Category: My Saturday Evening Post

The magnificent Southern Magnolia is in her full blooming glory this spring here in Savannah.

For a couple of weeks now, as we drove or walked by one, I would say to Robert, “We should get a few blossoms for a little arrangement.”

But the ivory white beauties always seemed to be above my humble reach.

Until one day as I was driving us home, HR semi-yelled, “Neal! Pull over!”

A couple of small magnolias with a few blossoms I could possibly get!

I plucked several and brought them home.

And how beautiful and aromatic they were …

… for the first couple of days.

But Day Three told another, darker story …

What?! Why?!

Staring forlornly at my Brown Bouquet, I immediately thought of Robert Frost:

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

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Thanks for the encouragement, Frost!

But I know he is right, and I know that I really did enjoy them for a couple of days.

But why did they and I “sink to grief” so quickly?

Google AI told me:

“Magnolia petals are highly sensitive to bruising, temperature changes, and handling. When picked and placed in a vase, the oils on human skin will quickly turn the delicate white petals brown. Additionally, the exposed, pollen-heavy blooms are prone to rapid shock, wilting, and bruising from air exposure.”

Oh no! Why didn’t I Google earlier? And what could I have done differently?

AI answered:

“To make your blooms last for up to a week, follow these quick-handling tricks:

Wear gloves: Handle the stems and petals using floral gloves or a clean cloth so the natural oils on your hands don’t transfer and cause bruising.

Strip the foliage: Remove most of the leaves along the stem, as they steal moisture away from the flower. Leave only the 4-5 leaves closest to the bloom.

Dump the pollen: Turn fully open blooms upside down and gently shake them to remove excess pollen, which otherwise speeds up decay.”

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And that’s My Saturday Evening Post.