Winterthur Museum often displays cut flowers within collection spaces, as this best conveys Henry DuPont's original intentions for his interior/exterior design and decoration. As such, they have developed a thorough protocol for the display of cut flowers, and to my knowledge they use no pesticides. Please contact Bruno Pouliot for more information <[email protected]> - as I do not currently have ready access to my copy of this document. To my knowledge, the flowers are thoroughly inspected, the pollen producing reproductive organs on each flower are removed, and they are monitored while on display (any deteriorated portions are removed regularly so that they do not fall on objects or grow mold).
I hope this helps - and seeing as Winterthur is a neighbor institution, it should be easy to get into contact!
Regards,
Kate Payne de Chavez
From: Sara Helm <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 1:59:44 PM
Subject: [pestlist] Spraying cut flowers for installation in a museum
Hello,
A colleague of mine has been asked to spray cut flowers with insecticide prior to their display in a museum. Does anyone have information as to what he should spray them with or if they truly must be sprayed? They are being imported from Holland, and will have an Export Certificate, which indicates that they have been inspected for pests (and likely sprayed) prior to their leaving Holland.
The main concern is that since they will be cut flowers, if we spray them here in the US when they arrive, there is usually a 24- to 36-hour period when people cannot be exposed to the sprayed plants due to safety regulations. This will considerably shorten the time period when they can be displayed in the museum.
Thank you for any knowledge you may impart,
Sara Helm
Research Assistant
Longwood Gardens Inc.
P.O. Box 501
Kennett Square, PA 19348
