Q. What is the best way to keep cut flowers fresh for the longest amount of time?
–Katherine James, Evanston
A. Buy very fresh flowers with some buds still unopened and bring them home as quickly as possible. When flowers are lifted out of water, air moves into the cut stems and begins to plug up the channels. The clogged ends must be cut off so fresh water can move quickly up to the flower heads.
Add a floral preservative to warm water (approximately 110 degrees) and place the flowers in this solution until the water cools to room temperature. Strip off all foliage below water level. Keep the arrangement out of direct sunlight, away from radiators, steam showers, fireplaces and cooktops. Add fresh water daily or as needed.
Q. We have a delightful Harry Lauder’s walking stick tree that I would like to keep rather small. What is the correct way to prune this plant without sacrificing its curly branches?
–Jeannette Palmieri, Chicago
A. Corylus avellana `Contorta’ is a small, 8- to 10-foot selection of the European filbert tree that does not bear nuts. It is grown primarily for its corkscrew, curlicue branching habit that is especially attractive at this time of year.
This cultivar is usually grafted onto another rootstock, so all suckers that spring from the roots will not be curly and should be pruned out immediately.
Pruning back any tree to keep it shorter than it wants to grow is not a recommended practice. If the interior of the tree is overly dense, thin it out next month as you would any other tree or shrub, to allow sunlight and good air circulation into its center.
Q. How does the black pussy willow do in our area? I find those black catkins incredible.
–Peter Shin, Bolingbrook
A. The black pussy willow, Salix melanostachys, is a shorter, rounder variety of willow that grows between 6 and 10 feet. Its main ornamental features are the large, dark purple-to-black catkins with bright red anthers that appear in early spring. These furry catkins gradually fade to a soft yellow.
Like other willows, this one requires full sun and moist soil; is fast-growing, weak-wooded, prone to disease and insect problems and considered a rather high-maintenance shrub/small tree.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, it is pruned hard to the ground in late winter to rejuvenate the stems and keep it under control.
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Lee Randhava writes for the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.
