Arranging Grocery Store Flowers
Master Gardener Mary Heim shows how to take a grocery store flower bouquet and turn it into a beautiful flower arrangement. First, when you get home with your flowers cut a small amount off the stem and put them in water. Grocery store bouquets often have three or five large blooms that will be the anchors of your arrangement. Place them in your vase after cutting the stems to different heights. Different heights add interest. You should remove all the leaves that will be under water in the vase. For a stem that has many flowers, remove some of the flowers, it will look more natural. Mary often buys two bouquets to get a different selection of flowers or colors. She also will use some greenery either from the grocery store or from plants in her yard. After a few days when the flowers start to age She recommends taking the flowers out of the vase re-cutting and rearranging them. Also, change the water in your vase daily. This will keep the flowers fresh longer. The more you do it the better your arrangements will look.
Related Video: Homegrown Greenery for Flower Arranging Related Resources: Principles of Floral Arrangement Flower Arranging Care of Cut Flowers and Foliage |
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Cutting a Tree Branch
This week in the garden retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to correctly cut a branch off a tree. He shows how using two cuts at the right location keeps the bark from peeling and helps the tree heal. >>Watch
Garden Notes
Did the Soil Drench Work? 
Joellen Dimond looks at some shrubs that were infested with scale last year. When the scale was discovered, the shrubs were treated with the systemic insecticide imidacloprid. They look healthy and scale free this year. One shrub was not treated. It looks to be in bad condition. >>Watch |
Planting a Container Flower Garden
Tonya Ashworth shows how to plant a container flower garden in a barrel. She shows how to arrange the plants for visual appeal using a tall central thriller plant, filler plants and spiller plants that hang over the side to break up the edge of the barrel. <<Watch
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Building a Self-Watering Houseplant Pot
Most houseplants like even moisture, but it can be hard to maintain the right amount of moisture. Tonya Ashworth shows how to build a pot that will keep your houseplants watered for up to two weeks and shows when it needs more water. <<Watch
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How to Read Garden Chemical Labels
Knowing how to read chemical labels is critical for safely using garden pesticides. Mike Dennison shows and explains the main parts of a pesticide label. He us using liquid Sevin for the demonstration but the same principles apply for all garden chemical labels. <<Watch
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Carol Reese talks about different kinds of Japanese maples and some considerations when growing them. The traditional Japanese maple form is produced by a grafted plant which is why they are so expensive. You can grow trees from seed but the traditional weeping form is obtained from grafting. <<Watch
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Viewer Questions
What are these bugs on my clematis leaves?
The bugs are aphids. Aphids suck plant sap which can weaken your plant. Aphids can multiply rapidly. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper recommends not using heavy insecticides on aphids. He recommends insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, or even knocking them off the plant with a jet of water from a hose. >>Watch
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Why are my African violets not blooming?
Mary Heim suggests the plant may not have adequate sunlight. African violets like eastern exposure with bright but indirect light. >>Watch
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What are the growths on my plum tree branches?
This is black knot. It is a fungal infection on plums and cherries. The growth starts as a soft gel. The gel hardens and turns into a gall. It is hard to impossible to treat with chemicals. The easiest way to take care of it is to prune it out. Cut the infected branch 6-8 inches below the infection and dispose of the branches. The fungus overwinters in debris around the tree. >>Watch
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Mary Heim says this could be because the plant is getting too much water or not enough nitrogen. Pyracantha like full sun so make sure it is getting enough light. It could also be a problem with pests so look for them. >>Watch
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Mulch volcanos harm trees. The mulch keeps the bark moist which causes the bark to start to rot. When the bark starts to rot, it will allow diseases and insects into the tree. Also, voles can tunnel in the mulch and girdle the tree while hidden. Too much mulch also allows the tree roots to grow into the mulch looking for air. >>Watch
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