The Hydrangea season has kicked off, which seems to happen earlier every year, and so we thought it was time to put this beautiful plant in the spotlight. The first Hydrangeas of the season are always a bit soft but as Spring progresses and the weather improves, so too will the quality of the plants.

The Hydrangea is a timeless plant for both indoor and outdoor use. As you probably know, an indoor Hydrangea can also be planted in the garden, where it will continue to thrive and bloom for decades, providing it receives the proper care that is.

The Freesia is a versatile flower that comes in many sizes, shapes and colours. Let your imagination run wild and combine different colours and different flowers! The Freesia is originally from South Africa “Cape Lily of the Valley”, and it can be single or double flowered. It comes in white, yellow, orange, red, blue, pink and purple, but can also be bicoloured or multi-coloured. Many varieties have a lovely sweet scent which makes Freesias even more attractive.

The Gerbera, our new Flower of the Month, doesn't need introducing. It is a very popular cut flower - surpassed only by the rose, carnation, chrysanthemum and tulip - and rightly so! There is a great variety of shapes and sizes available, in a number of colours including white, orange, red, yellow and pink. Petals of a single flower can even have several different colours. The origin of the Gerbera lies in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and South America.

Florists and supermarkets use flower care products, such as Chrysal Professional 2, to increase the water absorption of flowers. Dosing pumps, like the Chrysal Dosing Unit helps with the correct dosing, which is vital for conditioning flowers. If a non-clear (turbid solution with sediments) product is mixed with water, a sediment appears in some dosing pumps in which some mixture is left.

Flowers are harvested during various stages of ‘ripeness’, depending on market demands. Gerbera and Chrysanthemum seem as though they are ‘further along’ when they are in a mixed bouquet with flowers such as Carnations or Tulips. Flowers that have been harvested while they were still in the ‘bud stage’, such as Rose, Gladioli or Eustoma, appear to need more nutrients in order to fully develop.

Decomposing pieces of leaves and thorns, dust and other pollutants from the air, contaminate the vase water. All this decomposition, organic matter and moulds make the water cloudy and dirty and can be a food source for microorganisms. The vascular bundles in the stem, required for absorbing water, can become plugged by this contamination. This contamination is especially evident on the water surface. When the water level drops, the unsightly scum remains on the side of the vase, dries up and becomes visible.

There is a logical relationship between the size, height and weight of a bouquet of cut flowers and the size, height and weight of the vase. Flower arrangers often have as a rule of thumb that the height of the vase should be between 40 and 60 % of the height of the bouquet.

The best combination ensures that:

Contamination of vase water is caused by the decomposition of the stems and leaves in the water. If stems have been damaged and start to decompose, bacteria from the surroundings (stem, container/vase, air, leaf) can develop and cause the stem to further decompose resulting in the clouding of the vase. Aesthetics and hygiene of the vase water are the main reasons for keeping the container/vase water clean. By cutting stems and removing the leaves under the water, the natural balance is maintained in the vase and your flowers stay in optimum condition.