Beth Doran, ISU Master Gardener
Behind the rose, carnations are the second most popular cut flower and for good reason. They are long-lasting, maintaining their beauty up to three weeks with proper care.
This trait is what makes the white carnation the ideal flower to blanket the winning horse in the Belmont Stakes. As the final and longest race in the Triple Crown, the winner must “last” a grueling 11⁄2 miles. Hence, both the horse and carnation are known for endurance.
Traditionally, the white carnation stands for luck – another reason it is the official flower of the Belmont Stakes. Construction of the blanket involves 10 man-hours of gluing 300-700 carnations onto a 40-pound, green velveteen blanket that will drape the winning horse. These are not just any carnation, but instead “select” flowers shipped in from either California or Bogota, Colombia.
In fact, most of the carnations sold in the U.S. are international imports from Columbia, Israel, Kenya and Spain. There are two types – the large, single bloom or spray carnations that contain 5-6 miniature blooms per stem. Natural colors include red, white, and pink, but with genetic engineering, blue-violet and purple colored carnations now exist.
White flowers may be dyed to create solid colors, such as green, blue, purple, or even black. When a few drops of food coloring are added to water in a vase, white carnations will change color. If you try this, be sure to recut the stem before placing it in the colored water.
Cut carnations last longer when kept out of direct sunlight and away from cold drafts or heat. For the longest life, place the flowers in distilled water, removing any leaves under the water level. Replace the water every third day and recut a half-inch of the stem each time under running water to prevent air from getting into the stem and hindering water uptake.
To further increase the life of the carnation, add a commercial floral preservative or make your own by adding one-part lemon-lime soda (the kind with sugar) to three parts water, plus a few drops of bleach. The soda provides food for the flower; the bleach helps prevent bacterial growth.
And, here’s another reason to purchase a white carnation. They also represent love, and because of this are prevalent at special occasions, such as Mother’s Day, weddings and first anniversaries. But, don’t hold back.
Give a white carnation anytime to the special people in your life!