| Romantic Gardening |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-112 |
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Looking for a romantic gesture for a holiday or anniversary? Look no farther than the garden, says Ask DIY Gardening expert Jesse Mack Burns. Here are some fresh ideas:
- Make long-stemmed roses last longer by adding lemon-lime soda to the water and recutting the stems after a few days. Make sure the leaves don't fall in the water or they'll rot and smell bad.
Nobody's perfect: Aspirin in the water doesn't really help blooms last longer. Try something citrusy instead.
- Give a bunch of long-stemmed roses a second life after a few days by making a short-stemmed arrangement (figure A). Cut the stems down and strip off all the leaves. Then push a floral-foam cube into the bottom of a smaller vase or basket. Make a circle of the short-stemmed roses around the outside rim of the florist's foam (figure B), then fill in the inside.
- Consider giving a gardener's bag with indoor-gardening tools as a gift (figure C). To make it even more special, put a potted plant inside.
- Create your own gift basket with scented candles and herbal soaps and creams. Start with a miniature rose plant and fill in around it with sheet moss. That will soften and screen the other objects you place in the basket.
- Herbal packs (figure D) comes in different scents and make a fine gift on their own or as part of a floral gift basket. Intended to be placed on your neck to soothe tension, they can usually be heated in the microwave to enhance the effect.
- Different-color roses signify different sentiments. Red, for example, symbolizes love, while yellow symbolizes friendship. Bone up on the meaning before you give roses, to avoid sending a mixed message!
Web site resources for Romantic Gardening: The Honeymooners Garden from Burke's Backyard.com The Romance Garden from Colorado State Education Coop Extension Create A Romantic County Garden Image by Building a Wigwam from BBC.Co.UK.com Romantic Cottage Gardens from Dream Gardens A Rose Garden for Romance from Suite 101.com Arbors Reminiscent of Romantic Gardens of the Past from Garden Artisans.com Reliably Romantic: Old-Fashioned Plants Stand the Test of Time from The Citizen News.com Book: Decorating Eden: A Comprehensive Source Book of Classic Garden Details
By Elizabeth Wilkinson & Marjorie Henderson
ISBN: 0811801241
Chronicle Publishing Company
85 Second St.
6th Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-537-3730
Fax: 415-537-4440
Web site: www.chronbooks.com
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