Local Master Gardener Barbara Ray was a guest on WCBL’s Coffee Call. She said now is a good time to start planning for spring gardening. She says the new color to watch for this year is lime, and you will see that in gardening catalogs and in nurseries before long.
Ray says that this might surprise you, but with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, 78% of gifts given will be cut flowers. She said roses are always a favorite, and ladies love to get roses. But she says the best gift is mixed arrangement with roses and some other flowers because the roses won’t last as long. A few tips to help make your gift of flowers last longer is to make sure you get them into water as soon as possible, make sure the container is clean and change the water to keep it clean. The packet that comes with your flowers is good to use, and Ray says another good item to add and to make your cut flowers last longer is to add Sprite or 7-UP. She says to add about a ¼ of a cup to one quart of water.
To hear the full interview on Coffee Call, go to the bottom of the home page of marshallcountydaily.com and click on the on-demand link.