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Specialty cut flowers or “old fashion garden flowers” include all decorative plant materials except roses, mums and carnations. These were commonly found in the trade over fifty years ago, but lost favor because of short vase lives and a centralization of flower production in the country and a movement of it overseas. We are now seeing a resurgence of specialty cut flower production but have a generation or two of consumers who are unfamiliar with them. The purpose of this study was to acquaint consumers with various specialty cut flowers and evaluate their acceptance. Small desk size bouquets and large bouquets were evaluated, which was done once a week for four weeks. Each week the shape and form of the bouquets changed as did the plant material. Over ninety percent of the respondents said they would include specialty cut flowers in their next flower purchases but were non committal about a preference of them over traditional cut flowers. The large bouquets seemed to produce the greatest impact but both sizes seemed to improve the work environment.
Field production of specialty cut flowers has become of increasing interest during the last few years. A production system consisting of permanent bed planting as opposed to planting as a single row crop is common. Aisle management is an important component of this system. A vegetative aisle cover affords product quality enhancement and improved labor and equipment utilization throughout the field. This study compared the competitive effect on zinnia yields and flower quality between bare ground and five turfgrass species planted in the aisles. Plots surrounded by bare ground had higher yields and better quality than the turfgrass plots. Annual ryegrass had the greatest competitive effect on flower production and quality of the five turfgrass species studied.
The commercial production of preserved plant materials for decorative purposes is expanding. The industry, once dominated by a relatively small number of large wholesale firms, marketing through traditional retail florists, is undergoing change. A large retail craft supply industry, country accent retail stores and home-based businesses selling at craft fairs have greatly expanded the market for preserved plant materials. Glycerin has often been used to maintain flexibility and reduce breakage of preserved foliages. Dyes are added to the glycerin to add color to the tissue as the chlorophyll fades. Competition in the marketplace places constant pressure on controlling costs. Technical grade dyes of lower dye purity and higher salt concentrations have a lower cost per gram of material than food grade dyes. The effect of the two grades of dye on uptake of glycerin/dye solutions into Eucalyptus cinerea were measured. Under both growth chamber and laboratory room environments glycerin solution alone was systemically absorbed at a greater rate and in larger quantity than either grade of dye. A variation in systemic absorption between grades of dye was also indicated.
Peony flowers are among the few fresh-cut flowers that can be stored dry at cold temperatures for weeks and still produce a viable product for the marketplace. Devising new ways to extend that storage period could open new markets for peony growers. In the northern hemisphere, more peonies could be available for summer weddings, and in the southern hemisphere, red peonies could be used for Valentine's Day. Being able to control and extend the vaselife of peony flowers could also be useful for companies that freeze-dry peonies. Their production is limited by the length of their processing cycle and the size of their freeze dryer. Being able to extend their production season could make them more profitable. Three treatments were applied to peony flowers harvested in the colored bud stage before flowers where placed in cold storage, 2°C. An untreated control was included. Flowers were removed from storage every 2 weeks for 14 weeks. Vaselife and fresh weights were evaluated. Total nonstructural carbohydrate levels of the petals, leaves, and stems of the flowers are to be analyzed. Preliminary analysis of the data shows some treatment differences.
Fresh-cut peonies are one of few cut flowers that can be stored for weeks and still provide a marketable flower. Peonies are usually marketed by color: reds, pinks, whites, and corals. Several different cultivars may be included in each color depending on their country of origin and time during the harvest season. Previous work with peonies has shown that different cultivars of the same color may behave differently during postharvest handling, whether it is storage life, vase life, opening time, storage temperature, etc. One problem of long-term cold storage is diseases that may render flowers unmarketable. This study evaluated the effect of four storage disease prevention treatments on seven peony cultivars, two reds, two pinks, and three whites, stored at 1 °C. The four disease prevention treatments included a control, methyl jasmonate during storage, a pre-storage calcium chloride pulsing for 2 h at room temperature, and a pre-storage fungicide spray. Flowers were evaluated for disease incidence on leaves and flowers, and for flower bud openness after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of cold storage. Overall results support previous work that shows peony cultivars react differently to postharvest treatments. Two cultivars were greatly affected by the disease prevention treatments and three were moderately affected, while there were few treatment effects seen with the other two. The calcium chloride pulse produced the greatest disease incidence and resulted in the flowers being more opening, which is not desirable. There was often no difference in the control, methyl jasmonate, and fungicide treatments. It appears that pre-storage treatments may not be beneficial for some fresh-cut peony cultivars.
Specialty cut flowers are gaining a greater market share of the floral industry. One species that seems to be losing its fad status and again becoming a market mainstay are sunflowers. In response to that demand seed companies are introducing new sunflower cultivars. Little work has been done to evaluate and compare the postharvest life of these new cultivars. A study was conducted Summer 1995 to determine the postharvest life of several cultivars using both water and floral preservatives. Less than half of the cultivars evaluated had an acceptable commercial postharvest life when only water was used. When fresh flower preservatives were used only three of the cultivars evaluated had an unacceptable postharvest life. The addition of floral preservatives significantly increased the postharvest life of more than a third of the cultivars evaluated, but only two thirds of those had their postharvest life increased into the acceptable range. Cultivars found to have an acceptable postharvest life include a wide variety of colors, plant heights and pollenless flowers, giving the grower a wide choice of cultivars for commercial production.
The floral industry is always trying to identify new products for consumers. Dried/preserved products have gained in popularity because they have a long vase life and offer a wide range of forms, textures and shapes. Among these new dried/preserved products are freeze dried flowers. Freeze drying preserves flower color and shape better than air and matrix drying. From a grower's standpoint, they need to know which plants and which of their cultivars will freeze dry better than others, especially if the plant is a perennial that takes time to come into production. Peonies are a good example. Fragility of the flowers after freeze drying is one of the most important factors determining the suitability of a plant and its cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate the flower and stem strength of freeze dried peony flowers of several cultivars to be able to recommend to growers which cultivars freeze dried better than others. Flowers from different red, pink and white herbaceous peony cultivars were freeze dried using commercial equipment and protocols. Stem and flower strengths were determined by compression tests via an Instron Universal Testing Machine. There were no differences in flower strength among the white cultivars evaluated. Flowers of the red cultivars, `Shawnee Chief', `David Harum', `Kansas', and `Monsieur Martin Cahuzac', were stronger than most of the other reds evaluated. `James Pillow' flowers were stronger than most other pinks. There were no differences in flower strength among the other pink cultivars. Lack of differences in flower and stem strength provides growers with a wider selection of suitable cultivars.
Consumer interest and market surveys play an important role in determining what consumer wants and needs are from an industry. These surveys can also serve the role of preparing students for their future jobs in the industry. The horticulture industry is no different. Companies need to know what consumer interests and needs are so they can serve them better. Likewise, students need to know what areas of horticulture are receiving the highest demand by consumers so they can prepare themselves better. A consumer preference study was conducted at the Topeka, Kan., “Lawn, Garden, and Flower Show” by members of the Kansas State Univ. Horticulture Club. The objectives of the survey were to determine: 1) the specific gardening interests of the respondents, 2) the demand for educational materials on specific gardening areas by the respondents, 3) what the respondents' garden buying habits were, and 4) what the respondents' plant selection preferences were. Survey respondents indicated that, when selecting plant material, plant quality was the most important criterion used, while plant packaging was of least importance. Plant size and price were only given some importance in the plant selection decision. Other results of the survey will be presented.