June 14,1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
465 
PREPARING AND PACKING 
FLOWERS. 
T he packing of flowers of various descriptions has to be 
accomplished by the majority of gardeners, especially in these 
days of economising, when the owners of many private gardens 
send their surplus produce into the markets. Where this is done, 
unless a good system of packing is followed, but poor returns can 
be expected for the flowers sent, as the slightest disfigurement 
affords the opportunity for rating their value far lower than the 
current market prices. Although such forcible lessons may not 
often be brought home to the consigner, there can be but little 
doubt that when such occurs they lead to the adoption of 
improved methods of packing. This is purchasing experience ; 
but it is better to prevent such errors occurring. 
In the case of flowers which are sent to town for the use of 
the family it is equally important that they arrive in good con¬ 
dition, otherwise no matter how well they may have been grown 
they compare unfavourably with the supplies seen in nurseries and 
florists’ shops, and thus tend to create a feeling of dissatisfaction 
on the part of employers. Having, I think, now shown the im¬ 
portance of following good methods of packing I will pass on to 
the practical part of the work, giving those hints—for the benefit 
of the inexperienced—which I have found extremely useful during 
many years of active practice. 
Before dealing with the actual work of packing it is perhaps 
necessary to devote a few words about flower boxes. It has often 
occurred to me that there is in many gardens a very scant supply 
of long shallow boxes suitable for packing such flowers as Paeonies, 
Gladioli, Delphiniums, and hosts of other flowers from the her¬ 
baceous border, which, for decorative purposes, require to be cut 
with a good length of stem. This is a decided mistake, as flowers 
with long stems are always in demand, and to have to unduly 
shorten them in order to place them into the boxes is, to say 
the least of it, a very undesirable proceeding. Another point 
to be considered is that flowers travel much better in large 
boxes (provided they are shallow) than in smaller ones ; more¬ 
over, the cost of carriage is considerably less when the large 
box plan is adopted. A convenient size for boxes suitable for 
the above purpose is 3 feet in length, 18 inches in width, and 
6 inches in depth. If the bottom and sides are made of quarter- 
inch deal, and the ends of half-inch, sufficient strength for the 
purpose will be obtained, while the weight of box will be reduced 
to a minimum. 
For choice flowers boxes of various sizes may be obtained of 
local grocers. Those which have been used for the conveyance of 
cocoa I find extremely useful, as they are of a handy size, and just 
deep enough to hold a layer of Roses, Carnations, or similar types 
of flowers. Perhaps the only point to be urged against them is 
that they are rather heavier than is really necessary. When a 
supply of these boxes is obtained it is a good plan to place them in 
water for a few hours so that the conspicuously coloured labels 
may be readily removed, the boxes washed, and when dry stored 
ready for use. 
A cardinal point to be attended to in packing flowers is to have 
the petals dry, otherwise disfigurement is certain to follow wherever 
they touch each other. For this reason I do not favour the plan of 
gathering and packing at once outdoor flowers when a heavy dew is 
upon them. When this is done they may certainly arrive at their 
No. 729.— VoL. XXVIII., Third Series. 
destination without the slightest sign of withering, but instead they 
will usually be browned and bruised, which is a far worse state of 
affairs, as there is no possibility of their recovering from it. 
Whenever, therefore, it is necessary to pack them in early morn¬ 
ing they ought to be laid out thinly on a shelf in a room to dry 
slightly before being packed ; half an hour is usually long enough 
to effect the desired result. In wet weather it is sometimes 
necessary to spread them out in this way for several hours before 
packing. 
When flowers have to be sent several hundred miles I find 
the following is an excellent plan :—Cut in the evening or early 
morning, and stand the stems in water for a few hours before 
packing, taking care not to wet the petals of the blooms. This 
may easily be accomplished by having a number of shallow 
tins with a little water placed in them, the stems being stood in 
this, and the flowers rested upon a thin strip of wood placed 
across the top of the tin, and each row of flowers provided with 
a separate strip of wood. Flowers with long stems can, of 
course, be placed in vessels having a much greater depth of water, 
and the dividing strips of wood will be unnecessary. With 
care in packing—in addition to the preparation just described— 
ordinary flowers will reach their destination in a perfectly fresh 
condition. 
In packing all kinds of flowers it is important to so arrange 
them that they do not shift and jostle against each other should 
the box be turned upside down, or be otherwise roughly handled. 
Close packing answers the purpose in the case of the majority of 
flowers, but with delicately formed ones this will not do, but means 
must be provided for holding them in position, while at the same 
time the petals do not touch each other. Camellias, Eucharis, 
Gardenias, and some kinds of Orchids require this treatment. A 
good method of carrying it out is to select boxes just deep enough 
to hold the flowers after a thin layer of cotton wool covered with 
tissue paper has been placed in the bottom. The flowers can then 
be arranged in rows across the box, each row being secured by 
means of a strip of deal placed over the stems, and held in position 
by being wedged against the sides of the box. A strip of tissue 
paper stretched across the top of the box and hell securely by the 
lid will keep the inside of the box air-tight without touching the 
petals of the flowers. The more completely air is excluded, the 
fresher the flowers will remain. 
Callas may also be packed in the same way, with the addition 
of a little cotton wool being placed in the centre to keep the 
style from injuring the spathe. Liliums of the candidum and 
longifolium type also require a little cotton wool to be placed 
between the individual flowers to keep them from rubbing against 
each other. As a rule I like to pack only one layer of Roses in 
each box, but in the height of the season, when large numbers 
have to be packed, I use the large sized boxes above described, and 
place in them two layers, a sheet of tissue paper being placed 
between the layers. Tuberoses travel well if placed quite closely 
together in shallow boxes, with a little damp moss underneath and 
tissue paper on the top. Carnations of the “Malmaison” and 
Victoria types travel fairly well as long as only one layer is placed 
in each box, but the smaller border varieties may be packed 
en masse in boxes 6 inches deep. 
Flowers, and especially those of a fleeting nature, should be 
cut “ young,” that is before they have expanded. Many kinds 
if fairly showing their colours will open freely in water after 
travelling much more safely over a long journey than they would 
if left another day on the plants. All gardeners can and should 
make experiments in this direction ; many have done so, but 
not all, and acquired useful information. It may be that some 
have not felt the necessity, but all the same they will not err in 
acquiring practical knowledge on the subject, so that they may 
not fail when called upon to carry out what is required of them 
with credit and success.—D. W. C. 
No. 2385.—VoL. XC., Old Series. 
