Cut Flower Gathering

Here’s a flower garden gadget that’s so useful you wonder why someone didn’t think of it sooner. The Bloomsaver is a three-container device for holding cut flowers, and it works like a charm.

The minute I saw it I new it was better than anything else I had ever used. Like three coffee cans connected in the center with a long handle, this device allows the gardener to walk through the garden cutting flowers and immersing them deeply in water immediately.

It’s better than a bucket because it keeps three or more separate bouquets upright. The flowers don’t fall over and crush those on the outside. I’ve even used it to transport bouquets to the office, and it doesn’t tip over in the car. Moreover, the handle screws off so that your flowers are an instant arrangement.

This is wonderful for the harried hostess who at the last minute doesn’t have time to create a proper bouquet. Besides, have you ever noticed how often cut flowers look better in the bucket than after they’ve been arranged?

The Bloomsaver was developed by a Fresno lawyer/gardener, and it caught on immediately in horticultural circles, selling over 8,000 in its first year. It goes for about $24, plus $12 for an optional Plexiglas holster to carry garden scissors.

I got mine at Filoli Gardens gift shop in Northern California, but you can find it locally at these places: Hollyhock, 214 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles; Port O’Call, 906 Granite Drive, Pasadena; Los Angeles County Arboretum gift shop, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, or mail order it from Gardener’s Eden, P.O. Box 7307, San Francisco 94120-7307.