family is highly sensitive to ethylene gas and needs to be treated at farm level with STS to prevent damning effects of ethylene exposure. Another alternative is treating ethylene sensitive flowers with 1-MCP gas during transit. Rose handling is easier than herding sacred cows! Will placing rose stems in boiling water help hydrate them? NO! Boiling water causes more harm than good. It is too aggressive for most flower stems, damaging the cells, causing stem discoloration and subsequent cell collapse. Proper use of a hydration solution will give far better results. Notice the emphasis on “proper”? That means the solution is mixed according to instructions and used for the appropriate time listed on the label. Commercial hydration solutions are available from flower food companies. I like to clean my roses before
