Friday, May 22, 2009

Indoor Plant Dilemma Solved

So, I bet you're wondering if I ever got rid of those little bugs on my orchids, right? I know it's probably been keeping you up at night, huh? I DID manage to kill those buggers, but it wasn't a quick fix. After taking a Q-tip with alcohol to the entire plant, which took forever, the bugs were gone for a few days but reappered. So, I bit the bullet and bought some pesticide for indoor plants and sprayed the darn thing to death (outdoors!). That did the trick. No more buggies.

Another indoor plant issue that occured the other day was a major hydrangea wilt. I splurged and purchased the hydrangeas pictured above and low and behold a few hours after I arranged them they wilted. So, after a quick google search and suggestions from some fellow blogger friends, I learned the following tips:


1. After a fresh cut, dip the cut ends into boiling water for 30 seconds and then place into room temp water.

2. After a fresh cut, hold the cut end to a flame (I used a burner on my cooktop) for a few seconds and then place into room temp water. (this one seemed to really work for me)

3. Drop a few ice cubes into water to shock the blooms.

4. After treating the cut ends, mist the blooms with water or lay a wet paper towel on top until blooms come back to life.

I tried all of the treatments above and am happy to say that they worked! My hydrangea bounced right back. It took a few hours, but they look great now!

6 comments:

100DAYS said...

PLEASE tell me wh got the pillows on youere your couch, I LOVE them! And thanks for the flower tips!

100DAYS said...

* where
(Please excuse the spelling)...and the rug!?!? What brand is it??

Suzie said...

Awesome tip for the hydrangeas, T!

houseenvy said...

Hello, have been loving your blog for a while now, I love your style!

If you are one of those clever people who can make orchids re-flower, please please share your knowledge with us mere mortals! I have tried everything... Also, did you realise, hydrangeas are about the simplest and most successful flowers to dry? They keep all their colour and don't go crumbly.

Alicia said...

Believe it or not adding a smidge 7UP to fresh cut flower water is also a plus.
The hydrangeas look voluminous!!!

Distar said...

could you maybe do a post on how you take care of your orchids. I've bought two orchid plants and tried painstakingly to keep them alive via online directions, but both of them died. I think they are so elegant so I am not willing to give up so easy, but some guidance from you would be great :)