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Dear Bridget, I am required by my school to do a science experiment. I came up with the idea to use plain white mums and red food dye. I planned on adding enough red dye to the water so that the water turns red, and whenever the mum needs to be watered, to just pour the red dye/water mixture in the pot. It has been a little under two weeks and I have not seen the slightest difference in the color of the white flowers. Is my experiment not going to work? Does it take longer than 2 weeks for the dye to reach the flowers? Will newer buds start to change color? Is a mum a bad plant choice? Is there any other information that would help me successfully carry out my experiment?- Marissa – FL
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Marissa, The chrysanthemum is not a bad choice, nor is the color red. The uptake of dye by fresh cut flowers depends on four things: the concentration of the dye,Read more »
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Dear Bridget, Hey! I am getting married in June and I have to pick up ten dozen roses the day before the wedding, do you have any tips or secrets to keeping them fresh looking and alive for the next day? Like should I refridgerate them, or put them in a special kind of water? Thanks so much!- Alicia – Greensboro, NC
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Alicia, Congratulations on your impending nuptials! Care of roses is much like care of other fresh flowers. First, I’m sure you’re purchasing them from a reputable floral professional who willRead more »
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Dear Bridget, I’m doing a science fair project on roses and how they can last longer and I wanted to ask you if by putting pennies in the water it helps it to last longer?- Jason – College Park, MD
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Jason, The amount of copper in pennies was substantially reduced in the 1950′s. When there was a higher percentage of copper in pennies, some people believed you could put oneRead more »
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Dear Bridget, I am looking for a flower for Prom. I would like it to be different than the all the time used Rose or Carnation. The dress is Royal or Navy Blue. Can you tell me a flower that would be a deep blue. Thank you.- Vicki
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Vicki, Dark blue flowers may be a bit hard to find. One of my favorites is lisanthus. It is shaped like a bell. The reason florists use roses and carnationsRead more »
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Dear Bridget, I did your experiment of the florist addative, sugar, and the water. I concluded that the florist addative worked the best, then sugar, then the water. The water was the first to wilt I used daisies. Do you think that my experiment would nave turned out differnt if I had used a different flower?- Tracey – Virginia Beach, VA
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Tracey, Most of the time, the commercial preservative will work best. Why? Because scientists helped to mix an ideal food source but keep the nasty stem-clogging bacteria and fungi fromRead more »
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Dear Bridget, What are some hardy cut flowers for outdoor party….in Las Vegas in June?- Renee – Rochester, NY
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Renee, I hope you have shade and plenty of water for your guests and your flowers! The big challenge in June in Las Vegas will be the heat and lowRead more »
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Dear Bridget, What are some facts about carnations? I am doing a science fair project about them. What are some details? I know they take about four hours to be done with the whole thing, but what is the hypothosis and conclusions?- Sarah – WA
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Sarah, Carnations are in a beautiful and diverse plant genus called Dianthus. According to Hortus III, a book containing a description and background of nearly every cultivated plant, there areRead more »
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Dear Bridget, How are roses packaged and how are roses used?- Krista – Sevierville, TN
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Great question, Krista! Roses can be shipped in water (wet) or in a box packed with ice (dry). Either way, the bunches come with 25 stems. Research has shown itRead more »
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Dear Bridget, My daughter is getting married in May. We were thinking of using a glass bowl with a floating fresh flower for the centerpieces. What are the best flowers to use? Thanks for your help.- Linda – Bethel, CT
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Linda, I would encourage you to experiment with several flowers and see not only which ones float, but which look best in terms of color combinations and display. Use theRead more »
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Dear Bridget, I’m doing a science fair project on how fast does dye travel if the flower is kept in the refrigerator vs. at room temperature. I’m using carnations and I found that food coloring travels faster in room temperature but I dont no why. could you be able to help me? Thanks.- Michelle – Nappanee, IN
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Hi, Michelle. Many biological and chemical processes are influenced by temperature. The rate of color change seen in your cut flowers in a vase with dye added is one ofRead more »
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