cut flower of the month

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bulb flowers

Super Floral Retailing has created this pagefor the education of store-level employees.To download a reprintable PDF, please goto www.superfloralretailing.com and select“Current Issue.”

The term “bulb” is given to flowers and

plants that have underground, fleshy stor-

age organs. Not all of these storage organs

are “true bulbs,” however; some are corms

(e.g., Gladiolus, Freesia, Brodiaea); tubers

(Anemone, Dahlia); rhizomes (Alstroemeria,

calla, lily-of-the-valley); and tuberous

roots (Ranunculus, Eremurus). In this arti-

cle, we discuss only true bulbs.

BOTANICAL AND COMMON NAMESn Allium (AL-ee-um)

Flowering onion, Flowering garlicn Eucharis (YOU-cuh-ris)

Amazon lily, Eucharist lily,Madonna lily

n Eucomis (you-KO-mis)Pineapple lily, Pineapple flower

n Fritillaria (fritl-AIR-ee-uh)Fritillary, Crown imperial,Checker lily, Checkered lily

n Hippeastrum (hip-ee-AS-trum)Amaryllis, Barbados lily

n Hyacinthus (hy-uh-SIN-thus)Hyacinth

n Iris (EYE-ris)Dutch Iris, Fleur-de-lis

n Lilium (LIL-ee-um)Lily

n Muscari (mus-CAR-ee, mus-CAR-eye)Grape hyacinth

n Narcissus (nar-SIS-us)Daffodil, Jonquil, Paper-white

n Nerine (nuh-RIN-ee, nuh-RY-nee, nay-REE-nay)Spider lily, Guernsey lily

n Ornithogalum (orn-i-THOG-uh-lum)Star-of-Bethlehem, Chincherinchee,Wonder flower

n Scilla (SIL-uh, SKIL-uh)Squill

n Tulipa (TOO-li-puh)Tulip

vase-life extendersPROMPT ATTENTION, SPECIAL CARE Unpack

bulb flowers immediately upon arrival,

and separate any species of Narcissi (daf-

fodils, paper-whites, etc.) from the rest of

the bulb flowers for processing. When

Narcissi stems are cut, they exude a gelat-

inous substance that is detrimental to

some other bulb flowers, especially tulips.

Follow the steps described next when pro-

cessing Narcissi, but keep them in separate

containers for several hours after cutting

them, to allow the harmful sap to leach.

After that time, Narcissi can be arranged or

placed with other blossoms, even if recut

again, without affecting the lives of the

other flowers.

STRIP AND BATHE Remove any leaves that

would fall below the water line in contain-

ers. Then thoroughly rinse the stems—

especially of field-grown flowers—under

tepid (100 F) running water to remove

dirt, sand and other debris.

RECUTTING STEMS With a sharp, sterile

blade, cut off at least 1 inch from all stem

ends—except hyacinths (do not recut

hyacinth stems; see “Hyacinth Stem

Cutting” on Page 18 for more information)—

to remove desiccated (dried out) ends and

accumulated dirt, debris and microbes in

the stem cells. You may cut stems either

under water or in air; however, if you cut

stems under water, change the water (or

flower-food solution) frequently to prevent

it from being contaminated with bacteria.

HYDRATION AND NUTRITION Immediately

after cutting stem ends, place the flowers

into a properly prepared bulb-flower-food

solution made with cold, nonfluoridated

(if possible) water. Cold nutrient solution

helps keep blooms from opening too

quickly while fluoride can decrease vase

life; inhibit bloom development and

opening; and cause petal discoloration,

deterioration and/or droop as well as

flower and leaf tip burn.

When they are cut from their bulbs,

these flowers experience hormone imbal-

ances, and bulb-flower-food solutions

contain—in addition to all the ingredi-

ents in standard flower-food solutions—

“replacement” hormones. They also have a

lower concentration of sugar, which can

aggravate leaf yellowing.

Although research shows that some

spring bulb flowers, including Irises, daf-

fodils and tulips, may not benefit greatly

from the nutrient (sugar) in flower-food

solutions, they do benefit from the bio-

cides, which limit the growth of harmful

stem-plugging microbes.

REFRIGERATION After processing cut bulb

flowers, place them immediately into a

floral cooler, and allow them to hydrate

there for at least two hours before arrang-

ing or selling them.

The optimal storage temperature range

for most cut bulb flowers is 33 F to 35 F.

Those requiring higher temperatures

include paper-whites (Narcissi) and

hyacinths, which prefer 36 F to 41 F tem-

peratures, and amaryllises (Hippeastrums),

which require temperatures ranging from

41 F to 50 F.

ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY Many bulb flowers

are sensitive to ethylene gas; tulips and

hyacinths are about the only exceptions.

Make sure the bulb flowers you purchase

cut flower of the month

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floral retailing february ’13 www.superfloralretailing.com

are treated with an ethylene inhibitor at the

grower or wholesaler level, at the point of

importation, or during shipment by truck.

The grower level is often the most ideal.

CARE EXTRA Store tulips, daffodils and Irises

vertically in their containers to encourage

straight stems. Tulips are geotropic, meaning

they respond to the forces of gravity, so stor-

ing them vertically and in their plastic sleeves

can help prevent their stems from curving.

QUICK SALE Sell cut bulb flowers within two

days of receipt. Flowers held for more than

two days lose at least a day of vase life for

each day they are held beyond the two days.

hyacinth stem cuttingThe latest data suggest that hyacinth stemsshould not be recut. In Holland, for example,hyacinths are harvested with their bulbsattached; the bulbs are later removed by a“coring” procedure. This means that the low-est part of a hyacinth stem (basal plate) is thecenter interior of the bulb. Research showsthat leaving the basal plates intact improveswater uptake and will extend flower vase life.If you choose to recut hyacinth stems duringprocessing, remove as little of the stem aspossible—preferably no more than 1/8 inch.

Do you need a quick and easy reference for

information about other cut flowers?

Designed to fit on yourcountertop, desk or designbench, Flower Flip — AGuide to 50 FavoriteFlowers provides informa-tion on care, vase life,availability, pronunciationand more in a handy 5.5” x6.5” flip-chart format.

Order OnlineTo order, visit ww.superfloralretailing.com and click on

“Bookstore,” or call (800) 355-8086. (To discuss quantity purchases and pricing, ask for Mary Lou Clark, ext. 12.)

FRFB1010 $12.95

Eucharis amazonica(syn. E. grandiflora)

Amazon lily, Eucharist lily,Madonna lily,

Lily-of-the-AmazonPhoto: iBulb

Eucomis comosaPineapple flower,

Pineapple lilyPhoto: iBulb

Allium cepa ‘Utopia’Flowering onion

(a.k.a. Spring onion, Potato onion,

Scallion, Shallot)Photo: iBulb

Fritillaria meleagrisCheckered lily, Snake’s head

fritillary, Guinea-hen tulipPhoto: iBulb

Hippeastrum‘Dancing Queen’

Amaryllis, Barbados lilyPhoto: iBulb

Fritillaria imperialis‘Rubra Maxima’

Crown imperial, FritillaryPhoto: iBulb

Hyacinthus orientalis‘Purple Pride’

Hyacinth, Dutch hyacinthPhoto: iBulb

Iris hollandica‘Sapphire Beauty’

Dutch Iris, Fleur-de-lisPhoto: iBulb

Hippeastrum ‘Stargazer’Amaryllis, Barbados lily

Photo: iBulb

Lilium ‘Flashpoint’Oriental hybrid lily

Photo: iBulb

Lilium Dublet ’Sweet Rosie’

Double-flowered Oriental hybrid lily

Photo: The Sun Valley Group

Lilium ‘Dazzle’Asiatic hybrid lily

Photo: The Sun Valley Group

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floral retailingfebruary ’13www.superfloralretailing.com

Lilium ‘Menorca’L.A. hybrid lily

(longiflorum/asiatic)Photo: Holland America Bulb Farms, Inc.

Lilium ‘Shocking’O.T. hybrid lily

(Oriental/trumpet, Orienpet)Photo: The Sun Valley Group

Muscari armeniacum ‘Big Smile’Grape hyacinth

Photo: iBulb

Narcissus ‘Dutch Master’Trumpet daffodil

Narcissus ‘Juanita’Large-cupped daffodil

Photo: iBulb

Narcissus ‘Stef’DaffodilPhoto: iBulb

Narcissus ‘Meeting’Double-flowered daffodil

Photo: Flower Council of Holland

Narcissus tazetta ‘Cragford’Polyanthus Narcissus

Photo: Flower Council of Holland

Nerine bowdenii ‘Albivetta’Spider lily, Guernsey lily

Photo: iBulb

Ornithogalum thyrsoides‘White Giant’

Chincherinchee (a.k.a. Wonder flower, African

wonder flower, Star-of-Bethlehem)Photo: iBulb

ScillaSquill

Photo: iBulb

Tulipa ‘Donau’Tulip

Photo: iBulb

Tulipa ‘Grand Style’French tulip, Cottage tulip

Photo: The Sun Valley Group

Tulipa ‘Honeymoon’Fringed tulip, Crispa tulip

Photo: The Sun Valley Group

Tulipa ‘Monarch Parrot’Parrot tulip

Photo: The Sun Valley Group sfr

Some information provided by:Botanica, by R.G. Turner Jr. and Ernie WassonChain of Life Network® , www.chainoflife.orgCut Flowers, by C. GeleinCut Flowers of the World

by Johannes Maree and Ben-Erik van WykHortus Third

by Liberty Hyde Bailey and Ethel Zoe BaileySAF Flower & Plant Care,

by Terril A. Nell, Ph.D., and Michael S. Reid, Ph.D.