SOLSC Day 9 of 31 A Garden Club that Doesn't Garden?

Many years ago I joined the Eastside Garden Club. It sounds very official. However, the truth is that though the members generally enjoy gardening and flowers, rarely do we meet to discuss them or to do any planting. Many federated garden clubs follow strict membership guidelines and parameters for their service  to the community. That's not us. We call ourselves the "not too serious garden club". Each month we do meet to listen to a speaker or do an activity that is enjoyable. Truth be known, more often than not, it is not remotely connected to gardening. The constant is that there are always delicious treats and beverages.

Last  night we met and actually had a program related to our group's title! We gathered at a very chic florist owned by a delightful young woman. She showed us how to prepare beautiful flowers such as snapdragons, enormous-headed roses and tulips for making a beautiful and lasting arrangement. She skillfully took her special knife and  scraped unnecessary thorns and leaves off the 2-foot long stems. It looked so easy. I could only imagine the fingers I might lose as I perfected that technique. She shared a few tips for preparing flowers for a long vase life that I thought I would share. If you're not in a real garden club you might find them helpful.

• If you put a penny in the water of a vase of tulips, they will stand straight.
• Daffodils should not be put in an arrangement with other flowers since they release a toxic sap that will destroy the other flowers. If you want them to be a part of another arrangement, first put them in a vase by themselves. After about a day, the sap will be released and they will co-exist with other flowers.
• if you have roses that come with a droopy head, it means they are not adequately hydrated. Float them on the surface of tepid water in your bathtub to revive them.
• For flowers with a woody stem, like lilacs, hammer about 7 inches of the bottom of their stem to help them get the water they need.

This evening's presentation probably went a long way to fulfill the quota of our group's garden related programming for the year. Want to join?