Florist in Claredon's Hills

Handy Guide To Keeping Flowers Fresh For Longer

Why Bloom Care Makes All The Difference

There's nothing like a bouquet of flowers to lighten your mood and spruce up your home! Plus, it's also one of the most special and heartwarming gifts we can receive on special occasions.

Sadly, we all know that flowers don't last forever. But with a little initiative and a lot of TLC, you can keep your precious blossoms fresh and blooming for longer!

We've come up with a simple guideline to help you preserve your beloved flowers' vibrance for a longer time. Enjoy your gorgeous bouquet to the fullest by following these simple steps!

If you're interested in a formal course or want to get certified as an expert on all things about flowers, we recommend looking into professional bodies and colleges in gardening and floristry such as the American Institute of Floral Designers of the AIFD (www.aifd.org), the American Floral Endowment (www.endowment.org), and other similar organizations offering programs specializing in floristry.

Clean your vase

Containers collect a lot of dust and dirt that can make your water cloudy and infect your flowers. Even if your vase is newly-bought, make sure to wash it for safety.

Cleaning your vase is actually easy and affordable - you'll have everything you need around the house! Just wash with hot water, a lid of bleach, and let it dry.

Another homemade cleaning alternative is a salt and vinegar paste. Just mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of vinegar, apply the mixture to your vase with a clean cloth or brush, and let it set for half an hour. Afterwards, rub it off until all residue is removed, rinse out with lukewarm water, and leave to dry.

Add flower food

Yes, you read it right: cut flowers need food, too! It enables them to blossom in full health and helps avoid infections that can shorten their lifespan.

Flower food has three elements: 1) citric acid, which balances the pH level of water for tip-top health; 2) sugar, which boosts their energy; and 3) bleach, which controls fungi and bacterial growth.

Your local nursery or online stores may have flower food packets readily available. But if you plan to make your own at home, the recipe is easy to follow! All you need is 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of bleach, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

There are also loads of alternatives to this recipe! Clear soda, apple cider vinegar, and even vodka have been proven to be successful at nourishing flowers.

Prune away

Leaves and foliage that are left behind on the stems and submerged in water will rot quickly, introducing bacteria to your flowers which can lead to disease and infection.

So it's a great idea to prune your flowers before setting them in your vase and see to it that there are no leaves below the waterline.

Cut stems

One of the top tips for keeping flowers fresh is to cut their stems! This technique creates a wider opening at the bottom of the stem, allowing your blooms to take in more water and delay wilting.

Just cut an inch from the stems at a 45-degree angle. It's crucial to be careful, though! Poor cutting techniques can easily result in crushed stems which keep your flowers from absorbing water

To prevent this, avoid using dull scissors or blades. Use a sharp knife or sharp shears instead for a guaranteed smooth and clean cut.

Place in water.

All flowers need water to flourish, but different blooms have different demands! Before you put them in water, research their particular water requirements.

Blooms with woody and semi-woody stems like roses, mimosas, lilies, chrysanthemums, and carnations tend to drink a lot. Place them in warm water filled to about 2/3 of your vase.

Soft-stemmed blooms like anemones, freesias, and ranunculuses prefer shallow water. You can place them in warm water filled up to only 1/2 of your vase.

Flowers with bulbous stems like daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips enjoy a bit of a chill, so place them in cold water up to 1/3 of your vase.

Set in a cool area

Most flowers thrive in cooler spots away from direct sunlight. You can still place them by the windows to create a peaceful look for your home; just see to it that they're kept away from light and that they don't touch the glass.

If you like having flowers as a centerpiece for your dining table or kitchen, make sure you place them where there are no fruits nearby. This may sound unusual, but ripening fruits actually give off small amounts of ethylene gas that cause flowers to brown and age earlier than normal.

It's also best to keep them away from anything that releases or produces heat, such as A/C units, fire places, heating vents, radiators, or televisions - these can lead to dehydration and early wilting.

Additional Care Tips

Change water and food

Water can gather dust and debris from your surroundings, while leaves and stems can break off your flowers and drop into your water. These elements cultivate an ideal environment for bacterial growth. So it's vital to change your water every 2-3 days.

For best results, you can clean the vase before you change the water. Also, be sure to stir in fresh flower food to replenish your flowers' nutrients!

Re-cut stems

Whenever you cut flowers, you create a "wound" at the bottom of the stem. So flowers "repair" themselves by sealing the wound which closes it off to water supply and significantly reduces their water intake.

This is why re-cutting stems is essential! It opens up your flowers' stems so they can absorb more water; plus, it helps get rid of blockages and prevent infections as well.

Simply snip off about half an inch off the stem every three days and you'll be sure to prolong your flowers' lives!

Important Care Advice For Your Favorite Flowers

Roses

Remove - Roses have "guard petals" which guard the inner buds that have not yet bloomed. Florists keep them to ensure the safety of your roses while they're being delivered, but it's risk-free to remove them once they arrive. This also lets your roses to spend their energy on keeping newer, more attractive petals fresh.

Revive - Wilting blooms can be revived by trimming off an inch from the bottom of the stem, then putting the roses in a bucket of water. Keep them soaking for 30-60 minutes.

Peonies (7-9 days).

Keep cool - Peonies enjoy cool environments, so some people wrap and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh. But placing them in a shady spot in your home should be enough to keep them flourishing.

Keep apart - Avoid overcrowding your vase when you have peonies in a mixed bouquet. They're quite sensitive and frail, so give them adequate space for their big blossoms to thrive.

Gardenias.

No sniffing - Smelling these temptingly aromatic blooms can actually cause premature wilting! Sounds weird, but gardenias enjoy their privacy and definitely turn brown when sniffed.

Lilies.

Pluck - Take note of your lilies' anthers; they're very likely to be covered in pollen that can stain fabric on your clothing and furniture. Simply pick the pollen off or clear away the anthers with your hands.

Protect - Lilies are especially frail flowers. Their petals tend to bruise a lot, so be sure to handle them gently when you're recutting stems or removing anthers.

Hydrangeas.

Spray - You can keep your hydrangeas blooming perfectly and vibrantly with a few sprays of water to their petals every day.

Sustain - Again, these flowers just love their water! Make sure they always get a tall drink and replace their water more consistently.

Tulips.

Take note of temperature - Tulips tend to be more sensitive to changes in temperature. They enjoy cooler surroundings, so if you see their blooms start to open on a hot day, just put them in front of an air-conditioner.

Turn, turn, turn - These fast-growing blooms bend over and get knotted up a lot, so be sure to turn their vase every day.